The Joy of Knitting Together

You like mysteries? You like knitting? Then MKALs are for you.

What are MKALs?

MKAL stands for Mystery Knit Along and means that participants knit an item, for example a shawl, without knowing how the final project will look like. The designer reveals what kind of an item it will be, how much yarn it takes, needle size, degree of difficulty, and time frame. She then sends out portions of the pattern on a weekly basis; there are usually 4 – 5 “clues” or installments. After all portions are released, the pattern will be available as a whole.

Gwendolyn, a shawl pattern by designer Mona Zillah that was initially a Mystery Knit Along. Knitted in 1 x 100 gr skein in color CITRUS

This explains the “Mystery” part; the “Knit Along” portion implies that a community of people knit together. Most MKALs are held on Ravelry, which is an online community of crafters consisting of over 3 million members worldwide. You can set up a free Ravelry account here. On Ravelry, people join groups to talk about knitting, yarn, pets, recipes, politics and everything in between. Wolle’s Yarn Creations has its own group, which you can find and join here.

During a MKAL participants exchange ideas, get help, post pictures, and provide encouragement. It is great fun working on the same projects along with others and seeing a shawl come to life in different colors. Usually there are “spoiler alert” notices for those who haven’t finished a clue, so everybody can work at her own pace and leisure. Knitting is supposed to be relaxing, after all, and not a competition.

MKAL, KAL, CAL

Not ready for a Mystery Knit Along? No worries. There are also Knit Alongs (KALs) and Crochet Alongs (CALs). The same concept of crafting together applies. The only difference is that one knows the pattern and how the finished object will look like beforehand.