2021 Jimmy KAL

Welcome to the 2021 Jimmy Shawl KAL!

It’s the second year in a row that I’m hosting this KAL and I’m so happy and excited to knit another Jimmy with you! Below you’ll find all the useful information about the KAL: what do we knit, how do you participate, what’s to win, etc. Looking forward to knitting with you!

What is this KAL about?

In this KAL we knit the Jimmy shawl, the pattern you received as a gift when you subscribe to the Tricot & Stitch newsletter. Not a subscriber yet? Click here and join us!

When does it start / finish?

The KAL will run as an Instagram challenge from Wednesday, June 6th to July 31st, 2021. You will then have two more months to complete your shawl: the deadline to post a picture of your FO is September 30th, 2021 (midnight Paris time).

Where does it take place?

- There will be a super fun, bilingual Cast On Party on Zoom on Wednesday, June 16th at 5:00 pm Paris time. If you’d like to join but have not received the number in the newsletter, please reach out by email here.

- On Instagram with the hashtag #KALJimmy2021. Here are the weekly prompts to post your pictures and spead the joy of knitting your Jimmy shawl!

This year, we’ll pretend Jimmy is your sidekick, your little knitted pal that’s sharing a lot of activities with you as you go along your merry way. Coffee break, apéro, movie night, a stroll, tea time… you name it, Jimmy’s will be with you and we’d like you to share! Unleash your creativity and have fun!

To participate, you just have to add the #kaljimmy2021 hashtag to your publications on Instagram. You can also tag me @tricot_et_stitch if you want to make sure I see your posts. Please turn your account to public otherwise I won’t be able to see your beautiful pictures!

Last, make sure you subscribe to the #kaljimmy2021 hashtag to see the posts by the other participants.

- On Ravelry: the KAL is primarily hosted on Instagram but you can also post a picture of your finished Jimmy Shawl in the no chatter FO thread before the final deadline of September 30th, Paris time.

How do I get the pattern?

If you’re already a newsletter subscriber, grab your pattern and join the fun! If you misplaced your pattern, send me a message and I will send it again to you. In the last three newsletters, I shared a code for you to add Jimmy to your Ravelry library. Please do so as the pattern update is coming tomorrow!

If you’re not a subscriber yet and want to be, click here and join us!

If you want to join but do not want to subscribe, you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry and join as well!

Do I need to knit Tricot & Stitch yarn to join?

I prepared beautiful kits for the Jimmy shawl, some are still available as ready to ship listings and some are on pre-order. However you can join using the yarn of your choice!

Prizes

There will be prizes - more on that in a bit!

Read-along, anyone?

Because a KAL is even better when you have an accompanying read-along, I thought we could enjoy "Mud, Muck & Dead Things", the first book in the Campbell & Carter Mystery series by Ann Granger. For those willing to join, there is a hashtag on Instagram as well: #RALJimmy2021

Planning

Again this year, I prepared a planning to help you stay on track if you wish to finish your Jimmy by July 31st.

Week 1 - Knit until row 60
Week 2 - Knit until row 96
Week 3 - Knit until row 124
Week 4 - Knit until row 146
Week 5 - Knit until row 160
Week 6 - Knit until 170 and work a third of the edging repeats
Week 7 - Finish the shawl

Must read before you cast on!

The shawl uses two skeins of fingering weight yarn and the contrasting color (black in my original version) was completely used up. Plan for success and make sure you have enough or prepare a plan B if you loose at yarn chicken.
Reason would have me tell you variegated yarn would work only for the main color, bla bla bla. But as I've hacked my own pattern and knit the lace border in stripes and variegated yarn, I won't. Explore options & have fun!
In need of inspiration? Check the Jimmy projects on Ravelry and the #jimmyshawl hashtag or the #kaljimmy2020 on Instagram to see some FOs with different color combinations and pattern hacks (longer border, no edging, lace pattern with a rest row...).
I presented the 2021 edition of the Jimmy Shawl KAL in my episode 21 of my Inspirations podcast here!

Again this year, I am super happy to organize this KAL and super itchy to get started on my Jimmy. I hope you'll join and knit with me!

Brioche Queen - Colors and bases

Brioche Queen is my lastest pattern, a lovely brioche col, squishy and reversible, which will be published in two sizes on May 21st. Read on to discover the kits I put together to knit your own, as well as advice on how to choose alternative color combinations or substitute yarn bases.

Brioche Queen calls for three different yarn bases:

Slub fingering and Mohair & Silk laceweight held together for the dark color
Fingering yarn for the light color

I put together 10 different color kits to knit Brioche Queen, in two formats: a kit with three balls of yarn to knit one cowl (50g of slub, 50g of fingering and 25g of mohair & silk) and a kit with 3 skeins of yarn to knit two cowls (100g of slub, 100g of fingering and 50g of mohair & silk). Options for the kits are a coordinated marker and the pattern at the special price of 5€ instead of approx. 8€ on Ravelry (depending on the country you live in).

There was a first batch of kits for sale on May 7th, 2020 and I will add more to the shop in the coming weeks. Here are the colorways available:

SHOP THE COLORS

How to choose your own colors?

