vlogtober 2024 - episode 7

[@KarenHornby-c2w]

Love love love your shawl, your colours are perfection!!! And you are human, thank you for sharing your”bonus” clue excitement, great save🎉 You are a delight, always inspiring, carry on🧡🧡🧡

[@fabulousjaxx]

Aww Martyn what a night mare, I love the way you showed up all your trials and tribulations, glad you have it sorted I would have locked it in a cupboard and never spoken of it again Well done for keeping going xxx

[@the_yarnwhisperer]

I love that you’re the drama in our group chat xx hehe … so glad the maths mathed for you this time 😊🎉

[@heidifareri4509]

THANK YOU!!!! When you talked about how you made an error in the scallops, it made me look at mine. I discovered five scallops back, I had only done two triangles. Unfortunately my maths would not afford me the same luck so I tinked back and fixed it. That’ll teach me not to look back at my work - which takes but moments while tinking is a time suck. Love your Starflake - inspires me to make one.

[@anneclarkson8779]

Hi Martyn, I think I'm going to be on track with you and should start part 4 on Sunday evening. I'm loving doing this so far and can finally understand why people make more than one - second time must be quite relaxing! Thank goodness for Stephen's no stress approach!!!

[@jasminedee3960]

Oh Martyn! Man you broke my heart had me about to cry with those sad faces. Mark is part angel I am sure. So are all of the partners we are blessed to have help us through those moments!!! Bless him. Embrace your translation on the pattern and make it your own. Your bravery inspires us. Thank you. J

[@NolanaQ]

You are my hero! Yes I also got it wrong - had about 18 stitches over and sort of bodged it! However, I am now going to frog from the end and then knit two more triangles. Thank you! I was not happy with it - but will be soon!

[@kgillespie4463]

Congrats on your progress and the excellent good luck of your error having absolutely no repercussions (other than all that stress)! Someone on another podcast I was watching also must have done the same thing as you, because they also ended up with extra triangles to complete the border. I'm just on the home stretch of clue 2, so am grateful for those of you forging ahead and posting warnings!

[@debraitaliano4831]

Hello martyn, not doing mkal but definitely enjoying the ride ,feeling your frustration and all the joy. It’s going to be gorgeous. Love your starflake❤the colours are my favourite 😊

[@juliewalker5074]

Hi Martin , just sitting here laughing to myself as I did exactly the same thing as you!! I ended up with 2 extra but still managed to make it work out with the colours. I will be seeing how you go with the long border before I give it a try. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@nokesbob2256]

You live in a beautiful place. All that water and rolling hills. You are not the only one battling the shawl. I haven't started the brioche yet, and the last clue is already out. I'm kind of glad of that because I can look a people's finished shawl and see what it all looks like. I think it's a beautiful shawl. Stephen never disappoints. My first brioche was with the Exploration Station. I didn't know what it was so there was no fear. I just did it. Now it's like a thing and I'm wondering if I can do it again. Your shawl is looking wonderful. I don't think anyone will notice some extra scallops. We are all having fun, right? lol Yes we are! Have a good week. Can't wait to see what you get done.

[@louisalowry6229]

I am still on clue 2, brioche for the first time ever in my first shawl ever!! Couple of funky areas - sound familiar? Going slow as I have tendinitis in my elbow.

[@EllenaKirk]

Say yes, don’t stress! I would’ve been stressing too though! 😱 Kelly from Rowrow and kades mucked up her wedges too, so you’re not alone 🥰

[@joanc551]

Oho my gooodness, knitting is soooo humbling....and I can relate to this. I am so glad you figured a fix! so smart. Looking wonderful

[@anlou4620]

Hi Martyn, so fun to see your episode😊 I have done the same „mistake“ and noticed it in the last quarter 😮, bold to myself 😂 Now I have 22 MC and 21 CC triangles and it looks great 👍🏻 ❤ So go on you will be happy and you are not alone 😂 Best to you have wonderful weekend

[@SofiaSanchez-io5xy]

I decided not to participate in the MKAL this year but it’s been lovely following along on your progress! Thanks for taking us along with you!

[@juliemeago3961]

i have also done something strange in my short rows and managed to finish on the correct colour by sheer good luck! i have more yriangles than the pattern says.

