Genres Make-Along
It is my absolute pleasure to introduce the Genres Make-Along! This is a project I’ve been working on behind the scenes for several months, and I’m so thrilled to finally be able to share it with all of you. This MAL is comprised of two wraps - the knit Storyteller Wrap and the crochet Book Club Wrap - and I’ve curated 35 gorgeous color combinations, all based on book genres. While the MAL doesn’t officially kick off until March 10 (see the full calendar below), the kits are available to shop TODAY and I’m sharing all of the deets on the whole project. This window of time prior to the start date will give everyone the opportunity to gather supplies, have a look at all of the genres color combo options, and even familiarize yourself with the patterns, which will be available for free on my blog on Monday, Feb 24.
Read on for more details about the projects, all of the dates for the make-along, and a look at each of the genres.
Quick links:
Sign up for the Two of Wands newsletter to get all updates sent right to your inbox.
Visit the MAL blog post at any time for all info and updates.
Watch the welcome video, color combining video, and all video tutorials for the Storyteller Wrap and Book Club Wrap on the Two of Wands YouTube channel.
Purchase a kit for the Storyteller Wrap or the Book Club Wrap.
View the blog posts for the Storyteller Wrap or the Book Club Wrap. (available 2/24)
Purchase the printer-friendly PDF patterns for the Storyteller Wrap or the Book Club Wrap. (available 2/24)
Join the Crew of Wands Facebook Page to connect with other makers participating in the MAL. Here you can share your projects, get motivated, encourage others, and get technical support.
Follow along and post your WIPs and finished pieces on Instagram. Use the hashtags #GenresMAL #StorytellerWrapKAL #BookClubWrapCAL #TwoOfWands #CrewOfWands and tag @twoofwands @lionbrandyarn
Want a downloadable beautifully formatted PDF with all of the MAL info, including the 35 mood boards? It’s free with purchase of either a kit or the PDF patterns (available 2/24).
If you’re not familiar with a MAL, it’s basically an online event where we will all be working on our projects together and sharing our WIPS. We are basically running a simultaneous knit-along (KAL) for the Storyteller Wrap and a crochet-along (CAL) for the Book Club Wrap, so I figured it would be easiest to collectively call this the Genres Make-Along (MAL). I always get lots of questions about how to join when I launch a MAL, and since this is a free event all you have to do is follow along. There’s nowhere to officially sign up, and there aren’t even any rules about what yarn or color combos you have to use. You don’t have to start on time or end on time either! All of these resources are simply available for guidance and motivation :)
For this MAL, everything will be going down here on the blog, on IG, and in the Crew of Wands Facebook group. On IG you can share your projects with the official hashtags (#GenresMAL #StorytellerWrapKAL #BookClubWrapCAL), and in the Crew of Wands Facebook group you can easily connect with other makers, share your projects, and get helpful feedback should you run into any difficulties with the patterns. I put a TON of work into this project, including full video tutorials, giveaways, and 35 themed color combos complete with mood boards! First things first, let’s take a peek at the timeline:
February 20
Kits, welcome videos, and mood boards launch
February 24
Free patterns go live on the Two of Wands blog
March 10
Official start of the MAL; video 1 for both wraps goes live
March 17
Video 2 for both wraps goes live
March 24
Video 3 for both wraps goes live
March 31
Video 4 for both wraps goes live
April 7
Video 5 and ending options video for both wraps go live
April 11
That's a wrap - share your styling + book recs
In between you can expect color combo guidance, styling tips, and a lot of fun! Checking out everyone else's color combos and progress is always one of my favorite parts of a MAL like this.
If there's anything that knitters and crocheters love as much as yarn, it's got to be books. When I started thinking about inspiration for my new knit-along and crochet-along, I was looking for something that would yield a beautiful array of color combinations so I could really highlight the mix-and-matchable nature of the (currently) 36-color Hue + Me palette, and book genres felt like the perfect fit. And thus, the Genres Make-Along was born.
