One of the great joys of knitting is choosing yarn for your next project, but as I said in my last yarn post, I know that choosing yarn for a mystery project is on another level!
Because I like to collaborate with small, independent businesses (which are often just one- or two-woman shows) quantities of the sample yarns I use are always extremely limited, which means only a handful of knitters will be able to use the exact yarn I did.
My hope is always that the yarn hints and information I put together ahead of a mystery will help you feel confident you to engage your own curiosity and creativity and make brave yarn choices that light you up, whether you’re shopping your stash, a local yarn store, or your favourite online retailer.
With that said, there is something lovely and comforting about being able to get your hands on a kit, where the choices are made for you! So it can be disappointing when they sell out fast.
For now, let’s spread all that yarn love a little bit further and find you some adorable MKAL yarn!
This is a big one, so you might want to go grab a cuppa first, and settle in for a long yarn-therapy sesh.
We’ve put together all the kits we could find from talented indie dyers and beautiful local yarn shops around the world, and linked them here. Again, they’re all limited quantities. Some have sold out, and most of them probably will before long, but they should be a good jumping off point. And I’ll do another post as and when we find other kits for the MKAL.
If you’re still shopping for the perfect yarn you might find it in this list. And if you’re stash-diving, seeing all these fab colour combos should be very inspiring.
I’ve arranged them loosely in regions for shipping speed and ease, though many of them will ship worldwide. So if you really fall in love with yarn from across an ocean, it might be worth the wait!
The first clue comes out on March 21st, but the knitalong is very relaxed and we’re pretty good about spoilers, so you don’t need to stress about starting on the dot if you’re holding out for your dream yarn to arrive. You won’t be “behind.” Promise.
Ready for yarn? Here we go!
Australia
It was heartwarming to see the Aussie yarn folks come out in force for this Aussie-designed shawl. Lots of incredible skeins to pick from here!
@BlackWattleYarn have put together nine amazing, read-to-ship yarn packs especially for us, with gorgeous curated sets using their limited edition Bambusa blend of 65% superwash merino, 20% natural bamboo and 15% silk.
Shop Blackwattle Yarn
The “Thesis” Skein Set from Circus Tonic Handmade
@CircusTonicHandmade is a delightful Aussie dyer many of you will know from previous Curious Handmade designs.
Hannah still has a handful of her beautiful kits available, with eight amazing variations and hundreds of possible combinations from the Circus Tonic Handmade in-stock skeins, if you want to DIY your colour choices.
The Hojtid Single range of luxurious 65% superwash Merino, 20% Silk and 15% Yak is ideal for this project as all the colourways were actually inspired by William Morris!
Shop Circus Tonic Handmade
Merino Silk Yak Fingering in “Salmon Run” from Louie and Lola Yarns
My friends at @LouieLolaYarns outdid themselves FOURTEEEN stunning kit variations, which all sold out before I could even finish this list! Ack! But I still wanted to include them here, because you can put together your own from the gorgeous fingering weight yarn they do have in stock. You literally can’t go wrong with colours like this.
They also have a handful of scrumptious William Morris project bags that would be enchanting way to treat yourself for this MKAL.
Louie and Lola large “Madge” project bag in William Morris print
Shop Louie & Lola Yarns
“Forest” Eco Sock Lux Sock Kit from Natural Fibre Arts
@NaturalFibreArts is another familiar name for the Curious Crew! Cheryl has put together eight fabulous yarn packs for the MKAL with a wide range of colours, from soft pastels to deep saturated jewels. There are still a handful left and they are ready to ship right now.
Shop Natural Fibre Arts
@NaturalFibreArts is another familiar name for the Curious Crew! Cheryl has put together eight fabulous yarn packs for the MKAL with a wide range of colours, from soft pastels to deep saturated jewels. There are still a handful left and they are ready to ship right now.
Shop NNK Yarns
Uptown Sock in “Pink Salt” from Skein Yarn
@SkeinYarn put together wonderful kits that ALSO sold out right away 🙈, but her Instagram post about them is still worth a peek for the inspiration alone.
And if you want to flex your colour muscles, the magnificent dye-to-order and in-stock fingering/4-ply colourways are a wonderful playground for you to put together your own custom shawl set.
I’ve been saying that I can really see this shawl in a single semi-solid colour and if that idea tickles your fancy, Kristen has so many contenders here.
Shop Skein Yarn
Kit 1 from Society Knits by @ThreeTreesFibreCrafts
@SocietyKnits is a wonderful sustainability-focused LYS in New South Wales. The entire shop is full of stash-worthy treasures, and they have curated four wonderful jewel-toned skein sets for the Twenty Four Birds MKAL that are ready to ship now.
