Winter 2026 Knit Along at the Stash House!
Join our Stash House Winter 2026 Knit along! Open for all levels of knitting!
Two swatches of the Aslak 100% wool yarn available in store at Swanson’s Fabrics, one with a mixed cable pattern and one post felting. This yarn is similar in weight and texture to the Finn Fun that we have available online!
Knit Along Q&A
What is a knit along?
A knit along (KAL) is a group of knitters working on the same or similar projects at the same time, sharing progress, encouragement and tips/tricks. It is a social group, a learning opportunity, and a way to ward off the winter cold all in one! This is not knitting 101, but if you are new to the craft, we can help you choose a great beginner project!
Our theme this winter is Aran Weight yarn! Not quite worsted, not quite bulky, this versatile yarn is quick to knit up and oh so satisfying. We have tons of it available in the shop and online, due to our partnership with the Loose Ends project - any of the Finn Fun (available online) or Aslak yarn (available in person at the shop!) would work great for this knit along, or another aran weight yarn of your choice.
What are the components of the Stash House 2026 Knit along?
Project Late Nights: every 2nd and 4th Wednesday during the winter quarter
A fellowship night at the Stash House is like a club meeting - come by for company and knitting support. Elsa, Jena, or Kendra will be at the Stash every other Wednesday evening for project late nights as part of our winter knit along! Whether you are making your first scarf or joining us on a sweater journey, or just have general knitting questions, come by for company and knitting support. RSVP optional
free for Stash House members, $10 nonmembers, $5 students
Three Knit Along Workshops
These workshops offer more formal knitting instruction than the fellowship evenings, running on the second Sundays of January, February, and March. Click here for more details and to sign up for the first one!
free for Stash House members (find your special Knit Along code on the Member Hub for 100% off!), $35 for nonmembers
One to Two emails a month
Progress checks, tips and tricks, curated links, and inspiration sent directly to your email box twice a month! You will be signed up for these emails by registering for any of the knit along events.
What patterns are you using?
Instead of all making the same project, this year we are highlighting a yarn type and recommending different projects for varying time investment/skill levels. This knit along is open to all levels of knitters.
Recommended projects:
Beginners/lower time investment: scarf, hat, or hood
Purl SoHo is a great destination for classic, well written knitting patterns - like this Classic Ribbed Hat, Mistake Rib Cowl, or No-Purl Ribbed Scarf - these patterns are beginner friendly, have nice textural interest, and the simple pattern repeats lead to great, cozy results.
If you have been thinking about a knitted hood (all the rage on knitting social media last year) here are two fun, free patterns designed for Aran weight yarn - Frost Buster Balaclava by DROPS design and Oktoberhette by Stina Fredriksson - this second one is in Norwegian, so you have the added fun of translating your pattern :)
And if you have just one ball of yarn or want a quick but interesting project, consider the sherbet bandana by The Lamb & Kid Designs which has some fun shaping detail at the edges, or a mini scarf like the mini scarf Pearl by Veronika Stoncus
Intermediate: felted slippers or simple sweater, like a top down raglan or circle yoke sweater.
Try the wildly popular Sailor Slippers by Annie Germain, or add stripes to a free slipper pattern like Felt Slippers for Adults by Nita Brainard. As a bonus on this pattern, you can practice sock knitting techniques like turning a heel, but much faster and easier to troubleshoot due to the larger yarn size.
For a simple sweater, we recommend a basic sweater pattern to customize: The Flax sweater, a free pattern from Tin Can Knits. This has a good size range (chest 32” -70”) and is extremely customizable! Come to our first workshop for help envisioning how you can personalize your sweater based on this simple raglan base! This pattern lends itself well to colorwork and textured stitches. It also has a lot of online support and existing blog posts, and is available in 3 yarn weights - worsted/aran, DK, and sock/sport.
Another great basic (and free!) pattern is the Step by Step Sweater pattern by Florence Miller
If you don’t have enough of single color of yarn to make a solid sweater, consider color blocking like in the Amalie sweater – Biches & Bûches no. 8
Traditional Icelandic sweaters with a patterned yoke are knitted bottom up, but we can pull inspiration from them to knit top down! Here is a Icelandic sweater pattern knit with lopi (a traditional Icelandic yarn). These are often knit in aran weight lopi, but can be adapted for other bulky yarns - this makes them pretty quick to knit!
