For this week’s blog post we decided to check in with each one of the Ancient Arts knitting team to get some thoughts from each of us on the Stacked Stitch Wrap KAL.

For me, Caroline S, the KAL is proving to be a really unique and fun experience. I have a confession to make. In all my years of knitting (and crochet etc.) I have never officially participated in a KAL! Why not? Well I don’t really know. I have lurked on KAL’s, I have knitted the project for a KAL, but I never actually did something like post online IN a KAL, thereby officially participating in said KAL. I guess I just didn’t quite get it. And I am finding that this means I lost out!

I LOVE my life as a dyer. I’ve been doing it for a long time now, and it is truly enjoyable and fulfilling. But because it is an artistic endeavor requiring a great deal of concentration, I spend less time with my stitching buddies, and more time by myself, than one might like. It’s hard to get out to a stitching group and so I find myself knitting in a bit of a vacuum at times. Knitting can be marvelous for all sorts of things, but one element I miss is the social element that can happen with knitting. And guess what! This KAL is giving that back to me.

This KAL is like getting together in person with my favorite people, while at the same time getting to meet a group of fabulous new people! It’s been a huge amount of fun to choose my colours in consultation with others. It’s been inspirational to see what they are choosing, and to hear about why they might want to go that direction. It’s ever so much fun to see progress pictures, and to chat about bits that might be confusing, or triumphant (I finished the middle section!!!), or slowing us down (looking at YOU studio cat Shasta).

I really hope that more people decide to join us. This is fun!

Barb Brown

When Caroline S proposed a KAL for the wrap designed by Xandy Peters, I was all for it! Who doesn’t want to knit something lovely with an interesting technique? I was very practical when I chose the 3 colours. I have a history of knitting shawls and wraps for myself, and then giving them away. Blue is my favourite colour, and is also the favourite colour of the person I am most likely to impulsively hand it over to! I thought the black would add depth to the blue. Blue and gold as well as black and gold are two favourite combinations of mine.

The yarn is dyed and Canada Post is winging it my way! I thought it would be fun to do the colouring sheet Xandy provided, and it was. It was interesting to see the picture I’d had in my mind’s eye grow on the paper. I couldn’t quite match the colours with the crayons I had, but it still gives a good idea. 

The seven-year-old Grand Daughter was with me when I started colouring, so I gave her a copy plus the 3 colours I had chosen. I told her none of the rules, just that it was going to be a knitted thing. She came up with her own rendition. Grandpa lured her away with a promise of letting her weed the garden before she was done. Too bad! I’d have liked to see the final idea!

Caroline D.

I’m really loving this Stacked Stitch Wrap! The start of it is a long striped garter stitch scarf. If you’ve read our blog before, you’ll know I’m a huge proponent of knitting everywhere you go, and the centre panel is really great for traveling knitting. It’s super easy, but the stripes at least add a little bit of interest. My spouse and I go to a lot of car shows (he’s a pinstriper), so we do a lot of driving. I took this project to a couple car shows last weekend and nearly finished the first part! I’m really looking forward to the stacked stitches part of the wrap. It’s an entirely new technique for me and I think this will be a great introduction to it.

I’m madly in love with the colour combination, it’s one of Xandy Peters suggestions, and it’s super bright and happy! I find projects with lots of small goals help me motor along. In this case the first goal was finishing the centre panel. My current mini-goal is getting to the third colour so I can see it in all it’s sexy glory! After the goal will be to learn the magic of stacked stitches! Sharing my progress in the KAL on Ravelry has been a great incentive too, it’s possible that I have a slightly competitive streak…