Introducing the Geek-A-Long Sweater!

It is my great pleasure to announce the first ever, but probably not the last, GEEK-A-LONG SWEATER!!! We are going back to our roots on this one, and the theme for the sweater is:

CLASSIC VIDEO GAMES

Worked in the art style of 8-bit video games, this 12 part sweater knit-a-long is written for 15 sizes ranging from 30″-69″ busts. I drew my silhouette inspiration from the blocky and wildly decorated sweaters of the early 90s. Basically, my gift to you is wearable nostalgia.

The 2020 Geek-A-Long Sweater MKAL will be released in 12 clues, beginning on August 2nd. When you add this pattern to your Ravelry Library you will have immediate access to the project sheet, which includes the usual yarn/gauge/needle information for the project, as well as the instructions for a gauge swatch. The clues will be released via pattern updates. Once the project is added to your library, the clues will automatically be added to your library when they release.

Add the MKAL to your Ravelry library and download the project sheet.

Get the instructions for this fun gauge swatch/coffee cozy in the project sheet now!

But wait! There’s exciting yarn news too! In addition to releasing the project info for the 8-Bit sweater, we also have a tasty shop update. After a long time being sold out, our Geek-A-Long yarn is back in stock. Due to supply issues (the mill the yarn comes from experienced a lengthy shutdown due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and is not yet back to working at full capacity) we cannot offer back ordering at this time (so what you see is what there is) however, we have restocked every color of GAL yarn, AND added new colors! Jac or I will write a proper shop update later this week, but I wanted to make sure GAL knitters had first dibs on the yarn if you want it, before we made the announcement on a non Geek-A-Long post.

First imagined in the Winter of 2013, the Geek-A-Long was born from unrestrained idealism and way too much coffee. The idea was ridiculous: Release a new pattern every week all year, based on pop-culture nerdiness. At the end of the year, we would join 48 double-sided squares together to make a massive blanket. Our Fandom Opus would be sent to the Child’s Play Charity Dinner Auction in Seattle, and the proceeds of the sale would go towards providing video games and other entertainment to children in hospitals and domestic violence shelters.

Seven years ago. We look like babies. I can’t even.

When I cast on that first square, I had no idea what the GAL would turn into. Seven years, seven blankets, and nearly 300 squares later, the Geek-A-Long has grown far beyond Jac and I. The community has grown each year, and based on our square download statistics there are GAL knitters in every corner of the world. Your generosity is astounding and over the GAL community has raised over $10,000 for Child’s play with individual donations and proceeds raised from the sale of the auctioned blankets.

We wanted to do something to make 2020 memorable. Admittedly, that decision was made in 2019, and 2020 doesn’t need help standing out. Still, we want to shake things up. When I finished that first blanket in 2014, I never imagined we’d still be making them in 2020. I’m blown away by how much love and support the project has gotten and couldn’t have predicted it. I want you to see this sweater for what it is: a love letter from Jac and I to the entire GAL community.

We’ll be releasing the sweater as a 12-part Mystery Knit-A-Long (MKAL) on Ravelry. While we usually have the GAL patterns right here on the website for you to download, Ravelry offers the best way for us to deliver the weekly clues to you. Go to the pattern page HERE and add the pattern to your library. Currently, the pattern includes the project information with instructions to work a gauge swatch. If you’ve added the pattern to your Ravelry library, you will automatically get an update when each new clue releases.

This free, premium pattern is without a doubt, my best work. This labor of love took almost six months to design, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. As with all of our GAL projects, please consider making a donation to Child’s Play Charity using this link. We’ve just set up a page on CP’s brand new donation platform to track donations made during the MKAL, and will be using it moving forward (replacing the prior widget link). Every dollar donated puts games in the hands of children that most need them.

With love,
Megan-Anne & Jac

If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a donation to Child’s Play Charity. Here is a direct link to our official donation page benefiting the charity. Please help us raise $1,000 this year. No contribution is too small! Wanna make your donation go even further? Lattes & Llamas will donate $1 for every skein of Geek-A-Long Yarn purchased. Ask your local yarn store to carry GAL Yarn or get it through our website.