Mystery Lace Blanket KAL 2020 – Intro and FAQ

Welcome to my Mystery Lace Blanket KAL for 2020!

Last year I centred my attention almost exclusively in beginner knitting. That is, only knit-and-purl projects. I shared a ton of different stitch patterns (52 Square Pickup), all the letters (Alphabet Series), numbers (Number Series) and some object here and there (like my Heart dishcloths, or Smiley dishcloth).

This year I want to make more diverse things (lace, cables, and baby clothing patterns), but I DIDN’T FORGET that many of you are novice knitters.

👉 if you’re looking for a beginner blanket MKAL for 2020, I got you covered! Visit my BEGINNER BLANKET MKAL 2020 page to learn more. 

So, let’s start talking about this lace blanket, shall we?

I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t like to sew knitted blocks. But I also know that some others like to use this kind of project to burn yarn stash, and end up making blocks of different colors. And only after finishing all blocks they decide how to distribute and join them.

Therefore I’ll try to satisfy both kinds of knitters, providing you with instructions to make either individual blocks or work the entire blanket back and forth in circular needles. The patterns will be the same, though.

I hope you like the idea of my Mystery Lace Blanket KAL 2020 and join me in this new project! As always, I would love to see your results 😀 You can upload your photos to Ravelry or share them in social media using the tags #ohlalanaKAL and #laceblanketKAL2020.

xo

Ceci

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FAQ

I compiled a list of questions I imagine you could ask regarding this KAL. If you have any additional questions, please write it down in the comments section (at the end of the post –> write in the box below the title “Leave a Reply”).

How many patterns there will be?

I planned 15 different patterns to work as blocks or sections.

What is the measure of each square?

AFTER blocking, each block measures 12” x 12” (31 cm x 31 cm).

If I choose to knit the patterns as individual blocks, what can I do with them?

If you knit all of them, you will be able to make a 60” x 36” (155 x 91 cm) blanket (5×3 squares). The size does not include any border you wish to add after joining the blocks.

If I choose to knit my blanket as one piece, what will be its final measure?

Generally speaking, I will provide you with the instructions to knit also a 60” x 36” (155 x 91 cm) blanket, providing that you work each pattern for 4” (10 cm). 

But of course you can customize this to your liking! I’ll give you some ideas:

• Knit some of the patterns instead of all 15 to make a shorter blanket.
• Knit each pattern for more than 4” to make a larger blanket.
• Add more horizontal repeats of each pattern to increase the width of your blanket.
• Add a final border to all the perimeter of your blanket at the end (you might find useful to use provisional cast-on in this case).
• Knit additional rows between patterns to enlarge the blanket effortlessly. 

When will you share the pattern for the first block?

The first pattern will be out on Thursday, January 30th.

How frequently will you publish the patterns?

I’ll publish each pattern or section every 2 weeks, always on Mondays (except for the first one). Tentatively, the last one will be released on August 17th.

Can I add this project to my Ravelry library?

Yes! If you want to add this project to your Ravelry library, click here.

PLEASE NOTE that I won’t be adding the individual patterns to Ravelry, because it’s not allowed to duplicate patterns. I’ll add the link to each new block pattern / clue in my page “Mystery Lace Blanket KAL 2020” as soon as I release them. Therefore, you might find useful to bookmark that page. I will also add each new photo to my Ravelry pattern for this blanket.

How can I know each time a new pattern is released?

There are many ways to do that. Here are some:

• follow my blog and receive an email each time I release a new pattern.
• follow me in Instagram or Facebook.
• join my Ravelry group. I’ll give notice there each time a new KAL related pattern is out.
• visit my page “Mystery Lace Blanket KAL 2020”. I’ll be adding there a link to every post related to this project, including this introduction. 
• support me on Patreon. You’ll receive notice of each pattern in your email inbox AND the pattern itself in PDF format.

 

 

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GENERAL INFORMATION

MATERIALS

• 1 straight needle / circular needle US 6 (4 mm) for Casting on and Binding Off sts
• 1 pair of straight needles US 4 (3.5 mm) or a US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needle with a long cable, if you prefer to work back and forth with circular needles and make the blanket in one piece.
• FOR EACH BLOCK / SECTION: approx. 141 yds (129 m) of Sport / baby yarn. Or lace yarn used double (double the yardage!)
• extra yarn if you want to make a border after finishing the blanket.
• Tapestry needle to weave in yarn ends and scissors.
• OPTIONAL (but highly recommended): stitch markers.
• BLOCKING materials. If you need a tutorial on how to block different yarns, you can read my post on blocking 👉 https://ohlalana.com/blocking/

GAUGE / TENSION

23 sts x 29 rows in stocking st with US 4 (3.5 mm) needles = 4” x 4” (10 cm x 10 cm).

CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH SQUARE

• Skill level: INTERMEDIATE (knits, purls, yo, ssk, k2tog, sk2p, etc.)
• All squares have the same number of stitches (65) and rows (105).
• The approximate dimensions for each block AFTER BLOCKING are 12” x 12” (31 cm x 31 cm). Of course, this will vary if your tension is different than mine or if you decide to knit them with another yarn weight and needle size.
• They will have 6 rows garter st at each end (casting-on and binding-off edges) and 5 garter stitches at each side. This means that the internal surface (my stitch pattern design playground!) has 55 stitches x 93 rows.