[@escarla]

i'm pretty sure i made the same exact mistake on my triangles. i have no idea what i did either but i think i wasn't repeating enough even though each section has 3 wedges. i ended up with 23 MC and 22 CC triangles. i fudged it and made it work phewww. loving clue 4!!! happy knitting

[@JohnlynHD]

I’m so glad you can get it to work out Martin. You must have been in total despair last night. I’m amazed at how confident you are with brioche. I need to knuckle down and learn to do it. ❤Angela

[@teresaharp]

Let's just say 'Its a Happy Accident' like Bob Ross the painter❤😊 it is beautiful!

[@elsielanor]

I love it, Martin. You’re my inspiration to make that shawl at some point. It looks fabulous when you hold it up and when you wear it, you don’t have to examine it for those details. (Starflake)

[@MaryPothoven]

Hi Martin, I don't think I've ever commented on your channel before. I've been watching since MKAL 2023. 😊 Clue3 was challenging for sure. I think the pattern should say to make sure you are joining the correct number of stitches for each scallop/triangle when you are k2tog with the border, if that makes sense because getting to the end of the row, then realizing you are way off... would be very sad. I started feeling concerned about that after about four triangles and had to go study the pattern to figure out the exact count... if I hadn't, I would have made the same mistake! I really like your scallops, alternating the mohair looks nice. 😊

[@jetterostock9890]

I had the same mistanke with my shortsroads - I did not recognise it to near the end. AND witout math everyting ended with a maincolor, and the stiches was perfekt. I ended with 23 maincolor and 22 contasr color. BUT maybe we have a problem when we want to knit the clue 4 s ekstra border, i Thing we have about 40- 60 stitches more then Stephen. Good Lucky to us on team not following the parterne ( by accident)😊😊

[@TheDrCamilla]

I had fun with my scallops, I saw on the ravelry group to use stitch markers 3 and 18, the trick is doing one extra turn on the contrast colour. Needless to say I've been backwards and forwards multiple times! You're not alone, big hugs xxx

[@helenrussell294]

I love your shawl - design features and everything. I also quite fancy casting on a Starflake - it may well be my New Years cast on.

[@bernbee1679]

Loving your colours Martyn! My goodness who would ever know it wasn’t exactly the same I wouldn’t have. I saw another KZbin channel yesterday where they must’ve done exactly the same thing as she had more scallops but seriously who would know (or care 😂). It looks fabulous and I think the top will be very striking in your colours 💓💚

[@hannahsideris4353]

Wow, I never thought of doing the border symmetrical! But - I have the right amount of those triangles, because I used stichmarkers. Somebody told that in the Ravelry group and it worked. I was on a quarter of the border and then counted the stiches from the end... and had to fudge just a few stiches. Love to see your videos - greetings from Austria

[@shetlandlace]

You did it! Yes, I have had to do some amending on patterns. I have also had to frog and re start. It's all part of knitting. I learn more from those mistakes than I do the projects that knit up perfectly. You shawl will be beautiful. Love the suri additions, they make it so interesting.

[@debbiewigen805]

Dear Martyn….Thank God!! I’m not alone! My shawl spent 2 days in time out because of a very similar problem. I worked out how to finish clue 3 and have it look okay but might not have the wherewithal to do the bigger border….I’ll be following your progress 😉. Thank you as always for sharing and reminding us we’re not alone! Looking forward to Christmas cake! (And belated Congrats on your first MKAL)

[@tracys.5143]

Your shawl is looking stunning, Martyn! What a heart stopping discovery, to find a miscount like that. I watched the last clue video (and the finished shawl is stunning!), and i want to caution you to use stitch markers if/when you do the optional wave border. I think you may need to slightly adjust your stitch count, to match the scallops. Looking forwatd to eventually seeing the final reveal!

[@bgummeson]

Hi, Martyn, I’m glad you were able to work out a solution that means you won’t have to rip out your work. I loved Clue 3, too. Have a relaxing knit-ful weekend! ~Brenda

[@tracyaa1081]

Sorry to see you stress so much over knitting. It sounds like many people have knit the scallops the same as you did. I have seen the finished shawl and it is glorious. Sending positive knitting vibes as you carry on.

