At the opposite end of the spectrum from my previous pattern pick, these GAL-eligible patterns use more than 2000 yards of yarn. I've ignored clothing designs for this collection, as obviously the size of the wearer will dictate how much yarn you need. But if you're looking for an epic project, check out these blanket and wrap designs.

Again, clockwise from top left:

Patchwork Baby Kitty Throw Blanket by Darleen Hopkins. This has such a cute face, I couldn't pass it by!

Iris Afghan by Kathleen Sperling. The flower design on this throw is so pretty.

Going Graphic blanket by Sophie McKane. I was mesmerised by the design on this blanket.

End of the Day ottoman by Nicole Montgomery. This stood out just by being different - a foot rest or cushion in a sea of blankets!

Breacan wrap by K M Bedigan. My Scottish roots drew me to this tartan-inspired wrap.

Rainbows! In Space! by Carolyn Macpherson. I love the bright colours on this shawl.

If you're going to knit or crochet more than a mile in one project this GAL, which will it be?!

A lot of the fun of the GiftALong is finding designers whose work is new to you, and one I was interested to see is Anna Johanna (NeulistiMNK on Ravelry). Johanna hails from Finland, and has designs for sweaters and accessories in her Ravelry store with classic cable patterns.

The Soulful sweater (also available as a cardigan) was what drew me to her designs, after it jumped into my Ravelry cart!

​I also love her SnOwl sweater pattern.

Her patterns are available in English or Finnish. Check out her Ravelry store by clicking on her name at the top of this post!

Which new designers have caught your eye this GAL?

A lot of the fun of the Gift-A-Long comes from finding new and unusual designs by other designers to promote, and here are my first half dozen picks. I'm going to look for a different theme or feature each day, and today I'm looking for items which use small amounts of yarn.

Clockwise from top left:

​St Niklaas Star by Emma Wilkinson. This is a crochet pattern, which I may have already bought myself!! The colour combinations would be endless for a design like this to look good on any Christmas tree.

Cabled Phone Cozy by Heddi Craft. This looks like a lovely squishy way to stop your phone getting scratched in your bag.

Crandall the Cranky Crab by Carmen Nuland. Another crochet one, for a small toy this time. This could be sized up or down by using different weights of yarn.

Snowflakes coffee sleeve by Handarbeitskram. Coffee cosies make excellent last-minute gifts - just include a gift card to your favourite coffee shop.

Ritorto Rib headband by Emma Sadler. Suitable for a newer knitter, and a great stocking filler.

Santa Hat egg cosy by Sarah Cooke. This caught my eye, just because of the random idea of putting a Santa hat on an egg!!

Which are your favourite designs using 50 yards or less?

My second Gift-A-Long cast on is this unusual leaf scarflette by Peggy Jean Kaylor. The pattern is called Leaves of Lothlorien, and it is one of a number of scarves, cowls and wraps to be found in her Ravelry store. This design particularly caught my eye because it is such a break from the norm. As well as a pretty scarf to brighten up a plain outfit, this design could also be used as a decorative garland at home, or as a hat band, or a waist tie even.







​
If you're looking for a more substantial neck warmer from the same designer, how about this Balderdash cowl worked in super bulky yarn? 

The cowl pattern is offered in three lengths from a close-fitting neck warmer to a long cowl to tuck inside a coat and keep you warm on a cold day.

The final scarf pattern that caught my eye in PJ's Ravelry store is this Angstadt scarf pattern with its beautiful lace design.

So that's two neck-knits on my needles already - what am I going to choose next? Check back tomorrow and find out!

So the Indie Design Gift-A-Long began in the early hours of this morning and having got the school run out of the way, I have downloaded my first pattern and cast on!

My first GAL project this year is one I meant to cast on so many times during Gift-A-Long 2016 but the time just ran away with me. 
​
The Fathom Five Shipwreck Cowl by Raven Knits is a light fingering weight cowl inspired by a marine park in the designer's native Canada. 

If you like feminine accessories designs, there are plenty in Raven Knits Ravelry shop. My personal favourites are Gilraen's Cowl, which I think would look beautiful peeping out from underneath an understated classic trench coat, and the stunning Girdle of Melian Shawl - there's also a poncho version of the design if you prefer.

The pattern for Fathom Five Shipwreck Cowl is clearly written and easy to follow, with both charted and written instructions.
​What have you cast on first this Gift-A-Long?!

