OAL 2016

Get ready to get crafty. The third annual Outfit-Along is right around the corner! June 1st – July 31st.

OAL_Banner
The Outfit-Along is a combination of a sew-along and a knit-along with the goal being to make a complete outfit. My co-host, Lauren from LLADYBIRD, will be covering the sewing portion, and I do the knitting side of things. We have two official patterns that we’ll be talking about in detail. The sewing pattern is Sewaholic’s Hollyburn skirt pattern, and the knitting pattern is my new Zinone summer top pattern. You can read more about the pattern in its own post, and Zinone will be available for 20% off until the OAL starts on June 1st when you checkout on Ravelry using the coupon code OAL2016. If one or both of these patterns isn’t to your taste, you can still join in the fun and choose your own patterns. The only project requirements are that you knit a garment and sew a garment to make a complete outfit.

OAL_2016_Patterns

The OAL starts on June 1st and you’ll have until July 31st to complete both pieces and share a photo of them in the Untangling Knots group on Ravelry. The main place for chit-chat will be the Untangling Knots group on Ravelry, but the hashtag #OAL2016 will let you connect with other participants on Twitter and Instagram. We’ll have three sets of prizes, and winners will be drawn randomly from participants who completed their outfit by the deadline. Once again, Indie Stitches is providing a sewing pattern for each winner, and we’ve got another sponsor on the sewing side of things; Style Maker Fabrics is providing $20 gift certificates to each of our three winners. Winners will also get two Untangling Knots patterns, so they can keep making outfits after the OAL is over. In addition to donating prizes, Style Maker Fabrics is offering free shipping within the US and $8.95 off shipping for international purchases through June 30th when you use the coupon code OAL2016, so be sure to take a look at their selection while planning your sewing project.

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FAQ

Is it really okay if I don’t make the official patterns?
We want you to make an outfit you’ll actually wear, so we do mean it when we say you can choose your own patterns if you don’t like the official ones. You don’t even have to pick an Untangling Knots knitting pattern. Pick the knitting and sewing patterns that will make the outfit you like best. The only thing you’ll miss out on if you don’t make the official patterns is the extra help that will be available through the OAL blog posts on Zinone and Hollyburn.

What qualifies as a garment? Can I knit socks or a shawl?
For the OAL, garments need to be something like a skirt, a dress, a pair of shorts, a pair of pants, a tank, a tee, a pullover, a cardigan, etc. Hosiery and accessories like socks and shawls don’t count as your knit item for the OAL They’re not a substantial piece of an outfit.

Can I make more than one outfit or extra pieces to go with my outfit?
Yes! There are no extra prize entries for additional pieces, but if you’re having fun and want to keep going, please do. Some ambitious crafters challenge themselves to make as many outfits as possible during the OAL.

Can I start before June 1st or use a WIP?
We would prefer it if you didn’t, but this isn’t something we enforce. The whole idea behind a craft-along is to craft along with other people, so starting early isn’t in the spirit of the event, but it’s not a hard rule because we can’t realistically keep track of that.

Can I make an outfit for someone else?
Yes but with some limitations. We’d like outfits to be for teens or adults to keep all projects at a similar scale and difficulty level. Knitting a toddler’s sweater is very different from knitting one for an adult, so outfits for small children aren’t part of the OAL.

I missed the official start date. Can I still join?
Of course! You don’t need to sign up or anything like that by a certain date. You just need to finish your two pieces by July 31st, so if you feel like you still have enough time, dive right in.


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17 responses to “OAL 2016”

  1. Love both pattern and I really love the idea of this oal. But hélas, I can’t sew, but I’ll definitly try to knit the top. Now to find yarn that’s easily available for me here in Europe 😉

  2. Angela W

    Does a sewn top + a knit cardi count for the OAL? Or do the pieces have to be a top and a bottom?

    1. That’s a knit garment and a sewn garment, so it meets the requirements!

  3. Claudia

    I can´t knit, but I can crochet. Is it possible to sew f.e. a skirt and crochet the skirt?

