As we welcome 2020, I'm looking forward to the lengthening days of spring. Soon the sparkly decorations all will have come down, leaving us (at least here in the UK) with a lot of grim weather and long nights. So to bring a bit of joy to the latter part of winter, I'm starting a make-along (or MAL).
In 2019 more people than ever before bought yarn and patterns from me, which has been delightful. It's heartening to see that there are lots of you who share my sense of colour, aesthetic and values. Now if you have them sitting in stash, I want to gently encourage you to join me and use them!
All projects that use Marina Skua patterns, yarn or fibre will qualify to enter – all crafts are welcome, including knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, felting and so on. If you're knitting one of my patterns, you don't need to use Marina Skua yarn; I'd love you to use up something from your stash! Works in progress are welcome, as are late-starters.
I'm going to be casting on a yoked colourwork jumper in Mendip DK for my husband – I gave him a bag of yarn and a sketch of the design for Christmas, as I was working on a commission and had no spare knitting time in December!
And here's what you want to hear: there will be prizes. The more people participate, the more prizes there will be, so tell your knitting friends about it too! I'm going to be running the make-along on both Ravelry and Instagram. You can join in the Ravelry thread for the MAL, and post on Instagram tagging @marinaskua and #outofthedarkmal. I really hope this will be a way I can get to know some of you better, see your lovely projects as you work on them, and get a nice little community going.
The make-along starts today, 1st January 2020, and runs until 31st March, at which point the clocks will have changed, bulbs will be in full bloom, hopefully Gardeners' World will be back on TV, and I'll announce the winners!
So to enter, begin posting about your plans in the Ravelry thread and on Instagram (remember to use the hashtag or I won't see it), or share what you've started already! I can't wait to see what you make.
