Isla of Axholme: Firsts - KAL and crochet

I have been knitting for two years now but I have never taken part in a Knit a Long (KAL). A KAL is where a group of people (in this case online through the knitting / crochet website Ravelry) start and end a knitting project on agreed dates posting photos and comments along the way. Often there are prizes on offer for taking part but for me it's the support and encouragement of my fellow KAL'ers which was the major attraction of joining one.

Isla of Axholme blog knitting photo Lush cardigan tin can knits pattern wool

So last month I found myself signing up to the LushPodKal. This was organised by four podcasters Louise at Knit British, Jo at Shinybees, Aimee at Knit.Spin.Cake and Louise at Caithness Craft Collective to knit a cardigan called Lush by Emily Wessel of Tin Can Knits. This was by far the hardest garment I have knitted to date but I thought with the help and support of the KAL I would give it a go (what have a got to loose!). Following rave reviews from Louise at Knit British I decided to knit Lush in Brigantia double knit which I bought online from Ginger Twist Studios (excellent customer service and very speedy delivery by the way).

Following some traumatic swatching and lots of mathematical calculations, to ensure what I was going to knit would actually fit me, I was ready to start on the 20th July - the cast on date. The first thing to be knitted was the lace yoke, followed by the collar, body and finally the arms. Despite a couple of little set backs (mainly me not reading the pattern properly) I made really good progress although the lower body area seemed to take ages to complete.

Isla of Axholme blog photo lush cardigan tin can knits collar lace arm holes

The good news is that I have finished the cardigan with a few weeks to spare. It fits (my mathematical calculations were correct!) and I love everything about it! The help and support along the way from the Louise, Jo, Aimee and Louise was brilliant (thank you ladies) as was assistance from fellow Lush knitters in the forums. The question is 'When's the next podcaster KAL'?

isla of axholme blog photo lush cardigan tin can knits pattern finished

I have posted additional photos and progress notes on my Ravelry project page.

July was certainly a month of learning new skills as I also started to learn how to crochet. In my last blog post I mentioned my best friend. It's the same best friend whom kindly and patiently gave me my first lesson! Despite struggling at first (and not being able to make my hands do what hers were doing!) I managed to make a start on my first granny square which I hope will become a blanket. There is a long way to go but I am really pleased that I cracked it within a few hours and have been able to work on it solo. I even took it camping a few weeks ago! I'm not using any fancy yarns just scraps and bits I was given so it's not costing me anything which is a bonus!