[@suemount6042]

So lovely to see the bay loved that walk when we were last there. Shawls looking good despite the yikes I’m still on clue one going into clue two I’ve messed up the stitch count lord knows how many times on the simplest bits brain went into mindless knitting mode and I’ve added m1 where I shouldn’t on a wrong side row. Glad you solved your shawl drama im kind of expecting more in mine as I go on Ive never done brioche before but I don’t want eyelets. Enjoy your shopping new store sounds interesting hopefully you will show us. Thanks for the inspiration

[@deb2529]

Your colors are great! Your border will be fine. The wedges don’t line up evenly because the bubble repeat is multiples of 6 and the wedges are 21

[@JaxYarnArt]

Wish you fun on last parts clue 3. Must be the spooky halloween 👻 season your scallops turned out "wrong" Good thing tho all's gonna work out fine! I already loved the shawl up to clue 3 but the final clue 4 is making thé AbFab GoGoDynamo gorgeous finish. Thanks for your lovely vlogs and happy mkal knitting y'all 🙋🏻‍♀️

[@elissahalstead8352]

Oh “…..”!!! Martyn!! I’m a perfectionist! My scallops only cover 3 1/2 bobbles!! Like you I’m at the halfway point. It will work out, but it I’ll definitely have more scallops. I wouldn’t have known except for your podcast 😂

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

You are not an idiot, you just are taking a bit of creative licence !!! The pattern is so lovely, wonderful !

[@beckyjohnson9917]

Oh my goodness! Star flake kit I bought then found Stephen West MKAL and it’s still waiting to be knitted up! It’s because of you I try to stay focused and get MKALs done (last year was 5 months - I enjoy seeing I could do it 😊) this year I’ve had to frog back the brioche section- So I will not be done the end of month - not so sad - excited for the outcome ❤

[@miserybutane298]

the problem you had with the scallops is similar to the first 4 of my main colour scallops Martyn. so with clue 4 i'm having to fudge some stiches for that extra border.

[@MoniquevandeWal]

❤❤❤ Your border is going to be fine and lovely! Smaller scallops in your colours are just wonderful. It’s going to work out just fine! As Stephen says: ‘ keep knitting kitten’

[@gabrielacanova4625]

Holy cow Martin, I forgot how to breathe for the last five minutes. I'm on the first brioche section and I'm treading sooo carefully through it I might fall asleep between rows. Lol

[@chiptaylor7925]

With the outer boarder i think you are going to have to change the ratio of yarn overs and knit together for the wave but I think it will be fine. take a look at the mystery socks from this summer they use the same pattern but a different ratio in the main color of the first weeks clue. Your shawl looks amazing

[@RagGusGrimm]

I did the same thing. Did 3 instead of 4 short rows. 15 per wedge instead of 18. So frustrating because I knew it should have been 18. I am taking makers liberties.

[@abigailickringill1140]

Huzzah for bodgy maths 🎉 I've had to hibernate my mkal for a couple of weeks, I'm solo parenting and I don't have the capacity to follow a pattern and herd children. Does mean my garter abyss is getting some work, so technically I'm still west knitting in October 😊

[@janlizKnit5968]

Seems like a lot of people made this mistake. This is why I put in stitch makers for every repeat before I started and it helped stay on track. I definitely learned my lesson before.

[@caitsidhe3293]

The Starflake shawl is beautiful, and the loose stitches are a design feature, not an issue!

[@BubblegirlKnits]

Don't feel bad, Martyn. Yours is the third video I've seen where someone has made a mistake in Clue 3. It's good that you caught it early and were able to work out a fix. Your shawl looks amazing!

[@alisongh]

I’m fudging mine too. I have marked out 21 stitches pick up per two triangles and am making sure I have the right number of stitches at the end I hope - just 3 I think

[@claudi37]

Hi Martyn, I love your shawl. Now I have to tell you, you are not the only one who did this clue 3 individually. I did exact the same mistake. I endet up having 22 scallops of my main color and I decided I am fine with it. But now I am a little concerned how it will play out when I do the bonus border...

[@lisalexandersson9346]

Hmm..have made the same ”design”. Loving it anyway.

[@pattigolden1]

Remember, you never make mistakes, you personalize!!

[@Marianne-wm3vs]

Bubble bubble toil and trouble lol. Nope i don't do the MKALS, definitely that shawl would be driving me crazy. I've done 2 west shawls, including the hiberknitalong and those were fine, and they took me 4-5 months even knitting on them several hours a week. I'll probably do a second shawl of the same hiberknittalong pattern i have. So no Mkals for sure. I plan on doing 2 sweaters instead this winter.

