Fantastitch!!

Our LBA Fantastitch KAL ended this summer, but let's just say it took me a bit longer to finish my shawl... This project was epic and I love everything about it! Just in case you missed it, I am talking about the Fantastitch shawl by Stephen West, and I knit it using the Julia kit, available here. 

I chose to make the large size as I love a good shlanket, but these last sections were a real test to my patience. I'm not a fast knitter, and not a monogamous one either, so I knew this was going to be a long project, but that doesn't matter to me. And the result has far exceeded my expectations. 

I loved the process of picking out the colors for this kit. I did not think things out too much and just followed my intuition. I didn't follow the color order either, but just decided with each new section which color I was going to use. Sometimes it means that two colors repeat themselves closer to each other than was intended in the pattern, but I was fine with it. It also means that sometimes I created a combo that I would have never thought of, like the honeycomb section in Madeleine and Seaglass. I love how these two colors look together! A friend told me these need to happen in a stranded colorwork project and I absolutely agree. 

Zach has also finished his own Fantastitch made in his very own Zach kit, so let's hear what he thinks about it: "I started with Dawn and built the kit around it, being inspired by colorways I have seen in traditional American quilts. I followed the prescribed ordering of colors and was really happy with the result as all the colors I chose play off each other. It was a long knit, but very satisfying as each section brought a new color combination and a new texture. I chose to knit mine in Merino Singles because of the vibrancy this base allows for, especially in the Dawn color." 

Being a tight knitter, Zach used a 4mm needle, and his shawl hasn't been blocked yet. In comparison, mine looks gigantic and I didn't even block it very aggressively, just plunged it in water and laid it flat... Personally, I'm ready for smaller projects, and maybe even a sweater or two!