Shawls are for boys, too.

Shawls are, as a friend once said, a "very knitterly thing." You don't really see shawls out in the public sphere, unless they are worn by knitters, or little old ladies from the Old Country. I actually didn't really see the appeal of shawls until I started knitting in earnest. But now... Oh, shawls, how I love you!

The great thing about a shawl is its versatility. I wear Dover Castle as my Winter scarf. It has more surface area than a typical scarf, so it can cover more of my neck. Plus, I love the way the little point of the shawl kicks out, even when I have it wrapped around my neck like a scarf. It's just a little touch of sass that makes me smile. And shawls don't have to be just for Winter. Knit up in a lighter weight yarn - like cotton, or Hempathy, or Rowan Lenpur Linen - they can be the perfect little shoulder cover for a breezy evening, or a super air conditioned office.

But I digress. The main point is that typically, shawls seem to be a decidedly feminine accessory. It's not hard to see why. Most of them are very lacy, and even when knit in a bold or "masculine" color, "lacy" does not evoke images of conquering mountains or chainsawing huge logs in half or whatever other manly imagery you can come up with. (Apparently, when I think "manly", I think "lumberjack".) However, and I don't know if this is a recent phenomenon or not, but there seem to be an increasing number of not-lacy shawls making the knitting rounds. Some of these are designed by men - Stephen West, for example - but not necessarily all of them. Enter the shawl-for-a-guy.

There are so many great things about shawls-for-men. First, there are myriad ways to make it a structurally and visually interesting shawl without lace. Second, there are millions of color possibilities to explore - even pink can be masculine in the right setting! Third, you get the size, coziness factor and fun of knitting a shawl without it being a feminine accessory. I recently made Clockwork (by Stephen West) for Allen and it is fabulous. He loves that he can wrap it around his neck a million times and cuddle down into it when the bitterly cold wind blows in his face during his morning commute, and I absolutely loved picking out colors and knitting this fabulous, uh, I mean manly, neck warmer.

So, if you are a knitter and you are looking for a manly scarf to make for your significant other, don't be afraid of shawls! You know how much fun they are to knit! I would recommend calling it a "scarf" around the house though. Just to keep up the manly facade.

KALs are the best.

My new favorite thing in the fiber world is the knit-along. Or maybe it's knit-a-long since the acronym is KAL? At any rate, there are so many great things about them.

1. They let you knit with a friend or a group, even if you can't be in physically the same place while knitting. It brings a sense of community back to your knitting when you can't get to your LYS for knit-night, or when you are traveling, or any time you find yourself with a stretch of lonely knitting.

2. If someone else is knitting the exact same thing, it's really easy for you to help each other out with sticky spots. Most patterns have one or two places where the instructions are vague, or you just aren't getting it. If you are knitting it with a friend, they can help explain funky spots to you - or vice versa.

3. They keep you on track and on  target. Oh, startitis. You foul temptress. It's so easy to give in to your siren call. Unless you know you are going to have to compare progress on your KAL with someone else. Then, rather than be embarrassed by how little you have completed, you put down the skein of Sanguine Gryphon you were just fondling and pick up your knitting instead.

A few things to consider when contemplating a KAL...

A. It's better for everyone involved if you are close in skill level to your fellow KAL-ers. This is not to say everyone has to be a newb. If you have someone in the group who is more advanced, they can help point out pitfalls that the novices are likely to fall into. But if everyone is on approximately the same level, there is less embarrassment at pattern snafus or knitting speed. Also, if someone in your group is a crazy fast knitter (not mentioning names here... and no, it's not me), it's not much of a knit-a-long. It's more like a game of catch-up.

B. Pattern. Kind of obvious. But it should be something that everyone is interested in knitting. As a corollary, you might want to check out the pattern beforehand to make sure it's worth knitting. Everyone has had a moment where they bought a pattern, bought the yarn and cast on, only to find out the pattern is a hot mess and un-knit-able. Or un-crochet-able. Ask me how I know. Or read back in the archives.

C. How often will you be checking in? My friend and I sent each other email updates fairly frequently to check progress. If it's a short term project, like a cowl, maybe daily check-ins? Long term project, maybe weekly?

The beauty of the KAL is it's totally up to you! There are no rules and no deadlines, but I found that it definitely kept me on track and on task when I got to that "endless stockinette" portion of the pattern. I can't wait to do another one!

The fruits of our labor! (P.S. The KAL in question was Rosamund's Cardigan. Not too tough for beginners, but interesting enough to keep you occupied for not-beginners. Heart!)

So sick I can't even knit.

How sad. What a terrible way to kick off the New Year! With the worst cold ever! (Well, the worst since I had this same cold last year...) I called out of work today, but even with uninterrupted couch time, I was too sick to knit more than a few rows of my Rosamund's Cardigan. I started this cardigan as a KAL (knit along) with a friend, and hers is now blocking while mine still needs 3 waist decreases and 2 sleeves. I am loving this sweater though. There's a ton of plain (reverse) stockinette, so it goes fast, but there's enough to keep track of with cables and shaping that it doesn't get boring. I'm knitting it in some gorgeous Sanguine Gryphon Free Range in the Indian Peafowl colorway. I bought the yarn at Rhinebeck in October and I love it so much, I ordered 2 more skeins to make Allen a Clockwork! If my nose stops running I may actually finish Rosamund this week.

My first cast-on of the new year will be a pair of convertible (flip top) mitts for Allen. Since my long-suffering husband has yet to receive any of my knitting handiwork, I figured it was time. He's actually getting a set: convertible mitts, a koolhaas and Clockwork. I'm trying to fly through the mitts and hat so I can get to clockwork before it warms up! My goal is to finish Allen's "commuting set" before February 1. Hurry up fingers! Knit faster!

The amigurumi that we knit for our nieces went over really well. I'm very pleased with how they turned out and how easy it was to modify the clothes for each. Allen's Hep Kitty is my absolute favorite, and our niece almost didn't get a Christmas gift from us as a result! So tempting to keep it for my own! Allen has promised to make me one though. And the Little Man Vest I made for our nephew came out adorable and fit him perfectly! Which, actually, is a bad thing since he's one and a half. He'll basically get to wear it this winter and that's it. Luckily, my sister (in-law) has another on the way so maybe it will get some more use!

Look at those adorable crafts! Uh, I mean kids! Happy New year and happy crafting!

Resolutions.

1. Knitting project bigamy. No more then 2 projects on needles at any given time!

2. Blog more. And include photos.

3. Run.

4. Be thankful, be positive, look forward.