[@shelleymcmeeken3266]

Ive been looking at completed borders thinking ‘their scallops look bigger than mine’ and you’ve confirmed that they indeed are. But I will be bodging and fudging some maths bc I doubt anyone will know I’ve got some extras …

[@phoener]

I am way behind, just finished Clue 1. I’ve discovered my first row of bubbles didn’t work out quite right. So what? I’ll just do the next rows right later. I too hate when it goes wrong, but I don’t think your error will look “off.” I think it’s gorgeous.

[@ChemCath]

The Main colour produces 18 icord stitches and I have 2 sections at the beginning with only 17 (both black). I thought the scallops were the edge and wouldn’t matter…. So I will pick up 2 stitches at the apex of those scallops. I started counting and had to undo 3 triangles because I mucked up and it impacted the number of icord stitches. I have 4 scallops left and I THINK the stitches left work out.

[@guylainelecours767]

I never do a mkal shawl but i watch the clue video. First of all, i think i didin't love the shawl but when i see the final result i thinked : OMG i Want that! I have a long list of knitting i want do but i don't have enough time :(

[@snowbaby5435]

I hope your wedges work out, Martyn! I found it a bit confusing as to where you complete a wedge. Not sure mine are correct either!…do you know the podcast the Fairy Godfather Knits? If not, you should check out Episode 11. He did a blue Geogradient to die for! The starting section is entrelac. I thought of you as soon as I saw it. I am a blue girl and I need that shawl!

[@nefraial]

I had to unpick quite a few of my edge triangles after realising I had been doing them wrong. In my case my main colour ones were taking extra stitches. I did find it easy to slip my border off the original live stitches to start again and I'm glad I did else the border in clue 4 would not be sitting right. I'm wondering how the wavy border might affect yours?

[@binarystar11235]

I also want to make another starflake! Let's just do it :-)

[@elsielanor]

You use up 18 stitches for cc wedges and 3 stitches for MC as the pattern is written If you are using up 16 and 2 for each 2 wedges, you can count your remaining stitches to see if it’s going to come out properly and if not fudge one or two wedges along the way to make the count come out properly. You can do it !!

[@deborahdavies927]

I have just started the first wedge last night, and I think the video doesn’t show that there needs to be another 2 rows once you get to 6 stitches, as row count wrong if I stop at 6 stitches, so needs a return row before stopping. Not sure how to describe it clearly.

[@lorraineball7683]

I’ve done exactly the same as you

[@dexterlockhart425]

I’m not sure what I did wrong ( didn’t count stitches end of section 2) I have 4 extra scallops also. I’m not doing final border because I did all scallops in mohair double all way across

[@jentextiles]

Hi You know how some crochet patterns try and replicate knitting badly, this MKAL is like knitting trying to replicate crochet? Am I wrong? Can’t deal with it all. Doing the crochet Gingerbread crochet Sirdar CAL. Easy & relaxing. X

[@steffanieiorio40]

Just to give you a heads up-- on clue 4 row 6 it is TERRIBLE!!! -- I’m somewhat of a tighter knitter and having to knit the three stitches through the back loop was just about impossible--- I had to use a darning needle to stretch the stitches before knitting them. Needless to say, it took me forever to finish that row. I decided not to do it again-- I’m just doing eyelets to get through and maintain the correct stitch count. Hopefully you won’t have the same problem, but I remember you saying you knit a little tighter than Irena. Good luck and Happy knitting !!!!!!

[@moniquelachniet4693]

You know what? Who cares if your final scallop has another colour. Just pretend it was meant to be that way.

[@Eligosol]

Hi, fun you’re still at it after all these years 😊. We both started with the Starflake and chatted a bit when you started this channel. I am also participating for the sixth time. Must say I love how simple it has been until those triangles -that tripped you up. 🥴. Hope your solution works when you get to the wavy part. You might have to adjust the numbers on each wave😮. Hope your weekend is productive and calmer, and looking forward to seeing your progress. 😉☺️ I am on section 9 -still contemplating doing the large border, as I think I have enough yarns 🧶 🧶 🤫🫣🤗