In Brioche you want to have enough contrast between your dark and light side to maximize the wow effect. That said, there’s nothing keeping you from experimenting! My favorite method of color association is to start with a variegated colorway and' “deconstruct” it, i.e. associate semi-solids in the same palette. That way you can have both contrast and visual harmony.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are a few alternative combos which did not make it as kits but still, were very pretty - I had such a hard time choosing!

Important note: Customized Brioche Queen kits are available in full skein size only (2 cowls)

How to substitute yarns?

The association of three different yarn bases gives Brioche Queen its unique personnality. Slub and mohair are a match made in heaven! Together they create the squishiest texture, with a lovely halo that slightly dilutes the colors, like in a watercolor painting. The fingering on the light side creates a sharp pattern, contrasting in color and texture with the dark side. Knitting Brioche Queen is a treat, it is also highly addictive! I have completed four, have a fifth on the needles and several others in my near future!

If you wish to substitute yarns for this pattern, here is what I think you can do, although I have not tested it myself:

You can replace the slub yarn by any fingering weight yarn. The cowl will look different, less textured but it will still have a lovely halo and gauge should not change much.
You can replace Mohair by Suri or by any laceweight yarn. If you choose a less “hairy” yarn, the cowl will loose the halo effect. If you wish to drop the laceweight altogether, please carefully check gauge as this might sensibly affect the size of your finished cowl.
Please always take time to check your gauge, to make sure you like the way the yarns you chose play together. Blocking your swatch will also enable you to check if you like the texture, the drape and if you’re on track in terms of size.

Jimmy KAL

Hello dear Knitters! In this post you’ll find all the useful information about the Jimmy shawl KAL.

What is this KAL about?

In this KAL we knit the Jimmy shawl, the pattern you received as a gift when you subscribe to the Tricot & Stitch newsletter. Not a subscriber yet? Click here and join us!

When does it start / finish?

The KAL will run from Saturday, April 4th to May 17th, 2020.

Where does it take place?

- First and foremost, there will be a super fun, bilingual Cast On Party on Zoom on Saturday, April 4th at 5:00 pm Paris time. The meeting number is 613-642-226. Zoom is really easy to use, just download the app and enter the meeting number. It's that simple! To know what time that would be in your time zone, check this page. EDIT after April 4th cast-on party on Zoom, we decided to do a weekly zoom! Same time, same meeting number each Saturday!

- On Instagram, you can use and follow the hashtag #KALJimmy2020. There will be weekly prompts to share your progress, and it starts now: I would love to see what you come up with after your stash dive session! Snap a photo of your yarn choice and post it on Instagram with #KALJimmy2020 - I'll be there to cheer and/or if you need help choosing ;-)

- On Ravelry, chat the time away in the forum: there are threads for the KAL where you are more than welcome to flash your stash, ask for advice, share your progress and crack a good joke!

How can I join?

If you’re already a newsletter subscriber, grab your pattern and join the fun! If you misplaced your pattern, send me a message and I will send it again to you.

If you’re not a subscriber yet and want to be, click here and join us!

If you want to join but do not want to subscribe, you can purchase the pattern on Ravelry and join as well!

Read-along, anyone?

Because a KAL is even better when you have an accompanying read-along, I thought we could enjoy "The Murder at the Vicarage", the first Miss Marple book by the Queen of cozy mysteries, Agatha Christie. For those willing to join, there will be a thread in the Ravelry forum as well. The book is a classic and is available on an array of digital platforms.

So I prepared a little planning for both the Knit-along and and the Read-along. You know, for those of us type A who like to have every little detail cared for? You are welcome to use it as you see fit, no obligation whatsoever! I myself will use it to ensure steady progress while I continue working/knitting/reading on other projects... because I'm a mutitasking homeschooling-homecleaning-knitflixing-ninja-mompreneur. Aren't we all!

Week # - Jimmy rows - Book chapters

Week 1 - Knit until row 79 - Read chapters 1 to 5
Week 2 - Knit until row 115 - Read chapters 6 to 10
Week 3 - Knit until row 141 - Read chapters 11 to 16
Week 4 - Knit until row 158 - Read chapters 17 to 21
Week 5 - Knit until 55 repeats of the edging are completed - Read chapters 22 to 27
Week 6 - Finish the shawl - Finish the book

Must read before you cast on!

- The shawl uses two skeins of fingering weight yarn and the contrasting color (black in my original version) was completely used up. Plan for success and make sure you have enough or prepare a plan B if you loose at yarn chicken.

- Reason would have me tell you variegated yarn would work only for the main color, bla bla bla. But as I've decided to hack my own pattern and knit the lace border in stripes and variegated yarn, I won't. Explore options & have fun!

- In need of inspiration? Check the Jimmy projects on Ravelry and the #jimmyshawl hashtag on Instagram to see some FOs with different color combinations and pattern hacks (longer border, no edging, lace pattern with a rest row...).

- I put together LOTS of color options for the Jimmy shawl while pondering on my color combinations. I showed them at length in my two last podcast episodes here and here. There are timecode indications corresponding to each podcast section - you'll find the part on the Jimmy shawl KAL directly and you won't have to watch me rant about spinning and brioche unless you want to!