The Genres MAL consists of two shawls - the knit Storyteller Wrap and the crochet Book Club Wrap. They are rich with texture, color, contrast, and a variety of techniques to create beautiful tapestries of stories. I really wanted to highlight the way these elements can all weave together to produce an elaborate, beautiful result - just like a story. They are designed to be worn outside during the chillier months or inside any time of year, snuggled up in while you read a few pages with your favorite coffee or tea.
One of the most exciting parts of this MAL is choosing the color combo - I've curated 35 options, all based on different book genres complete with beautiful mood boards that reflect the essence of each genre through color. There are cool tone and warm tone options, high and low contrast options, all neutral or all color options, some classic combos and some unexpected. There's truly something for everyone! Of course you're welcome to choose your own combo as well, but I hope the genres mood boards will inspire and guide you. And the color choices don't end there ... after you've chosen your combo, you then need to assign your "main character" (main color) and "supporting roles" (contrast colors). You'll need three skeins of your main character, which serves as the background of the wrap, and one skein each of your supporting roles which dance across the backdrop of the main color. Just like the perspective of one character in a story can be entirely different from another's and totally change the feel of the story itself depending on who is narrating it, the color you choose for your main character can also entirely change the look and mood of your wrap even though you're using the same five colors.
The Storyteller and Book Club Wraps are full of symbolism, just like some of the most revered stories. As mentioned above, the colors represent the characters in a story. In the beginning of each project, we first meet our main character. Then the supporting roles are introduced in colorwork stripes, mingling with each other in different combinations to set up the story. These rectangular stripes are also meant to represent stacks of books on a shelf. The big colorwork band toward the bottom of the wraps brings all of the characters together for the climax of the story, and this section is flanked by stripes and wrapped/bound stitches which represent book covers. Finally, the three finishing options (traditional fringe, twisted fringe, or tassels) represent how the story ends - you get to decide!
The current Hue + Me palette consists of 36 colors, all mix-and-matchable and thoughtfully chosen to produce the most gorgeous combinations you could think of. For reference, here is a look at the full palette:
And without further ado, let’s take a look at all of the genres! I hope you enjoy these mood boards as much as I do :)
ARTS + CRAFTS
Featuring: Agave, Juniper, Arrowwood, Mustard, Saffron
DYSTOPIAN
Featuring: Werewolf, Cement, Salt, Warm Stone, Macchiato
HISTORICAL NONFICTION
Featuring: Salt, Cement, Smoke, Warm Stone, Whisper
PHILOSOPHY
Featuring: Fatigues, Artichoke, Moss, Bellini, Desert
SHORT STORY
Featuring: Salt, Fatigues, Moss, Night Forest, Dirty Chartreuse
BIOGRAPHY
Featuring: Ozone, Magic Hour, Peacoat, Arrowwood, Mustard
EDITORIAL
Featuring: Salt, Whisper, Cement, Smoke, Werewolf
HORROR
Featuring: Spicy, Smoke, Werewolf, Whisper, Fatigues
PICTURE BOOK
Featuring: Juniper, Rose Water, Spicy, Arrowwood, Mustard
SPIRITUALITY
Featuring: Whisper, Haze, Iris, Ozone, Harbor
CHICK LIT
Featuring: Rose Water, Love Song, Whisper, Warm Stone, Macchiato
ESSAY
Featuring: Ozone, Salt, Harbor, Peacoat, Toast
HUMOR
Featuring: Spicy, Smoke, Werewolf, Whisper, Fatigues
POETRY
Featuring: Iris, Haze, Arrowwood, Salt, Shadow
SUSPENSE THRILLER
Featuring: Fatigues, Salt, Peacoat, Grapefruit, Toast
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Featuring: Werewolf, Cement, Salt, Grapefruit, Smoke
