Get those needles moving! Today is the start day for our Summer Sweater Knit Along 2014!!!

I've been busy the last few days moving our family into our first home. I've been exhausted and more tired than I've ever been but soooooo happy! I've also been beyond thrilled to see the amount of chatter and excitement over this year's SSKAL already and it' hadn't even started yet! Can I just say you guys are the best!!!! Seriously, it makes me feel so happy to see you all enjoy this kal as much as I hoped you all would when I started it years ago.

When it comes to knitting garments it can be a whirlwind of thrilling emotions - excitement, trepidation, anxiety, confusion, happiness, confidence, pleasure and more. But the best part out of the process is the sheer joy of making a beautiful handmade garment that fits! Our SSKAL strives to help cheer you on throughout the entire process. From planning/cast on to binding off/blocking we can't wait to be a part of you making this new addition to your wardrobe!

For some lovely & well constructed garment pattern inspiration we highly recommend one of our all time favorite companies -  Brooklyn Tweed! They are sure to have a pattern to make your heart swoon! Their collections are filled with simple stunners to intricate pretties, and let's not forget about the kids and men in our lives! They have awesome patterns for those too! Brooklyn Tweed designs are sure to have superior craftsmanship and knitterly detail.

I'm so excited to let you all know that Brooklyn Tweed is our Official Summer Sweater Knit Along Sponsor! I'm beyond thrilled to have them on board again this year! Jared Flood is one of my biggest inspirations for design and aesthetic. I have an inspiration board in my office and one of the few things on it is my signed ball bands from Jared from Vogue Knitting Live in 2013! It was highlight to meet him in person and every time I feel the creative blues I look at those ball bands for an extra boost of inspiration. Silly I know, but hey, it works..lol.


Brooklyn Tweed also offers scrumptious yarns! Shelter (Worsted) and Loft (Fingering) are both yarns I have knit with and love. Brooklyn Tweed produces American yarns that preserve, support and sustain their belief in the tradition of U.S. textile production. Shelter and Loft are both fleece-dyed to achieve light and lofty yarns boasting 32 rich custom-blended heathers. These yarns give even the simplest fabrics depth and sophistication! They are truly a staple workhorse yarn to add to your stash and great for garment knitting. We'll have more info on Brooklyn Tweed throughout the kal so get ready to get inspired!


For this years SSKAL I'm working on a new sweater design! I won't be done by the end of the KAL I don't think but I'm sure gonna try! I'm swatching with some amazing Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in colorway Hayloft. Can we say swoon! Love this color so much!  And these shots are the first pictures I've taken in our new house!!!! I can't wait to show you all more soon!



You can find all of our SSKAL14 posts on our home page as well as some helpful information, links and more! Anytime you want to see what's happening with the KAL just pop on over to the SSKAL Homepage!

We've got some exciting posts coming your way for this KAL this year too! I've got some talented guests coming on to share some tips, techniques and more all relating to knitting sweaters! You can find all our pasts guest posts on our Tips & Techniques page as well!

Our Ravelry Group has some helpful moderators for our KALs. You can tell who they are by looking under their Ravatar for the word "moderator". They are all long time KAL members and they are there to help out as needed in our group. One of our moderators this year is assisting me in the chat thread with some special tasks so if there's any questions or you need assistance with something KAL related KCMOMOF2 can help you. I try my best to get in once a day but sometimes I'm not able to answer or address all the questions/convos so my moderators are my other hands in the group. I couldn't run these KALS without them! So show them some serious love!

Don't forget to use our hashtag! Use #SSKAL14 on social media to follow along with every one's projects! It was great fun to see all your projects on Instagram throughout our knit alongs.

Looking for inspiration? Check out our SSKAL Pinterest Page for tons of sweater pattern inspiration! We will also be pinning kal members choices as you tell as what you're knitting for this kal so feel free to share your pattern choices and yarn picks in the Ravelry group or here in the comments!

I love seeing what you are all making! It's part of what makes it all fun!And remember.....fun is our #1 rule for our kals!

What would you like to see talked about on the blog for this year's SSKAL? Any technique's or topics you would like to see covered? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Happy knitting!