Wow! That’s an impressive undertaking!
I’ve put my socks on hold for just a little bit and pulled this WIP from the depths. This is going to be a tough one. I started it in February of 2017 when we were told our friend Angie, age 48, would be stopping all treatments for brain cancer; there just wasn’t anything left to do. I wasn’t able to finish it before she passed away. I just couldn’t even look at the shawl for awhile, and it went into hibernation. After about four months, I decided to pull it out again and think about finishing it for her mom… just something light and warm… maybe it would feel a little like a hug when wearing it. About a week after I restarted my progress on the shawl, we got the call that Angie’s mom was being placed in hospice care for cancer. She never told anyone, not even her husband or Angie and her family as she didn’t want their worry or attention to turn to her in the final months of Angie’s life. Within two weeks, Judy passed away. Once again, I couldn’t bear to look at it and put it away.
Angie has been on my mind a lot the last few months and as summer settled in I toyed with the idea of finishing the shawl but made no move to dig it out of the WIP basket and figure out where I’d even left off in the lace pattern two years ago. But two weeks ago my sister-in-law called to tell us her mother (age 67) was being placed in hospice after a valiant 7 year battle with cancer. It has spread, and all that’s left now is to talk, revisit memories, laugh, love, and control the physical pain for her and wade through the emotional pain for the rest of their family.
Yesterday I took action and pulled out the shawl, made with my very favorite yarn, and sat and counted, reading stitches and charts until I figured out where I left off almost exactly 2 years ago. Just 12 rows of lace to go. Although they gave Nancy (my SIL’s mother) 3-6 months, after seeing her this past weekend, I really think a month or two is more likely. So, I’ve decided to finish this for my SIL. So many prayers for comfort and strength have been said while knitting it. It is now intended for my SIL to give her a little warmth of a hug.
I’m calling this shawl Thestral. From Pottermore: Thestral: invisible to all who have never been truly touched by death. Being able to see Thestrals is a sign that the beholder has witnessed death, and gained an emotional understanding of what death means.
Wow. That is a lot of grief to bear with. And it’s one of the wonderful things about knitting too: That in it’s rhythm there is space for prayer and agitation and sadness and distraction and back to prayer again, all while earnestly working stitch by stitch to a beautiful end goal. And it is a lovely shawl! I love calling it Thestral too. It reminds me of how their connection with grief made people believe they were unlucky, and yet they were wonderful and interesting creatures, as well as being a “friend in need” at the end of Order of the Phoenix. I’m sure your Sister in law will love it. 
First off, thanks for hosting this KAL, it’s super fun!
1- I would be happy to help with future KALs, but I’ve never done one before this, so I don’t know if I’d be of much use.
2- Personally, I’m good with any time length, but I can see how a 30 day time limit might be too short for people who knit slower or are really busy. I would say 45 days would be best because it’s long enough to give plenty of time, but not so long you lose interest.
3- I love the bonus point stuff, it makes it more fun, in my humble opinion.
4- Knowing the theme 2 weeks before sounds good to me.
5- I don’t really have a preference for where to put the thread, either is fine with me.
Thank you @Nyssareen! While this isn’t the most challenging piece I’ve ever done, it certainly is the most difficult. I appreciate the internet hug! 
Thanks for the feedback. Please keep it coming! @Knitter1, I’ve started another group called Subdue the Stash and posted a Stash Bash K/CAL for August 15 - October 15 similar in style to the Mad Dash from the Knit Down group in R. Am hoping for 10-15 participants. If any here are interested, please consider joining.
Time to bust out the cake, our boy is 39!!
Sasquatch Update! I’m pretty pleased with how the body turned out, but I’m not sure about the head. It’s like I blurred out the face on an already blurry photograph. I may make it a row thinner and 2 rows taller, and hopefully that will work out well.
Despite these difficulties, I thought I ought to get started on the back panel of the sweater. I feel better already knowing it’s cast on, clicking away on my knits and purls and drinking from my “Don’t let the Muggles get you down!” Mug. A very good “Harry’s Birthday” indeed. 
*must… not… let… Gryffindor… down… *
Look at all that progress! It’s looking great!
I finished the lace last night and am blocking today. I really like this pattern. My patronus is a dolphin so the color fits. I feel like the yarn is grey glitter like a cloudy day at the ocean off the coast of England.
house - Gryffindor
Yarn - from stash 1.5 skeins so about 650 yds
Pattern - Patronus
I wasn’t sure how to assign points so would appreciate any help.
Hi there! The fourth paragraph of post 1 tells you all about points. Gorgeous work!
Ahhh!!! It’s lovely!!!
Unfortunately, I was not able to finish in time. I had a couple of family troubles this month and then had to prioritize my knitting between this sweater and getting prototypes for my Betsy Ross hat pattern going. Unfortunately, Betsy won, but when I had finished that (Yesterday!) and as I picked up this sweater I fell in love with the smoothness of the yarn gliding over the needles all over again. Thats alright, 4X Sasquatch will still have his day! 
Big Foot sweater? I love it.
I am back online. FYI computers do not need to drink beer not matter what the computer tries to tell you. In reality I had a moment when I passed a beer over my laptop. My hand decided to let go at just the perfectly wrong moment.
Hope all is well and maybe hear updates.
Hooray, it got carried over 
I’ve been patiently waiting for this thread to be brought over to the new site so I could start following it here 
It is, I love it! I may have to end up doing a Hufflepuff one for my youngest son too, once I finish this one. I made him one 10 years ago and he chose Gryffindor, because he was only 9 and that’s what Harry was, so that’s what he wanted. Now he likes Hufflepuff better and it suits him much better so he’s been dropping hints that he wants a new one in the “correct colors.” What a burden, I’ll have to knit another fun project 