SOSU Knits Brioche + Mystery KAL

George's Brioche + Mystery Shawl

I love a mystery knit-a-long. The adventure and challenge of being faced with an interesting project and the unknown. You don’t know what direction it will turn. Often they include a fun stitch or a different kind of construction you haven’t used before. I also love choosing my colours, as its all about indulging in what you love. For a project like this the colours and yarns you choose should be all about what you would enjoy knitting over the next four weeks of the MKAL. It’s almost impossible to know how they will interact together through the different stitches and combinations, so satisfying your own yarn pleasures is key. Susanne Sommer gave really good colour guides in planning your project, in terms of which colour to use and which ones would contrast well. I decided to have a bit of a stash dive and pulled out four skeins of 4ply that I have picked up on my travels. This time they were pink and yellow with a variegated cream colour in the mix. 

Without even a swatch I jumped in following Susanne Sommer’s colour placement guide. I like a project that begins in an interesting way, twisting and changing direction as you go. One triangle led to another and soon with the help of some picked up stitches, a triangle shawl was formed. I knit every section of the shawl, including the wavy edged brioche section. Those last rows were epic and certainly took their time. I was still thankful that I was enjoying the yarn as I worked through the final 803 stitch rows. Lastly the final touch which I’m glad I stuck with was the i-cord edge that goes around the entire shawl and adds a nice finishing touch. It’s long, oh so long and I slightly dreaded it but it was actually over in the blink of an eye and is the icing on the cake to a beautiful project. 

Maya's Brioche + Mystery Shawl

To be honest, I'm not much of a mystery KAL knitter. My knitting time is so limited, so my main rule of thumb when choosing a project is that I really really really need to love it. Not knowing what it is you are knitting kind of doesn't work with this premise - however I have been a huge fan of Susanne for years and I am quite familiar with her style - knowing as much as the project was to be a shawl I decided to join, convinced that the end result would not leave me disappointed. Being one of the retailers offering yarn kits in advance for this Mystery KAL, meant that we had the pleasure of conspiring with Susanne on which palettes would work for her design. Seeing George creating our kits filled me with such joy and anticipation, I didn't even consider my stash, and went with the kit combo I loved the most.

What I enjoyed the most about this KAL is how Susanne has put together a well of resources guiding you through the techniques, I even learned a completely new to me technique, knitting backwards, which made those bobbles rows so much easier. Also, I love the way the design is built in such a way that the more complicated sections, where you have to concentrate and focus on your stitch numbers, are broken up with soothing garter stitch sections. Not only is this shawl stunning when finished, it does keep your interest while working on it, even when the rows start to become agonisingly long. Funnily enough, and I say this as someone who is not a big fan of I-cord edging, I had the same experience as George, I though it would take me forever to complete - but this was the part of the shawl that literarily flew off my needles.

Maya wearing the shawl

Working on this project, I quickly realised it would be huge in the end, which is not ideal coming to the way I wear my shawls as I tend to wear them bib-style. Admittedly, I didn't keep up with the time frame for the knit-a-long, so by the time I had reached half way through, others had already finished theirs and pictures of the finished shawl started popping up on my social media feed. As the sections now were revealed I realised that this shawl was very easily customised and I decided to just drop the last section moving straight into the I-cord edging from there. Check out the instagram hashtag #SosuMKAL2021revealed to see finished shawls, the results are all so stunning still so wonderfully different in their individual versions. By the way, George and I rarely choose the same project, but look at how different they are - I find it truly fascinating how a pattern can be the starting point for so many different interpretations and colourful expressions

Our Brioche + Mystery Shawls

The knit-a-long part of SOSU MKAL 2021 Brioche + Mystery is over, and the design has now been published as a complete pattern, but what is most excellent is that when embarking on this shawl, you still get access to all the resources Susanne had made available. Through videos and tutorials, it is like you have your own Susanne sat in the sofa with you, guiding your through the project with ease. Are you inspired yet? Pop over to our online shop, browse through our wonderful kit options and learn more about one of our definite favourite knits this year!