Fun
The Kaffe-along Starts Now!
Dear Everybody,
With the holidays fading into a pleasant chocolate-and-piney-candle haze, we long for one thing: a deep, refreshing dive into Kaffe Fassett’s designs for Field Guide No. 13: Master Class.
We got a good start back in November—OK, Ann’s idea of a “good start” was a big ol’ stranded blanket—but those first projects left us longing for MORE.
Ann’s idea of a good start: the Stranded Stripe Throw.
Today, we begin a short, intense, delirious romp through this sublime colorist’s open-ended designs for both solid and stranded stripes. It’s a knitalong that we’re calling the Kaffe-along. Pick a stitch pattern (or 13), pick one of the Field Guide’s simple templates—scarf, cushion, cowl, shawl or throw—grab some jolly colors of Felted Tweed, and off we go!
Crowd pleasers: Stripe Scarves and Cowls.
Since November’s launch of this Field Guide, we’ve been avidly watching the outpouring of knitterly love for Kaffe’s designs. What has struck us more than anything else is the freshness, simplicity, and joy of the designs that Kaffe put into this little book. We can’t help thinking of Matisse with his paper cuts—this is a master at play. Kaffe is applying his unique sensibility, what he’s learned, and how he’s evolved in his brilliant career, in which so much lies ahead.
Just the ticket pile of pillows. Pattern: Striped Cushions.
It’s so fun to knit with Kaffe. Our energy is off the charts. This tingle is what knitting is all about.
The joy of garter stitch, and plenty of it: the Garter Stripe Shawl.
Will you join us? The fun of this knitalong is that there really is a Kaffe for every knitter. Field Guide No. 13 provides templates that range from satisfyingly quick knitting candy—cushions, cowls, and scarves—to full-on love-of-your-life projects that will bring delight in the knitting, and forever after. With so many stitch patterns for stranded and solid-color stripes that can be applied to all of these templates, it’s a Choose Your Own Adventure experience. The adventure will be more fun together.
The Details
The knitalong will officially end on Friday, January 31, 2020, even though everybody knows that a good knitalong just keeps going and going.
The Instagram hashtag is #KaffealongMDK. Go on ahead and follow it on Instagram. Or if you prefer, post your progress photos in the MDK Lounge. (Yes, we’re keeping the Team Kaffe group going from the 2019 Giftalong—there’s so much inspiration in that topic!) We are keeping our eyes on both places.
Posting a photo, either on the Instagram hashtag or in the MDK Lounge, will put you in the running for juicy prizes, with winners to be announced shortly after the knitalong officially ends.
You do not have to finish your project to be eligible for prizes.
Any project from MDK Field Guide No. 13 is eligible. Also eligible are projects using any of the stitch patterns from the Field Guide on a project of your choice. (For example, using Kaffe’s Coins motif for a bag, socks, or mitts. These simple stitch patterns are easily transferred to any cylindrical format.)
As with all MDK knitalongs, all yarns are welcome. You do not have to knit your Kaffealong project in Rowan Felted Tweed, although it’s Kaffe’s favorite, and ours, for its rich, flecked colors and long-wearing, well-behaved ways. If you’ve been wanting to try Felted Tweed, this is the universe inviting you to do it now.
That’s our knitalong policy here at MDK: the more the merrier. The goal is to have a good time together, sharing the joy of knitting designs by one of the all-time great knitwear designers, spurring each other on with inspiration and ideas, and learning a few neat knitting tricks along the way.
We would tell you what the criteria for prizes are, but we don’t know a prize winner until we see it. If you’ve followed our knitalongs in the past, you probably know that we are suckers for a gorgeous photo, a sassy caption, a silly story, or a heartwarming moment. Any one of these, or something else entirely, can capture our imagination and make us say, “This wins a prize!” Always remember Modern Daily Knitting Rule No. 1: Knitting Is Supposed to Be Fun.
Need Provisions? 10% Savings on Felted Tweed
With Kaffe’s designs, color is everything, and more colors equals more fun. To help get everyone’s Felted Tweed palette in shape, the MDK Shop is stocked way up on this favorite yarn. We’ve even got a special knitalong deal for you: a 10 percent discount on all orders of Felted Tweed.
Have a ball picking your colors, fill in the coupon code TWEEDFUN at checkout, and away you go.
Now let’s get out there and get this color party started!