Shop Society Knits
USA
The “Gatsby Set” from Amplifibre
@AmplifibreYarn has two very beautiful kits available in an interesting merino/linen blend base that would be ideal for a summery shawl. It looks like there are only a couple of each left as of now, so if you want one, snap it up! Her Etsy shop is stocked with other gorgeous colourways as well, for you DIY shoppers. She has some discount codes active at the moment too:
Spend $50 – use code GETAMPED5 for 5% off
Spend $100 – use code GETAMPED10 for 10% off
Spend $150 – use code GETAMPED15 for 15% off
Shop Amplifibre Yarn
@BedeSisters is a lovely yarn dyer and her Twenty Four Birds MKAL Instagram post is brilliant for inspiration. She’s done a beautiful job pulling colours from antique bird illustrations. There are still some kits available, although a few colourways have sold out already.
Shop Bede Sisters
The “Painted Bunting” kit from the Fibre Studio at Yarns to Dye For
@FibreStudio have put together a lovely range of Twenty Four Birds MKAL kits based on North Carolina Songbirds and I think any of their other 4-colour-kits would be wonderful options for this shawl as well.
The lovely owner, Debbie, is also an avid Curious Handmade mystery knitalong-er: look at her gorgeous Stillness Shawl from the 2020 MKAL! She knit this beauty using their Sea Song Fingering.
And also this magical Miss May Shawl from 2022, which she knit using one of their beautiful SPLASH Gradient sets:
Shop the Fibre Studio
The “Paradise Birds” set from Four Purls by @emmasyarn
@FourPurls is a delightful yarn shop in Florida. They have curated some exciting kits using @emmasyarn Splendid Singles and the colour combinations are so great! These beautiful sets are ready to ship, too.
Shop Four Purls Yarn
United Kingdom
The “Hydrangea Fade” kit from Botanical Yarn
Lucy from @BotanicalYarn has three adorable, vivid, flower-themed kits ready to ship. The colourways are stunning, and you can get 15% off with the code “BIRTHDAY” right now!
Shop Botanical Yarn
The “Acanthus” Set from Meadow Yarn
Long time Curious Handmade fav @MeadowYarn has dyed some gorgeous skein sets for the MKAL and has also put together some one-off curated kits from Anj’s wondrous stock crates.
The Meadow Yarn website still has a few kits available right now, if you’re quick. And if you’d like to put together your own combo, the “currently in stock” section of the shop is packed out with magical skeins!
Shop Meadow Yarn
Europe
A hand-picked four skein MKAL set from Fru Fjellman
Gorgeous indie dyer @FruFjellman is in Sweden. Helena ships throughout the EU, and she says that if you send her a DM on Instagram, she will put together a custom Twenty Four Birds MKAL kit just for you! You can also browse her well-stocked site and choose your own skeins: there’s so much beauty to pick from.
Shop Fru Fjellman
“Twenty Four Birds 1” kit by Kathienchen Yarns
@kathienchen is based in Germany and dyes absolutely beautiful yarn. She’s put together two enchanting kits just for the MKAL, and there are a few other four-skein sets on her site that I think would also make incredible versions of this shawl.
Shope Kathienchen Yarns
Did we miss anyone?
I feel so honoured to have so many amazing kit options to share with you. This kind of spontaneous collaboration and mutual inspiration and support among small creative businesses warms my heart! Thank you to every single person who has taken part so far.
If we’ve missed anyone who should be here, or if you run an indie yarn business and offer kits that would suit this mystery knitalong, please tag @curioushandmade on Instagram and use the #TwentyFourBirdsMKAL hashtag so we can find you!
I’m happy to send out more editions like this to help matchmake brilliant yarnies and excited MKAL knitters. We’ll try to include as many kits as we can, time allowing. You can also send me an Instagram DM with a link to your kits, but please be patient if you don’t get a reply right away, as it can take a little while to get through the messages.
If you need a refresher on the yarn requirements for the secret shawl, I’ve posted all the MKAL yarn hints and info here on the Curious Handmade blog so you can refer to it as needed.
If you haven’t joined the Twenty Four Birds MKAL yet…
Right now you can join at a special Early Bird price of £5 (plus applicable VAT).
During the presale period, you’ll receive a PDF Infosheet with all the details you need to know to prepare.
The first MKAL Clue will be revealed on March 21st, 2024, and then you’ll receive one partial pattern clue a week for a total of six clues.
Click here to preorder the mystery pattern on Ravelry
Click here to preorder the mystery pattern on Gumroad
If you’ve made it this far I’m sure your mind is dancing with endless yarn possibilities.
I hope this has lit a creative spark for you, whether you’re shopping or stash-diving.
Keep sharing your yarn on Instagram with the #TwentyFourBirdsMKAL hashtag, and in the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group. Your creativity and excitement are endlessly inspiring.
Happy knitting!