FAIRY TALE
Featuring: Rose Water, Pink Earth, Iris, Haze, Salt
LIT FIC
Featuring: Salt, Haze, Iris, Warm Stone, Whisper
ROM COM
Featuring: Salt, Love Song, Pink Earth, Rose Water, Desert
TABLOID
Featuring: Werewolf, Magic Hour, Mustard, Spicy, Salt
COZY MYSTERY
Featuring: Peacoat, Whisper, Harbor, Marine, Terra
FANTASY
Featuring: Crush, Haze, Iris, Shadow, Salt
MAGAZINE
Featuring: Peacoat, Salt, Toast, Saffron, Grapefruit
ROMANTASY
Featuring: Salt, Rose Water, Pink Earth, Love Song, Crush
TRAVEL GUIDE
Featuring: Whisper, Artichoke, Moss, Fatigues, Salt
CULINARY ARTS
Featuring: Toast, Arrowwood, Mustard, Artichoke, Fatigues
GRAPHIC NOVEL
Featuring: Pink Earth, Crush, Dirty Chartreuse, Artichoke, Night Forest
MEMOIR
Featuring: Bellini, Love Song, Crush, Werewolf, Cement
SCI FI
Featuring: Smoke, Cement, Salt, Dirty Chartreuse, Werewolf
TRUE CRIME
Featuring: Saffron, Toast, Salt, Whisper, Smoke
DETECTIVE
Featuring: Toast, Salt, Macchiato, Warm Stone, Terra
HISTORICAL FICTION
Featuring: Werewolf, Arrowwood, Mustard, Salt, Toast
NEW ADULT
Featuring: Agave, Juniper, Salt, Mustard, Arrowood
SELF HELP
Featuring: Juniper, Agave, Sea Glass, Whisper, Marine
YA
Featuring: Artichoke, Moss, Grapefruit, Spicy, Salt
Ok so I know that was A LOT. If you’re thinking, “how will I ever decide which one to choose!?” you are not alone! I narrowed down these 35 combos from hundreds I was considering and even that was difficult, lol. The absolutely wild thing is that there are 376,992 ways to put together a five-color combo with the 36-color Hue + Me palette. Yes, you heard me right. So at least I’ve narrowed it to 35, right? Haha. Also just know that if none of these combos are speaking to you, there are 376,957 other options for you out there and you’re more than welcome to put your own together!
I wish I had all the time in the world to make so many more of these wraps in different genres as I had an extremely difficult time deciding which to use for the two wraps I made, so I fully understand the difficult choices you now have to make!
Stay tuned for the patterns, tutorials, styling tips, and more! In the meantime here are those important links again:
Sign up for the Two of Wands newsletter to get all updates sent right to your inbox.
Visit the MAL blog post at any time for all info and updates.
Watch the welcome video, color combining video, and all video tutorials for the Storyteller Wrap and Book Club Wrap on the Two of Wands YouTube channel.
Purchase a kit for the Storyteller Wrap or the Book Club Wrap.
View the blog posts for the Storyteller Wrap or the Book Club Wrap. (available 2/24)
Join the Crew of Wands Facebook Page to connect with other makers participating in the MAL. Here you can share your projects, get motivated, encourage others, and get technical support.
Follow along and post your WIPs and finished pieces on Instagram. Use the hashtags #GenresMAL #StorytellerWrapKAL #BookClubWrapCAL #TwoOfWands #CrewOfWands and tag @twoofwands @lionbrandyarn
Want a downloadable beautifully formatted PDF with all of the MAL info, including the 35 mood boards? It’s free with purchase of either a kit or the PDF patterns (available 2/24).
Don't forget to share your projects made using Two of Wands patterns on Instagram with the hashtag #crewofwands to get featured on my page and be in the running for monthly pattern giveaways!
Join the Crew of Wands Facebook group to connect with other makers of Two of Wands patterns for help with techniques and pattern related questions.
The patterns and photographs of items on this site are the property of Two of Wands and are for personal, non-commercial use only. These patterns files are protected by US copyright, and you may not distribute or sell them electronically or physically. Small batch sales of finished pieces made from these patterns are permitted, but seller must use their own photographs and credit must be given to Two of Wands as the designer.
