I’ve never been really into mystery knit-alongs, but my friend Jeremie is really into them and he might have just talked me into doing one. I’m still deciding… but I’m leaning heavily towards jumping in. (There will be spoiler photos a bit further down, click away if you don’t want to see!)
Copyright ysolda. Click for pattern page.
If you haven’t heard about the Follow Your Arrow Mystery KAL by Ysolda Teague yet, it seems to be a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure knitting experience (like this other KAL done by Lee Meredith a while ago) and results in 32 possible shawls. That’s a lot of combinations! There are already over 3,000 projects on Ravelry, which is mind-boggling and inspirational all on its own.
(Ok, prepare for spoilers.)
I’m going to stalk other people’s projects on Ravelry and wait another clue or so before I make my decision (I’m lame like that) but I really like the way clue 1A and 2B look together using different colors.
Photo copyright Bella-B. Click for their project page.
Isn’t that a gorgeous example? The fishtail-looking stripey part is clue 1A and the asymmetrical garter stitch swoop up the side is clue 2B. I like it. It’s funky. I even have two yarn ideas for it.
SG Bugga in Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly and leftover bits
If I deconstruct this hibernating (and sadly boring) WIP, I can use the yarn for a super-stripey version of the mystery KAL shawl. The difficult aspect of this plan would be choosing which colors to use for which sections. Before I saw Clue 2B, I thought I’d use grey for the stockinette and the multi-colored remnants for the garter stripes. But in Clue 2, the multi-colored bits would constitute much of the fabric in that big garter stitch swoop, which might get visually overwhelming and difficult to plan out.
SG Bugga in Archy and Mehatibel
A second option would be to ditch the leftover bits and pair the pale grey Bugga with this fun magenta/teal/purple/blue skein. That pairing had been my original plan when I purchased this skein way back when, so I’m sorely tempted to make it happen. We shall see!
What about you, do you like mystery KALs? How do you deal with giving up control of the look of the finished piece? Does this choose-your-own-adventure style KAL make you feel better or worse about not knowing what’s coming next? As always, if you’ve got some inspiration to share this week, link along in the comments below!
Woolen Diversions 
Hmmmm what an interesting idea. I haven’t thought about a create-your-own mystery KAL. I have never done at mystery KAL anyway, but it’s always been intriguing.
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Oooh, my mom is doing this right now! I’ll probably do it once all the clues are out so I can make all the decisions after knowing where they lead. That’s how I always read those ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ books as well ; )
(And the 20 miles today took me about four and a half hours – but I made it!)
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I definitely do the same thing. And that’s amazing for your 20 mile run! Great job!
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I’ve never done one. I’m not adventurous enough and don’t really like the idea that I don’t know how it will look after all that work. Maybe some day.
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That’s pretty much how I feel about them, too!
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You know, mystery KALs have yet to appeal to me. I think it’s because I’m a product knitter and without seeing what the product is, I can’t get excited.
However, once projects start being completed, I might join in. You never know.
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I don’t think I could do a mystery knit — I’m just not that confident as a knitter! However, I think it sounds like it would be a lot of fun for the brave!
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