May was all about the pinhole cast on, and for many that has meant toys. Alex the Mouse by Ella Austin has, as we'd expected, been a big hit, even amongst those who have previously avoided knitted toys.

Ravelry is awash with an infestation of Alex mice in all shapes and sizes. While many kept to the original colours, many others went for different colours,

or gave their mice extra personality by clever addition of embelishments.

Others still went the whole hog and modified the pattern to produce something truly amazing.

As with the other months of A Year of Techniques, the knitalong wasn't limited to a single pattern since the aim of the whole endeavour is for knitters to try out, practise, or perfect a particular technique. The pinhole cast on has proven to be a good one for knitting toys other than Alex.

As I mentioned previously, pinhole cast on is an excellent choice for blanket squares worked from the centre outwards.

Fundamentally though, all knitted objects have a purpose. The last photo encapsulates this as Alex offers comfort and joy for the first time and hopefully for many years to come.

If you've enjoyed seeing the finished and nearly finished work from May, the June knitalong for knitted-on edging is running in our Ravelry group and in The Lounge at Mason-Dixon Knitting. Grab your 4ply and get involved!

Many, many thanks to the knitters who have kindly contributed pictures. Each photo is the copyright of the named knitter.