Tour de France: last minute Knit Along preparations!

Hey there knitters and hangers-on! It looks like a lot of people are interested in participating in my second annual Tour de France Knit Along (KAL). This year’s subject is my new Sunflower Field pattern. Here’s a shot of my second version done from 2.2 skeins of Alchemy Silken Straw:

For simplicity’s sake (so my head doesn’t explode), the KAL’s going to be run over in my Ravelry group. If you’re not already a member, it’s free to sign up. Amy (innovadog) has done a great job setting things up. Come on in and introduce yourselves!

Here’s how those actually knitting in the KAL can participate:

Step 1: Buy the Sunflower Field shawl pattern ($6) or the Summer in Provence e-book ($14).

Step 2: Choose your yarn and needles.

Step 3: On July 2nd, start knitting! Participation in the discussion & chatter in the group isn’t mandatory, but it will be fun.

Step 4: Add your project into Ravelry (status: In Progress & start date of July 2 or later) and update it when you’re done (before July 24th), or just update it with your progress.

CONTEST CATEGORIES:

Yellow Jersey: There will be a thread in my Ravelry group specifically for Finished Objects (FOs). Please post there when you’re done and encourage your friends & family to click the (love) button for your entry. Most votes = winner!

Green Jersey: I’ll randomly select a winner from the first 5 folks to upload a picture of their finished object & mark their project as Finished.

Polka Dot Jersey: There will be a thread in the Ravelry Group for people who encounter difficulties along the way. Write one entry in this thread & add to it if you encounter more issues. The post with the most (love) wins, ties to be broken by a random draw.

White Jersey: If you’re new to lace or new to knitting, add a “white-jersey” tag to your project, and I’ll randomly select a winner from those rookies who finish.

Lanterne Rouge: If you start the KAL but don’t finish by July 24th make sure your project page is up to date in Ravelry and I’ll do a draw from everyone who’s got a project “In Progress” that was started July 2 or later.

Spectators:

This is for those who can’t participate, but want to play anyway! You can earn entries in the following ways:

– join my mailing list

– join my Ravelry group

– like my Facebook page

– tweet about the KAL, the Tour de France, or whatever & use this URL: http://bit.ly/sunflowershawl (I’m @nservant, if you want to let me know)

PRIZES!!!

It’s all yarn, as described in my previous blog post: Malabrigo Lace, Trekking, my own handspun, Lorna’s Laces sock, Sundara Sock, Turtlepurl Yarns, Madelinetosh, Fleece Artist, and more. There’s something for everyone and a good range of colours. Winners can choose from the prize pool (in the order yellow, green, polka dot, white, then lanterne rouge, then spectators) & I’ll send them the yarn.

I can’t wait! And my PVR is all set to pick up the first week’s stages in the Tour de France. It’s going to be a good time, and I’ll be rooting for team Leopard-Trek. With the Schlecks & Cancellara it should be great!