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!)
No comments:
Post a Comment