Knit on with confidence and hope through all crises. —Elizabeth Zimmerman

If you’ve visited the shop in person, you may have noticed that we have knitting icon Elizabeth Zimmerman’s mantra at our front desk. It’s a sentiment we hold on to, especially in difficult times. Our stitches are what ground us in the most challenging circumstances.

Right now our community has been especially impacted during this government shutdown. We’ve  been opening our doors once again to our furloughed feds, offering them free and discounted classes; we’ve also hosted supported Stitch in Space time to provide stress relief and a welcome distraction from their furlough. To welcome these new stitchers, and to give us all some welcome distraction as we march towards the end of 2025, we’re running our own little Sanity Stitch Along.

What’s a Stitch Along?

A stitch along (or knit/crochet along) is when a group of stitchers work on a similar pattern, or work towards a shared purpose, together–that’s it! Some are more formal, others less so. You guessed it — we want this to be low-stress, so we’re on the less formal side.

How do I join?

Pick your pattern. We have a collection of pattern suggestions to get you started, but the goal is simple: find a pattern that’s low-stress. If you have another cozy low-stress pattern in mind, go for it! We’re thinking of the kind of project where you just stitch–a pattern that’s easy to memorize and easy to rest, so you can restore yourself as you stitch on with growing confidence, and most of all, hope.

Share your progress on social media with #fssanitystitch, and cheer your fellow stitchers forward!

Meet up, if you’re local! You can join us in person on Fridays from 4-6 p.m. in our second-floor space as we stitch together. We’ll be working through the first week of December (with the exception of Plaid Friday, November 28).

The fun part

If you buy your project yarn with us, let us know that you are jumping into our Sanity Stitch Along, and we will give you this custom post it note booklet to help you keep track of your pattern!

We’ll randomly select one winner from those who post their completed projects on Instagram using #fssanitystitch by Wednesday, December 10th! Our winner will receive a $100 gift card and our custom “Let it Snow” soy candle from Wax & Wool.

Pattern Suggestions for Knitting

Advanced Beginner: Hitchhiker Shawl

Size

• One size
• Length : 69”, depth: 11”

Yarn

• 569 – 574 yards of fingering weight yarn. We recommend Freia Yarns Shawl Bomb (100% US Merino wool, 860 yards/786 meters per 200-gram cake), Little Fox Yarns TrueWash Fine (100% organically grown Merino, treated, approx 430 yards per 115-gram skein), or Spincycle Dyed in the Wool (100% superwash American wool, 200 yards per 100-gram skein)

Gauge & Suggested Needles

• 21 stitches and 54 rows = 4” in garter stitch on US#2½ (3mm) needles

Skills Needed

• Knitting and purling
• Increasing

Advanced Beginner: Mohair Sweater

Size

• S/M (M/L, L/XL) (2X, 3X)

Yarn

• 390 – 650 yards of Loopy Mango Mohair So Soft (47% super kid mohair and 53% extra fine Merino wool, 65 yards/ 60 meters per 50 gram ball), or Loopy Mango Merino No. 5 (100% Merino wool, 74 yards/68 meters per 150-gram ball)

Gauge & Suggested Needles

• 10 rows = 4” in stockinette stitch on size US#19 (15 mm) needles

Skills Needed

• Knitting and purling
• Increasing and decreasing
• Working in the round

Intermediate: Cream Cardi

Size

• Finished bust circumference of 36.25 (41, 45.75, 50.5) (55.5, 59, 63.75, 68.5) (73.5, 78.25, 83, 87.75)”
• Intended to be worn with 5-10” positive ease.

Yarn

• 1,050 – 2,550 yards of worsted weight yarn. We recommend WoolDreamers La Rinconada (100% organic Spanish Merino wool, 252 yards/230 meters per 100-gram skein), De Rerum Natura Gilliatt (100% French Merino, 270 yards/250 meters per 100-gram ball), or Kelbourne Woolens Germantown (100% wool, 220 yards/201 meters per 100-gram skein.

