Back in April, we had the amazing opportunity of hosting Stephen West at the shop. Stephen is a prolific designer who has a bold, graphic style. Most of his pieces are accessories, such as shawls, cowls, and hats, and can be worn easily by both men and women.
He has self-published three books: Westknits Book 1, 2, & 3. When Stephen came to the shop, he taught a workshop on knitting shawls from the top-down, and he had a book signing. As he lives in Amsterdam (as a dancer and artist), and has never been to the Bay Area, we and his many fans were very excited to meet him in person.
Well, while Stephen was visiting, he let me in on a secret. He was in the process of designing and knitting a shawl for a mystery knit-a-long (KAL). Last year, at this time, he did a similar project and it was a huge success. We started talking about colors and possibilities. Once he left, I quickly dyed a couple skeins and sent them off to him. Well the time has finally come, and Stephen has released the KAL publicly.
The yarn Stephen used is called Even Tinier Annapurna. It is our light fingering weight, merino, cashmere, nylon blend.
The colors Stephen used for his sample are The Sound of Cicadas and Scarab.
In case you are unfamiliar with a mystery KAL, this is how it works. Stephen will release portions of the shawl on the following dates:
Clue 1 - July 13
Clue 2 - July 20
Clue 3 - July 27
Clue 4 - August 3
The fun part of the project is that you don't know yet what the shawl looks like - it is a surprise that unveils itself as you knit!
We are hosting a virtual KAL on our Ravelry group. There will be prizes from both Stephen and myself.
For this shawl, I would recommend using 2 contrasting colors. One of the colors can be variegated, though still contrasting with the 2nd color choice.
Here are some other options of colors that would look good:
Abalone & Parrotlette
Sugar Jets & Au Lait
I've listed more color options here.
Click here to purchase Even Tinier Annapurna.
I hope you decide to knit with us! It's gonna be a fun one!
-- Kristine
p.s. As you may have noticed, we have sold out of nearly all colors as of today. Please call the shop to pre-order. 510.595.verb