On the Needles | Journey-along & Inland

Whew! March was a long month and yesterday was the first day in almost a month that I finally felt like myself again after battling a terrible cold bug. I was a flurry of crafty and kitchen activity all day and I'll share details with you on that later this week. Today I'm happy to share that I'm casting on a sweater for the Journey-along. This beautiful grey is going to be Inland and, from what I've heard, I'll want to live in it.

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I've had yarn wound for this sweater for months and now that I'm getting ready to cast on, I'm super excited! The weather is warming up here, but it will still be cool in the evenings for quite awhile, so I'm sure this sweater will get plenty of use.

I'm working on ideas for the next Journey-along giveaway, so stay tuned... Many thanks (again) to the Journey designers, Shannon & Jane, for sponsoring the first giveaway with 2 eBook copies of Journey - congrats to Deb & Sandy on winning!

I've loved the enthusiasm for the projects in this book and our Journey-along Ravelry group is so much fun with both local and not-so-localknitters sharing in the fun. Since we're knitting through November, it's not too late to join the fun!

I'm off to cast on a new sweater and hoping to knit like the wind. Cheers!

Off the Needles | Journey-along

Today I want to share a couple Journey-along FO's with you...

First up is my Swift and a very rare selfie. I seriously love this hat - both the knitting and the wearing! This is the second one I've knit since the first is a shop sample and I just had to make another for myself!

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Pattern: Swift by Shannon Cook

Yarn: Sport Weight by Blue Sky Alpacas (color 510 Black)

Raveled: Swift in Black

Another project I want to share with you is this fabulous pair of socks from Journey that were knit by the talented Sandy for the Journey-along:

Aren't they great?! I love the color combo!

Pattern: Climb by Jane Richmond

Yarn: Sock by Shibui Knits (color Jackie) and toe in Fine by Spud & Chloe (color Shitake)

Raveled: Climb Socks

It's been a lot of fun seeing the Journey projects online and in the shop, and the enthusiasm for immediately casting on new projects has been contagious! I'm currently down to one Journey WIP, so I'm trying to decide on the next project to cast on. Probably one of the sweaters, but we'll see....

February was a whirlwind with class prep for Firefly Fibers and now that March is here and the spring classes are posted, I have a little breathing room. Hubby is home today, so this afternoon we're headed out to pick up a toy for me (I'll share the details on that soon). I better gather up the car knitting so we can be on our way!

Cheers!

Journey-along | The Details

I decided to host this Journey-along for many reasons, but mainly because I adore the designers and I love each and every design in this book! This last fall, as I shared my enthusiasm for Journey and my plan to knit through all 6 designs before the book even arrived at the shop and I discovered that I was not alone. Many knitters said they were planning to do the same - or at the very least, knit a good number of projects from the book – so, I got to thinking… Why not knit the Journey projects together?!

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The plan to knit through 6 designs isn't one for the faint of heart with two sweaters and 4 accessories that I can’t seem to just knit one of - yeah, I'm pretty much hopeless. During the process, I want each of us to enjoy each of the projects and not feel rushed – I have enough deadlines and rushing in my life, and I’m sure you do too.

I patiently waited for the hustle and bustle of the holidays to subside before digging in, all the while I kept in mind that things will get crazy again shortly before Thanksgiving. So, I decided for everyone’s enjoyment – and sanity – to wrap things up in November before the next holiday season is upon us. It will also be about the same time the book was released, so I thought it would be fun to round up the projects as a sort of happy 1-year anniversary for Journey!

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Are you ready for the Journey-along? I am and I really hope you’ll join me in the fun! I know many of you have been waiting patiently for the details, so without further delay, here's the scoop…

|| What’s a Journey-along? || An inspiring, fun and casual Knitalong featuring Journey: A Collaboration – 6 beautiful projects from knitting designers Jane Richmond and Shannon Cook.

|| Dates || February 12th – November 19th A nice leisurely Knitalong.

|| Sign Up || Join the Journey-along by simply completing this formDon’t worry… your information is private. You don't need to sign up to join the fun, but you must be signed up and cast on a Journey project to be eligible for the giveaways.

|| Details || • Knit one design,two, all six, the same one five times – just cast on and knit away! • FO status is not required, but finishing is encouraged. • You can sign up with a Journey WIP. Jane and Shannon are hosting their Journey Knit Along through Feb. 26th and it’s okay if you want to double-dip. The more, the merrier! • Most importantly, have fun!

|| WHERE and HOW to Participate || The Journey-along is an online Knitalong that I’ll be hosting in the Firefly Fibers Ravelry Group this the best place to join in the fun, meet and interact with other knitters, chat away about your favorite Journey design (or designs), ask questions, share progress, encourage each other and more!!! You can also share your progress on other social media (facebook, twitter, instagram, pinterest…). In addition to Ravelry, I’ll be sharing my progress on facebook, instagram and twitter!

Wherever you share your Journey progress, please use the hashtag #journeyalong so we can all be inspired!

Last, but not least…

|| Journey and the Patterns || If you don’t own Journey yet, there are so many options: - Check with your LYS and buy local. If you’re local to Firefly Fibers, we are fully restocked (print copy includes the eBook and Ravelry PDF patterns). I can ship, too. - Ravelry has several options including the eBook, individual PDF patterns. - Amazon.com: The place with everything, including Journey!

>As an added bonus… Shannon and Jane are sponsoring my first giveaway with two copies of the Journey eBook – thanks so much, ladies! Two lucky participants will be selected one week into the KAL (Wed. Feb, 19th) – remember, the only requirements to enter are filling out the sign up form and that you have a WIP during the KAL (it doesn’t have to be finished). This prize is perfect to kick off the Knitalong! If you’re purchasing individual patterns, you could own the full eBook and if you already own the eBook, I’m sure another knitter wouldn’t mind a Journey eBook gift!

So, if you haven’t done so already - decide on your first pattern, gather project supplies, swatch and get ready to start the Journey-along!

Are you inspired? Do you want to go on a Journey-along with me?