Gauge & Suggested Needles

• 20 stitches and 40 rows = 4” in garter stitch on US#7 (4.5 mm) needles; for ribbing, choose needles 2 sizes down (suggested US#5/3.75mm)

Skills Needed

• Knitting and purling
• Increasing and decreasing
• Working in the round
• Picking up stitches

Advanced: Trans Futures Tapestry

Size

• One size

Yarn

• 377 yards of Aran-weight yarn. We recommend Kelbourne Woolens Keystone (70% deadstock acrylic and 30% wool, 190 yards (174 meters) per 100-gram skein), Kelbourne Woolens Germantown (100% wool, 220 yards/201 meters per 100-gram skein), and/or Spincycle Yarns Plump (100 yards per skein) for some color-changing fun details!

Gauge & Suggested Needles

• 18 stitches and 24 rows = 4” in stockinette worked flat on suggested US#6 (4 mm) needles

Skills Needed

• Knitting and purling
• Intarsia or duplicate stitch to create the image

 

Pattern Suggestions for Crochet

Advanced Beginner: Bernie Scarf Trio

Sizes

• Kerchief: 45″ x 5″, scarf: 60″ x 8.5″, shawl: 85″ x 11″

Yarn

• Kerchief: 45 yards; scarf: 230 yards; or shawl: 340 yards of DK-weight yarn. We recommend Jill Draper Makes Stuff Kingston (100% Targhee wool, 270 yards /247 meters per 113-gram skein), Harrisville Designs Nightshades (80% American Cormo wool / 20% American wool, 250 yards/229 meters per 100-gram skein), or Spincycle Yarns Dream State (100% superwash American wool 150 yards per 100-gram skein)

Gauge & Suggested Hooks

• 21 stitches x 15 rows  = 4″ on US 7 (4.5mm) crochet hook

Skills Needed

• Single crochet
• Increases and decreases
• Turning rows

Intermediate: Granny Triangle Shawl

Size

• One size, approximately 27 x 57″

Yarn

• Approximately 1,100 yards of fingering-weight yarn. We recommend Freia Yarns Shawl Ball (100% US Merino wool, 430 yards/393 per 100-gram cake), Freia Yarns Shawl Bomb (100% US Merino wool, 860 yards/786 meters per 200-gram cake), Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply (100% superwash Merino wool, 400 yards/365 meters per 110-gram skein), or Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool (100% superwash American wool, 200 yards per 100-gram skein)

Suggested Hooks

• US E/4 (3.5 mm) crochet hook

Skills Needed

• Double crochet (dc)
• Filet crochet (granny stitch)

Advanced: Marinière Striped Henley

Sizes

• XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL)
• Finished bust circumference: 41.25 (45, 49.75, 53.5, 57.25, 61, 64.5, 69.5)”
• Suggested positive ease: 10-14”

Yarn

• 1,476 – 3,198 yards of worsted weight yarn. We recommend Kelbourne Woolens Keystone (70% deadstock acrylic and 30% wool, 190 yards (174 meters) per 100-gram skein), Rosários 4 Folclore (100% wool, 208 yards/190 meters per 100-gram skein), or De Rerum Natura Gilliatt (100% French Merino, 270 yards/250 meters per 100-gram ball).

Gauge & Suggested Hooks

• 13 stitches and 12.75 rows = 4″ in alternating half double crochet (hdc) and single crochet (sc) on US I/9 (5.5mm) hook

Skills Needed

• Single crochet
• Half double crochet
• Working in the round
• Increases and decreases

Advanced: Pixel Vest (Tunisian crochet)

Sizes

• XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL) for finished bust circumference of 28-62″.

Yarn

• 820 – 1,510 yards of DK-weight yarn. We recommend Jill Draper Makes Stuff Kingston (100% Targhee wool, 270 yards /247 meters per 113-gram skein), Harrisville Designs Nightshades (80% American Cormo wool / 20% American wool, 250 yards/229 meters per 100-gram skein), and/or Spincycle Yarns Dream State (100% superwash American wool 150 yards per 100-gram skein)

 Suggested Hooks

• US H/8 (5 mm) Tunisian crochet hook with a 30″ (75 cm) cable

Skills Needed

• Tunisian crochet