The Knit Your First Fancy Sweater KAL is a Wrap!

Our first knit along (KAL for short) of the year has wrapped up and boy was it a true success with tons of in-person and virtual participation! We are so thankful for our maker community. For the First Raglan Sweater KAL, our host Alicia was really excited to bring more knitters into the fold, particularly those that were intimidated by garment projects but were also longing to give it a try. Alicia wanted this KAL to feel a little bit more like a class so that participants could tune in and get help when they hit bumps. As you can see, she created her own sweater out of our Fancy Tiger Crafts Heirloom Romney in Pink Peppercorn. 

"The First Raglan Sweater was chosen for the KAL for several reasons," said Alicia Heard, our KAL host. "I wanted to have a really approachable project to be inclusive of all knitters, including those that are tackling their very first sweater.  Brooklyn Tweed writes a very good pattern, and has many digital tutorials for support. Top down and raglan increase sweaters have always felt like the most beginner friendly and approachable sweater to me. The classic look of the First Raglan Sweater makes it an instant wardrobe staple.  The choice was easy because the pattern checks so many boxes." 

We think many of you agreed! Our KAL participation was so varied and lively! Alicia also loved that this pattern allowed knitters to veer off in many directions with options for all kinds of fits. 

"An additional fun possibility of the First Raglan Sweater pattern is all of the potential for adjustments and personalized modifications.  When I made my first version of this sweater I stayed really on pattern and made the cropped version with 2/3 sleeves.  In the sweater that I have been knitting during the KAL I have been making a tunic length seater with short sleeves.  The possibilities written into the pattern are great, as is the inspiration for personalized adjustments as well."

We had SO many participants that our collection of images from the KAL has brought us all a lot of joy. 

 "I have really enjoyed being part of the First Raglan Sweater KAL," said Alicia. "It has been great to connect with knitters near and far, both digitally and in person.  Many people shared that this is their very first sweater, and that truly warms my hear.  I saw many participants at Knitting Help Night as well as in person in the store.  I cant wait to see more works in progress as well as finished sweaters!  I am so overjoyed to include as many as possible into the Fancy Tiger community and look forward to spending more time together in the future."

With all of the participation, it certainly made it much harder for us to narrow down our winners. We had so many great Works In Progress and Finished Sweaters photos to choose from for this KAL. 

For our Work in Progress photo, the team chose @iccidesign for her cozy image of her KAL and her fuel for her sweater, a nice frothy coffee. 

The winner of the Finished Project Photo Award goes to @authentic_knitting_ for his Germantown yarn sweater being tested out in in the snow.

Great job to everyone! 

• The Best Work in Progress photo will receive a $25 gift card and a Fancy Tiger Crafts zipper tote.
• The Best Finished Project photo will receive a $50 gift card and a Fancy Tiger Crafts zipper tote.