Green light for the Mother's Day Knit-Along

It's crazy how quickly time flies. In 2019, Sandra designed the first Mother's Day shawl - and was pretty excited. The design for Zora was our first Mystery Knit-Along. Do you still remember the brioche part that kicked things off? When there was still no contrasting color in the second section, we received the first nervous emails. Was that right? When will the different-colored Milano ball be used? The answer: in the third part. That's when the rows were shortened and the shawl was finished. I still love wearing mine today and will definitely knit it again.

After the Knit-Along and a shawl especially for Mother's Day went down so well with you, it was clear to us (at that time the Maschenfein team consisted "only" of Marisa and Sandra - crazy!): We'll make a Maschenfein tradition out of it! And so Sandra sat down again during the Christmas vacations and designed Amelia.

Because that's how it really is: a spring-like model like the Mother's Day shawl must be knitted anticyclically. That's not always easy between fir greenery and the smell of cookies - but of course there are truly worse things than getting cozy with knitting and experimenting with materials and patterns.

Another mysterious Knit-Along

Amelia also consists of three parts, which we released one after the other. The crowning glory was (and still is) a wave pattern that inspired Sandra so much that she designed Ava the following summer. A wonderful brioche scarf made from cashmere.

Amelia had several yarn combinations to choose from. Those who wanted a summery look could choose Line , mohair lovers could combine Tynn Line and Tynn Silk Mohair (all from Sandnes) and the frostbite sufferers among us chose Alpaca Fino from Pascuali. Also new this year was Suave from Pascuali, which was knitted twice here. I'm writing in the past tense here: Of course, designs and kits are still available and you can continue to complete your Mother's Day shawl collection.

2021 Carla came on the needles. This time we had chosen Ito as the manufacturer. Kinu - a pure silk yarn - met the silk-mohair combination Sensai. It was already so gorgeous on the needles and on the neck anyway.

We didn't have to think as much about the possible color combinations as we did with Carla for our previous Mother's Day shawls. But here it was especially "critical", because the two yarns were not knitted together throughout, but sometimes individually (but then again double stranded). But you have also mastered this with us and so many beautiful shawls in the most diverse colors have come out.

By the way, the naming in that year was no coincidence: Carla means "the free". In the middle of the pandemic, and it must have been Lockdown, this design reminded us that other times are coming. Of course, we didn't know at the time that they wouldn't be any easier - but it was comforting nonetheless.

Even in 2022, the new name for the former patchwork triangle scarf was not chosen at random: Salma comes from Arabic and means "peaceful, safe, healthy". We made a special wish for all of this this year and knitted it into every stitch.

Stitch by stitch, triangle by triangle, Salma made progress. In the end, a few threads had to be sewn together, but it was worth it: knitted from double Sensai or single Kosho by Ito, everyone ended up with a wonderful spring shawl that will also serve faithfully in the fall.

Right from the start, we used the hashtag #maschenfeinmuttertagsKAL for our Mother's Day scarves. In 2023, we added #ozopftis - there was no other way! Because in 2023 Marisa was so taken with plaits that she had to turn them into a shawl or, alternatively, a stole.

In both cases, I knitted with Merino Baby from Pascuali and Cashmere Dreams from Lang Yarns. As an alternative, there was and is also a knitting set with Merino Baby from Pascuali and Soft Silk Mohair from Knitting for Olive.

Help through tutorial videos

Zoe is actually less suitable for beginners. But you don't need to be afraid: Marisa played along back then and the tutorials are still available. You can find a tutorial for the braid that slants to the left here and the one for the braid that slants to the right behind this link.

The following year, things got easier again: Mother's Day shawl Lotti from Pinta by Pascuali consists of a simple pattern that you form with knit and purl stitches.

The shawl was so popular that the colors of the samplers were sold out in the meantime. But you were patient and started knitting bit by bit! I, for example, only finished it this year. And that wasn't because of a delay in delivery, but simply because the knitting list exploded!

Incidentally, the shawl is named after Marisa's grandmother, who passed on her love of knitting. Many of us feel the same way as Marisa: a love of knitting often has a family history and there are many memories in the individual stitches.

This year it's Romy' s turn. You can choose between Como Cashmere or Como by Lamana for the knitting sets. Some of you may still be waiting for your yarn - but Lamana and our hard-working warehouse elves are giving it their all and you should receive your favorite color very soon.

And then it's time to knit! You have all received the pattern update via your customer account, via Ravelry or by email (please also check your SPAM folder - if there is nothing there either, please send an email to "support@maschenfein.de"). Work the stole from one tip to the other. The stitches for the cables are marked and dropped in the decrease section and then crocheted up again. If you are wondering why the cables are heavier: You are picking up several threads here - this creates the beautiful, sculptural effect. A border of slip stitches then forms the finish.

The following tip applies to all our fabric designs - but for Romy in particular: you absolutely need good tensioning accessories. Believe me. The braids and also the stockinette stitch part only look half as beautiful if they are not tensioned properly. In addition, this year's Mother's Day shawl will be stretched twice - once after the vertical braids and again after you have finished the border. It sounds time-consuming, but it's worth it!

Of course, it will be a while before you can put your shawl on the mats. Officially, our Knit Along runs until Mother's Day on May 11. But if there's one thing we don't need, it's stress. Everyone knits at their own pace. Only those who want to give their shawl as a gift should keep this in mind. As a little reminder, we have a handy PDF for you here. Simply print it out and put it in your knitting notebook.

How will you handle it? Will you give Romy as a gift or do you prefer to keep the shawl yourself? In any case, I've read lots of comments from you on Instagram about the Mother's Day shawls and corresponding knit-alongs. For many, the finished knitted pieces are more than just a shawl - that's for sure! I have to admit that I have always kept my shawls myself so far. But that's also because in most cases I knitted with my mom at the same time - so we were both taken care of.

Wherever the shawl ends up, the main thing is that you enjoy knitting it. Of course you can also join the Knit-Along later. Maybe some of you are still hesitating, aren't sure about the color or want to knit one of the older designs. No problem at all! The upcoming vacations are also the perfect time to browse through our store from front to back. Apart from the holidays, our warehouse will continue to work, pack and ship as normal.

Before we head into the holidays and hopefully lots of Easter treats, here's a reminder: next Saturday, our inspirational coffee is taking a break. But feel free to browse through all the other Saturday coffees that we now have on the blog. If you like, you can also drop by Auf den Nadeln and be tempted by one or two projects from the Maschenfein team.

The blog will be back in full swing on April 26. The entire Maschenfein team wishes you a happy and relaxing Easter - and a great Maschenfein Mother's Day Knit-Along!