Woolly Wormhead is pleased to announce that she is running a Mystery Knit-a-long for 2009 during November!

There are 2 patterns available, £1 each or £1.50 for both. At the end of the November when the KAL has finished both patterns will revert to full price of £2.75 for Pattern A and £2.50 for Pattern B.

Buy both Pattern A and Pattern B for only £1.50!

• Both patterns have already been professionally tech edited, giving you quality patterns for your money.

• The weekly updates will be uploaded to the database and you will receive an email notification that the next installment is there - meaning you don’t have to be on Ravelry or stalking here waiting for the next update!

• The KAL patterns will be available for purchase towards the end of October. You can buy either or both for an even bigger discount from then until the end of November.

• The more advanced of the 2 patterns (Pattern A) will have a choice design feature options, i.e. the ability to add extra slouch or a longer or shorter brim. The easier of the two (Pattern B) can be made a little more slouchy, but isn't as customisable as Pattern A.

• Anyone can buy into the KAL at anytime - all the current installments will be available for download when you purchase.

• When the KAL has finished, the installments will be replaced by the complete & full pattern.

• Like last year, I will include as much support as possible regarding scaling & maths for different gauge yarns.

• Yarn wise, as it’s lace solid or semi solid colourways are best. Wool or wool blend would help drape.

• The patterns will also be available to purchase from my website and Ravelry, both during and after the KAL.

• Both patterns will be provided in both written and charted format. The charts will fully cover the stitch patterns/repeats AND the crown shaping.

• The main discussion for the KAL will take place in the Wormheads Hats group on Ravelry.

About yarns

Both of these patterns are lace, so solids or semi solids work best - you want the lace pattern to show through rather than be hidden by an exciting colourway. Having said that, Pattern B will be much more forgiving of something with more contrast; Pattern A demands to have a colourway that will show off it's lacey details!

Yardage is key - I have over estimated the yardages given above. Every knitter knits to a slightly different gauge, and even 2 knitters with identical gauge will use different yardages - it's all about how we knit. Most knitters will find that the figures given above are more than generous and you won't need all of it, but I've added extra to allow the knitter who will need more to ensure her skein is enough.

Weight - the sample yarns used are DK, and just about any DK or sportsweight yarn wil be fine. If your gauge is a little off, no worry, because here's a little maths for you...:)

If you get 24 sts to 10cm/4", that's 8.4% smaller, and that's roughly how much smaller your Hat will be. So, taking the medium size for Pattern A, which has a finished size of 19.5 inches or 45.5 cm, a yarn with a gauge of 24 sts will give you a Hat measuring 18.25 inches or 41.75 cm - it's quite do-able, especially if you naturally fall between two given sizes. Or look at it this way - it's an extra inch or so of negative ease - you may prefer that in a Hat.

Row gauge, as always, is a little more tricky, and Pattern B is more forgiving of this. Pattern A will require a bit more forethought, but again it won't be rocket science!

Fibre wise, you want something that will drape nicely, show stitch details, and block well. I found I needed to block Pattern B much more to get the detail to show, Pattern A would be more forgiving of a less stringent blocking. I'm going to recommend wool or animal fibres (as if I'd consider anything else!) because they will give the best finish. Silk or alpaca would work nicely, although may not block so well; they may be better as blends. Go for a yarn with a nice, smooth twist, but not over twisted else it may seem a little harsh and not drape as nicely.

Save this page to your bookmarks, as new information wil be added nearer the time! If you enjoyed last years' KAL, this year promises to be as much fun - tell your friends and knit-a-long together!

Page last updated: 25/10/09