Advanced/higher time investment: cabled sweater, improvised sweater
If you’re a more advanced knitter, improvise your own top-down sweater! This is a great blog post about improvising your own sweater - we recommend this if you have successfully knit at least one garment and keep a consistent gauge. We’re happy to help you navigate this journey in our workshops and weekly fellowships, but this option is best for a fairly self sufficient knitter, as it does take more math and understanding of sweater shape than following a traditional pattern.
Or consider cabled patterns - a classic Aran sweater, like Stone Cables from Drops,
Or a nice cabled jacket, like the Halmoni Jacket by Maya Déglon
Aran weight yarn lends itself really nicely to cable stitch patterns, as they gain a beautiful 3D texture.
A seamed sweater with all-over cables - made by Elsa following a traditional Aran fisherman sweater pattern in a non-traditional tweedy yarn, with a cropped body and sleeves
What is the timeline?
January: Choose pattern, cast on
February: make progress, troubleshoot
March: finish up (If you are making a sweater, it may take much longer!)
Can I participate if I’m far away?
Yes, you can get our knit along emails and share your progress on Instagram - RSVP for any of the events to join the knit along mailing list - If you are a Stash House member, there’s a special 100% discount code on the Stash House Member Hub. When you sign up for the Knit Along you'll get monthly knit along emails of tips and tricks and updates to follow along as we knit our projects. Sign up by January for the full knit along, or join part way through!
You can also tag us on social media with #stashhousekal and @swansonsstashhouse - we love to see what you’re working on!
More detail on the Knit Along workshops:
$35 each workshop. Free for members - the 100% discount code is on the Stash House Member Hub. Sign up for each workshop individually.
Workshop 1 on 1/11/26: The first workshop is focused on choosing a pattern, casting on, size selection, and interpreting knitting patterns.
yarn & pattern selection
customizing your pattern
knitwear sizing and knitting a gauge swatch
how to read written patterns and charts
short rows for shaping (depending on pattern selection)
cast on methods
optional - tips for scrappy sweater making! If you want to work with yarn runts or small balls, we'll help you select yarns in fibers that will play well together from our shop
Workshop 2 on 2/8/26: The second workshop is all about troubleshooting, pattern support, making design changes, and fixing mistakes
methods for cables
incorporating textures/colorwork into design, optional intro to stranded colorwork
checking in on sweater progress
fixing dropped or twisted stitches
Workshop 3 on 3/8/26: The last workshop covers finishing methods, felting tips (if you choose to make felted slippers!), and grafting techniques to bring it all together
methods for casting off
blocking tips
grafting and seaming knitwear
Knitting needles included! We have many kinds available! We will have some yarn available for practicing techniques during the workshops, and you are encouraged to bring your knit along project for consultation.What materials do I need?
Knitting needles:
Long circular needles are the most versatile - smaller needle size for the ribbing, larger needles for the body of your work - exact needle size depends on your personal knitting gauge and pattern/yarn choice. For smaller diameter knit projects like hats or sleeves, you may want double pointed needles (DPNs) or you can use long circulars and loop them up - we will go over how to do this in the first workshop!
Enough yarn for your project:
This amount will be different for everyone - we can help you figure it out at our first workshop! A general rule of thumb is to buy one more ball of yarn than you think you need - better to have a little left over for repairs than to run out!
Shop our yarn selection here or in store. Swanson’s Fabrics does not always have “sweater quantities” of yarn, but due to our collaboration with Loose Ends Project and the Finnish Yarn, we do now!
If you are collecting yarn for a multi-colored project we recommend matching weight and fiber type to ensure consistent gauge and wear. Your yardage needs will depend on project size, yarn weight, and style.
Read this helpful blog post about yarn weight and thickness for more info!
Other elements like sleeve length and body length will also influence yarn needs. If you are making a cropped sweater, you will use less yarn! Some fibers are also heavier than others - for example, cotton is a dense fiber and tends to weigh more than wool at the same thickness.