With only a few days left until the start of the fifth Indie Design GiftAlong I went through my yarn stash and pulled out some bits and bobs that I plan to use for my first cast-ons.
The list of participating designers and their patterns will be launched when the GAL starts at 8pm US east coast time on Tuesday, but from people’s customised profile pictures, (and with some participating designer behind the scenes spoilers!) I can pick out some of the designers now and start choosing from their portfolios. I’m looking forward to seeing the full list and searching the bundles, stocking up my Ravelry library and finding some new-to-me patterns, but I also want something ready to cast on first thing Wednesday morning. (The time difference means the GAL starts for me in the middle of the night, and while I love to knit, I also love to sleep!).
Pictured here, I have (top left) three shades of Wollmeise DK, and I’ll be looking for a mitten pattern for those.
Below them I have some purple laceweight, which I’ll be searching for a cowl pattern for, a multicoloured green fingering weight for which I have a pattern in mind, and some purple sock yarn which is just waiting to become a particular pair of socks.
On the right, the three complete skeins are for two specific projects. The blue is going to become a cowl, and the red a sweater, which I plan to be my first cast-on.
What I’m actually going to cast on will be revealed on Wednesday, but for now, why not head over to the Ravelry GiftAlong group and join the chat while we all wait excitedly for the fun to start!

With the fifth annual Ravelry Indie Design Gift-A-Long fast approaching, it's time to start thinking about what I want to make. The list of participating designers won't go live until the day the GAL begins - Tuesday November 21st this year - but I'm already thinking about what sort of patterns I'm going to be looking for so I can hit the ground running when things start.

The first thing I'm going to be looking for a pattern for is mittens in DK weight yarn. Maybe colourwork, I'm not sure yet, but my husband's grandmother, who is well into her 90s, is a very knitworthy gift recipient and I made her a scarf last year and a hat the year before, so this year will be mittens. She likes blue and I have plenty of blue DK in my stash so that's an easy start.

Next will be a sweater for me. I kind of have an eye on which pattern I'd like to choose, assuming the designer is in again this year. It's a pattern I've knitted before and I'd like another so let's see if she's in the GAL this time around and then I can decide.

I'm also thinking of socks. It's not like I don't have plenty of sock designs of my own, but I like to use the GAL to relax and knit other designers' patterns for a change. I have two skeins of sock yarn bought specifically with my sister in mind, so she may well find some socks under the Christmas tree this year.

Finally, I'm looking for something to use up about 50 yards of chunky weight handspun. I had spun this back in the summer to make a hat with. Hat achieved, and the pattern for Soft Honeycomb is available in my Ravelry pattern store, but I spun too much and I have this left over. I tend not to use chunky yarn so it's unlikely I can use it alongside another yarn, so I'll be looking for a stashbuster pattern for that.

What do you hope to make in this year's GAL? Are there any designers you hope to see there? 

Yes, just one more week until the start of Ravelry's FIFTH annual Indie Design Gift-A-Long!! 
If you've joined in a GAL before you'll understand my excitement. If not, come on over to Ravelry (join if you're not a member already) and join in one of the biggest, craziest, fun-filled KAL/CALs you could hope for in the run up to the holiday season. 
So what is the GAL? Well, it's what happens when independent pattern designers work as a team - a huge team, of over 300 designers of knit and crochet patterns - to make the whole thing greater than the sum of its parts.

The whole shebang kicks off at 8pm (US-EST) on Tuesday November 21st 2017. (That's the early hours of Wednesday for those of us in the UK, and even I'm not that committed but I'll catch up ASAP, I promise!). Multiple KAL/CALs according to category of item take place - headwear, footwear, homeware, handwear (is that even a word?!) and prizes can be won for any finished object made from a participating designer's paid-for self-published pattern.
The chat moves fast, and it can be intimidating, but just dive in where you are and see what happens.

The first week of the GAL also includes a sale. Each participating designer will be offering a bundle of up to 20 of their patterns at a 25% discount using coupon code giftalong2017 for the first seven days, and then the KAL/CAL madness continues through to the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve with the massive New Year party. Prizes can also be won for games, spot prizes and giveaways. Mostly coupons valid for any one pattern from a specified designer through Ravelry, but there are also physical prizes to be won in a draw after the GAL is over, so get your finished object photos into the thread for a chance to win yarn, books, project bags, notions and more!

Have you participated in the GAL? Hope you enjoyed it and to see you over there again next week!!

For now, here’s a sneak peek at my two current samples-in-progress. The blue one is a lace shawl with beads, triangular, top-down, with stitch patterns based on traditional Shetland designs. The one that looks pink is actually purple - I don’t know what it is about this colour but it just won’t photograph- and a cowl for a design challenge on a theme of leaves. That seemed a perfect use for this handspun merino, which is really soft and knitting up with beautiful stitch definition.
These will be 2018 releases. My last two designs for 2017, which will go live in December, will be a cowl and a hat. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted!