What is a MKAL & is it for me?
The world of knitting is full of abbreviations and one you will see pretty often is “MKAL”. MKAL stands for Mystery Knit a Long. Not to be confused with a plain old “KAL” or Knit a Long, it’s the mystery aspect that makes this a real adventure.
How It Works:
Prior to the start of the MKAL the designer typically teases you with a theme. This can be anything from a movie, a color scheme, or a type of stitch such as cables. They will also let you know what type of item you will be knitting so you will at least know if it’s something you would wear or be happy to give away.
Next, they kick up the excitement a notch by releasing “kits” of yarn from various vendors they have pre-selected, that meet the requirements of the mystery pattern. So now you can go online and browse page after page of beautiful, bundled colors that you will eventually knit together into this mystery pattern. The yarn requirements are posted on social media so if you prefer to shop from your already-bought yarn stash (see my 1st blog where I point out that yarn collecting will become a hobby of its own), or if you would just like to create your own blend of colors you may. This is also when you can typically buy the “Pattern” itself. The pattern at this point will have the yarn and notion requirements and it will talk about the theme of the MKAL and the timing of the release of the clues.
You are fully in at this point, and you are FIRED UP! Your MKAL knit community that is taking part in this cannot stop posting pictures on Ravelry ( Ravelry is an online community for fiber artists) of their kits or color choices and what order they are going to put them in. Should the pink be color A? Or should the purple be color A? Trust me, the community will chime in and help make the decision. In the meantime, the designer is also part of the conversation. “Did the designer just say to use pink as A? Is that a clue to the design of the pattern? Should I also use a lighter color for A instead of a darker one?” GASP!
After an approximate month of anticipation and dropped hints it’s time for the first pattern clue to drop and the knitting to begin and that means... CAST ON PARTY! That’s right. With all the buildup of course, there is going to be a live event where people in the community log on to their computers from all over the world to all cast on the first stitches at the same time. From this point out a new clue, or part of the pattern, will be released by the designer each week. Can you keep up and finish the prior week's clue before the new one is released? Some people do, some people don’t. Just know if you can’t, and you don’t want the mystery to be spoiled, it’s best to avoid all of knitting social media until you can catch up. Having said that, most designers try to put a rule in place to prevent spoilers from happening at least until the very end of the MKAL. To do this, they create an image with the name of the pattern on it, the word “spoilers” and the clue number. You are supposed to put that image as your 1st photo on social media and then follow your photos behind it, so those who want to scroll Instagram can just go past your post without actually having seen the clue knit up, but having the choice to spoil it if they really want to by flipping through your pics. The community is there for you on social media and Ravelry if you get stuck or have questions as is the designer, who typically has a few designated helpers since one person can only do so much.
That’s it! As clues are completed over what is usually a month-long period, the mystery item comes to life. Hopefully, you love it once it’s completed. You may hate it. You probably had fun either way and if you didn’t then try a regular KAL instead. They are just like an MKAL with the exception that you know exactly what you are making from the very start, and you get the entire pattern all at once. The timeline still exists and the community is still there for you. I personally love the “Mystery” though. Which do you think is best for you?