  4. Claudia

    Correction: I mean I will sew the skirt and crochet the TOP… 😉

    1. Yup! We allow crochet to be swapped for the knitting. I probably should have put that in the FAQ!

  5. I meant to do this last year with a WIP I inherited from my grandma (as an incentive to finish it) and I have yet to finish it still! But I just have to do the button band so I don’t think subbing it back in this year is do able!
    But I have got another new to me WIP that I would like to use, which came from a local charity shop and where just the back of a plain raglan jumper was pre knit (with all the balls there to continue) but no pattern. If I wait to the start date to work out the size/shaping of what I have and create a pattern for the rest of it do you feel that would offset the fact that a bit of it is pre knit?
    It might just be the motivation I need to get it done.

    1. Our feelings on WIPs is covered in the FAQ. We’re not for it, but you can do it.

  6. Dores

    Andi, Zione pattern. I have redone my gauge and got gauge using 3.25 needles with the stockinette however cannot get gauge in lace pattern. do you know the gauge for the lace as you have used the same as stockinette. Also do you think that there might be a mistake in the needle size typing !!!!
    Also can you check pattern fronts
    left front states second to bottom: repeat the previous 2 rows (then nothing else) however on the right front you mention repeat the previous 2 rows 4(6,8,6,7,10 etc
    please clarify which is right as doing as per pattern one side would be higher then the other

    1. There’s no mistake for the needle size. You just knit a little differently than I do, so you need different needle sizes. The gauge for the lace is listed in the pattern and the same as for stockinette, and if you can’t get them to match, you’ll need to do some modification or work with different needles for those sections.

      “left front states second to bottom: repeat the previous 2 rows (then nothing else) however on the right front you mention repeat the previous 2 rows 4(6,8,6,7,10 etc”

      This is an error that snuck into the final pattern. If you check your Ravelry library, an update went out late on May 15th.

  7. Yay, glad the OAL’s back ! Though it’s a fun idea to make separates this time, I think I’ll stick with the old dress-and-cardi formula – so it’s going to be a BHL Kim dress and a Vianne cardi for me!

  8. Dores

    hello Andi,
    Gauge for lace states
    24sts over 28 rows
    actutal lace pattern A is over 26sts how can this give your 4″ the garment is growing by 2 sts for every repeat. plse help me out.

    1. I’m not sure I understand your question. The gauge is as listed. The stitch pattern repeats do not fit perfectly into 4 inches, but they’re also not meant to.

  9. Dores

    zione garment
    Andi, if you don’t understand my question how am i to understand your gauge.
    what i am trying to say is: pattern A is over 26 sts . gauge in pattern states 24sts cannot get 4″ because sts to pattern A are more by 2 sts. now you say that the repeats do not fit perfectly into 4″ but they are also not meant to. I know they do not fit perfectly because there is 2 more stitches what therefore is the pattern A gauge if there is one at all plse help.

    1. The gauge for Pattern A is 24 sts by 28 rows over 4 square inches, as listed in the pattern. You can also look at it as 6 sts and 7 rows per square inch, if that’s easier to visualize.

      26 stitches in Pattern A at the required gauge is 4 1/3 inches.

  10. Maree

    I really love these two items, but I’m a beginner knitter, and have only ever knitted a couple of scarves. Last year I started a beanie which I never finished plus I screwed up the pattern so have taken the whole thing out. A top, just seems out of this world, but I do love this one. I’m wondering whether I can actually make this or would this be beyond my skill level!!

    1. A top is definitely possible for a beginner, but if you’re new to both lace and garments and aren’t super confident, this might not be the best choice. I wrote a blog post on beginner sweaters that goes into more detail on my feelings on that topic, but if you like the general idea of this top and want something a little easier, have you seen Dianna Walla’s Vasa pattern? It’s also a loose, drop-shoulder, summer top, but it has stripes instead of lace and a slash neckline, so it’s much less complicated.

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