Love,
Ann and Kay
3 weeks for a sweater…maybe not the one I was thinking of. I’ll mull it over today.,
I’m dying to join this KAL, but I won’t even be ready to start until the end of January (at best). I will follow along to learn what I can. I want to make the “coins” pattern in a pillow for my daughter’s couch (she’s the one who gave me the Field Guide). Waiting for the yarns I ordered to come from England; wish I had known about this discount sooner!
Hey guys! Can I be in the KAL even though I started my fassett socks yesterday? (I had to get rid of my Saturday sock as it was too small). That puts me one day early. Not a big deal if not.
That’s perfectly fine. It’s all about sharing. It’s not a race and nobody is refereeing. (Reminds me of Julia Child saying, “Nobody is with you in the kitchen!”) Would love to see your sock, Sue!
Yeah well I’m onto my third try! I won’t even have to think about Julia! I am a fan of 2mm needles for socks, but even with 72 stitches they are too small. Not enough positive ease and double the fabric. (sad trombone) Time to bring out the big guns and start again! Of course I will be posting!
I’m in!! I love this Field Guide. I have already done one cowl and started on the coin scarf in Seafarer and Clay. I’m still not good at judging how much yard I need, so I ran out and quickly ordered more yarn. But then . . . I saw a photo on the blog of Nell with the blue and white coin scarf turned into a cowl. Knowing that copying is the sincerest form of flattery I copied Nell’s brilliant idea and my present was presented on time. I have promised two more pieces to my Saturday morning walking group. I took some of the balls of yarn and the color guide and they all went crazy. Oh no, what have I started?????
I am confused. I want to make a tubular scarf in the coins pattern. Actually. I would like to start with a provisional cast on and Kitchner the ends to form a cowl that goes around my head twice. The long scarf pattern will do, but I can’t seem to find how much yarn I would need. Can you direct me to the page where I would find the yardage required for the long tubular scarf in coins pattern?
amscroll@aol.com
Hi Angela,
On page 52, we gave the yarn quantities for the samples of scarves and cowls that were shown in the Field Guide, with page references to the photographs of the samples. If you change up the colors from those used in the samples, you of course don’t change the total yardage, but the amount you need of each color will change. For example, the coins tubular scarf in the book used only 2 colors, and it took 3 balls of each color, so a total of 6 balls. I made a tubular scarf with 10 colors, evenly distributed, and it used about half of each ball, leaving me with half-balls of 10 colors. Hope this helps. There’s a bit of trial and error involved. Hopefully more trial than error!
I can’t wait to get started on this knit along. I have my yarn, I have my needles, and I have the pattern. Just hope there are enough frozen dinners in the freezer for hubby!
Let’s light a candle for hubby!
Is the felted tweed on sale until the 31st as well? If not, when does the sale end? I couldn’t find a separate date specifying that. Thanks!
That’s my question too–I really want to try the coins scarf but I don’t trust my choices. I think MDK had some bundles as kits or something like that which I’m willing to do but I think, if I’m getting this right, the kits are sold out. Do you know when you will put together more kits or what would you suggest? I ordered the book and the ebook which I just realized I can access myself probably now which I will do. sorry for the long note.
Hi Judy!
We can’t offer the bundles at the moment but we are currently offering a 10 percent discount on Felted Tweed. You can make your own bundles—woohoo! The colors that were in our Dusty and Bright 10-packs are in the photo gallery on the product listing here: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/shop/felted-tweed/ The last two photos show the bundles and have the shade names written on them. Hope this helps!
Kay
Will you be at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC with samples of the Coins Scarf for us to see? Can we buy the Felted Tweed yarn from you there, it would be nice to see the colors in person.
How do I set up an account? I ordered the guide 13. But have no way to access it.
Finally have my Guide and the yarn came yesterday. I sat down and started with a provisional cast-on and two of my 10 colors of Rowan Felted Tweed that I chose myself. I think I will do a Christina variation but did just cast-on 72 stitches. Last night I started the first stripe and I am excited about this knitting. I also just sent for an 16 inch Addi Rocket needle in size 5.
With the left over yarn from this scarf I think I will do 1 or 2 cowls. What fun this color work will be going forward.
Great fun learning stranded knitting with “coins” pattern. Feeling confident now that I can cut a “steek”. Thanks for the great tips.