James River Yarn Crawl Inugural KAL/CAL

The James River Yarn Crawl is hosting its FIRST Knit-A-Long/Crochet-A-Long!

All six yarn shops are busy behind the scenes prepping for the May 15-23 James River Yarn Crawl, and we know that everyone is getting excited. To help channel all that excitement, the James River Yarn Crawl is hosting an Inaugural KAL/CAL, kicking off Friday, March 13.

We have reached out to Virginia designer Nailya Plaskey, Nailya Plaskey Designs, who produces both crochet and knitting patterns, to design "Down the River to the Ocean." It was important to all involved that we be inclusive, so crochet and knit versions are available.

The top-down triangular shawl represents the river locks, mechanisms used to raise and lower boats between river water levels. The shawl then flows into the feather and fan pattern, representing ocean waves. In addition to being written in both crochet and knit versions, the shawl comes in 2 sizes, either a 1 or 2 skein fingering weight project, and all are using a size US 6 36” knitting needle or 4mm hook/Size G. The small version has a finished size of roughly 59”; the large roughly 74”.

Either the crochet or knit pattern is $6. The patterns will be available for download beginning Friday, March 13.

There is one grand prize for those who complete the shawl by May 23.

TO QUALIFY:
1) All yarn must be purchased from one of the participating yarn shops.
2) All completed shawls must be posted to your Instagram and Facebook using the hashtag #jryccrawlshawl.
3) You also must tag The Flying Needles as the shop where you purchased your yarn. Our tag is: @theflyingneedlesyarn

 All conditions must be completed to qualify for the prize. 

The shawl hashtag is: #downtherivertotheocean

For those who do not have Instagram or Facebook accounts, ask your Local Yarn Shop to take a picture of your completed shawl and post for you, which also will qualify you for the prize.  Look for the prize winner announcement on the James River Yarn Crawl Instagram, Facebook, website and Ravelry pages after May 23, the final day of the Crawl.

To help create a sense of community right now, we have created Ravelry threads for you to post your WIPs (Works-in-progress) and your FOs (Finished Objects).

A Knit-A-Long or a Crochet-A-Long, is a group of people all working on the same project for inspiration and group camaraderie. All yarn shops will provide pattern assistance for anyone who needs help with technical aspects of the pattern – so it’s like taking a class for FREE! We hope you can join!

Mark your calendars now! The James River Yarn Crawl is being held from May 15 to May 23. Fiber enthusiasts are invited to pick up their James River Yarn Crawl Passports at any of the participating shops and then tour and visit each of the yarn shops along Richmond to Virginia Beach trail. Once you make a purchase at each yarn shop, the shop will then stamp your passport. Once you have received stamps from all six shops, you can turn in your filled-in and completed passport at the last shop on your trail. All completed passports will be entered into one of 5 Grand Prize Giveaways, a value of more than $500! Shop prizes also will be at stake – valued at more than $150 each. You can pick up a James River Yarn Crawl Passport at any participating shop beginning May 15. Follow the James River Yarn Crawl on Facebook and/or Instagram.

All yarn shops will be opened every day during the Crawl including Sunday, May 17, from 1 to 4 pm.

Above: The crochet version is size 2, two skeins of Robin's Promise Racket-Tailed Roller. Below: The knit version is also size 2, two skeins of Robin's Promise Kukaburra Feather.