Last year my dear friend Anna (of Baaad Annas) finished a sweater each month. One year, 12 sweaters.
This seemed like too wild an idea last year, when Emily and I were both pregnant and we were working on Road Trip, but this year (even though have many designs in the works and 4 kiddies between us) it seems like a great idea! Right? So the question is: who’s with us?!
Whether you are a regular sweater knitting or working on your first, 12 sweaters in a year is a challenge! We have decided that finishing pieces already in the works definitely counts.

Emily has an Antler for herself in the works, Alexa has a Grace sweater (by Jane Richmond) on the go, as well as a Graphic Deer Head sweater. Those will need to be finished up in 2015!

We are knitting some sweaters for little people and some for big. Emily saw this image I posted on Instagram… and it inspired her to knit another Flax for Max. She had already knit this one, and this one… but at 6 months old little Max has just outgrown ALL of his sweaters, so Em whipped up a new, larger Flax for him in just 2 evenings!

This wee grey Flax is for an upcoming addition to the TCK family, as our model Emily is pregnant! Bodhi is happily modelling this gift for my niece or nephew. So we each have completed our first sweaters of 2015 already!

The Rules
It’s knitting, so there really aren’t any rules. We plan to each complete 12 sweaters, some will be for us, some will be for little people we have or know. It doesn’t matter if we started them last year (or, ahem, a few years ago), this is the year they will be finished! Along the way we’ll be sharing our favourite sweater-knitting tips and techniques, as well as adding some new tutorials to our already extensive list (check the all out here).
So join us won’t you? Let’s knit along! Tag your KAL projects with #tck12sweater2015 and check out our Rav thread here for a little knitterly support.
The Prizes
What do you say to a few prizes from TCK? The rules for you are loose, if you show us 12 sweater pics, finished in 2015 (started whenever) we will enter you for a draw! For each TCK sweater you knit, you will get an extra entry. Just email us a link to your Ravelry page, your Instagram feed, or attach your 12 pics and you will be entered to win one of the following prizes.
1. A sweater’s worth of yarn from Rainbow Heirloom.
2. A signed copy of our latest book Road Trip.
3. The complete Tin Can Knits ebook library.
Since this is a lofty and long term goal we will have some mini contests and prizes along the way so stay tuned! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Ravelry!
TCK Sweaters I will knit this year include:
November 20, 2015 @ 8:21 am
Leave it to me to be a bit confused… Does this go for 2016? Because there id no way I can do that for 20115. Did I miss something important? Gosh Darn… I just hate missing un News! If we a 2016 thing I’m in!
November 20, 2015 @ 1:24 pm
We have been running the year of the sweater through 2015 (it has been in our email updates, on the blog, facebook, instagram, pinterest, ravelry…). But who knows, maybe we will be crazy enough to do it again next year!
July 9, 2015 @ 8:48 pm
Old thread, I know but- do doll size sweaters count? I have 5 sweaters done, three more are started. I’ve also done two doll sweaters. I hope like crazy that I’ll be able to finish the last three, and maybe the final two (busy life!), so I’d like to bring the count up more. I haven’t tagged the doll sweaters in case it’s cheating 😉
July 10, 2015 @ 11:24 pm
Sorry, wee sweaters are counting but doll sweaters are just too wee!
March 16, 2015 @ 9:07 pm
I stumbled onto this group while rambling from one link to another and decided it was a great place to stay a while. The 12 Sweater Challenge sounds like the incentive I need, so count me in. I’m new to this group thing so I may need a little instruction along the way. Have one baby sweater just finished and one wip I need to finish for spring for me.
March 10, 2015 @ 7:50 am
Me encanta tejer. El problema es que a veces tengo tiempo, pero otras no me da tiempo a respirar!
Esta idea me encanta y procuraré hacer cuanto pueda.
Saludos a todos los tejedoras
February 17, 2015 @ 2:44 pm
This challenge sounds fantastic!!!!! Hard though, but I love it! Count on me!
February 3, 2015 @ 4:02 am
Wow, this is a BIG challenge. I’m new to sweater knitting and had committed myself to four but I have already finished a BSJ (started last year) and am just sewing up a sweater for myself, so why not! I’m in.
February 2, 2015 @ 1:46 pm
What a great idea! I am in…one sweater already came off the needles in late January, and I’m well into another. And my sister is having a baby this spring…little baby knits will contribute to the total nice and quickly. =)
January 31, 2015 @ 5:37 am
I am in! My instagram is @breiwerken and I posted the three sweaters I finished with the #tck12sweater2015.
January 31, 2015 @ 5:35 am
I am already in, and I finished 3 sweaters, two Cat Sweaters and a Bulle tunic. I am @breiwerken on Instagram and the sweaters are tagged with #tck12sweater2015
January 31, 2015 @ 12:42 am
I just leave a message on Ravelry, but I’m in !
January 30, 2015 @ 2:43 pm
Will give it a go…. got a few on sticks now. Motivation to finish them! Do vests count?
January 30, 2015 @ 10:36 pm
Yep, Vests count!
January 30, 2015 @ 10:17 am
I’ve already lost a month, so I better start knitting!
January 30, 2015 @ 8:23 am
This sounds like fun, but what if we only crochet?
January 30, 2015 @ 10:37 pm
Go for it! Crochet sweaters count
January 30, 2015 @ 7:54 am
This sounds like a really fun idea, especially when I really want to make myself a sweater! Plus, expectant friends are always in need of baby sweaters, especially when they don’t know they need them ;)
January 30, 2015 @ 6:34 am
Ok, you got me. I am a collar and two sleeves from finishing my beatnik and I have at least 3 sweaters worth of yarn stashed around my apartment. That’s 4, T needs a few more sweaters and my friends are reproducing like mad people. My one question, do vests and tops count?
January 30, 2015 @ 10:38 pm
Ooh, I love that sweater!
January 29, 2015 @ 10:49 pm
Wow! What a year! Amazing sweaters, patterns, colours, the works. Truly an inspiration. :-)
January 29, 2015 @ 4:49 pm
OMG! that’s a pretty tempting thing. I have so much I wanna do this year…. hhuuummm… I am in the middle of a Flax sweater that I began right after the new year, so I guess this is already good, isn’t it? Ok, I’ll try to keep up! But I’ll probably be going for baby sweaters!!! LOL Bring it up TCK!!! I got the Road Trip ebook anyways, I might as well just cast on!!! Love you guys! Cheers!!
January 30, 2015 @ 10:38 pm
UFO’s finished in 2015 count too!
January 29, 2015 @ 3:06 pm
Yay! Sounds like fun and I’m in. I’ve just finished sweater #1…Harvest for my granddaughter.
January 29, 2015 @ 12:38 pm
Vickie, 12 months, 12 sweaters… Thanks for joining me today. Such fun.J.
January 29, 2015 @ 11:54 am
Excited! I’d already set myself a challenge to knit a sweater a month this year and it so happens that the first two up are Snowflake for me and Antler for my grandson! Just to clarify – do the 12 need to be TCK patterns or is it just an extra entry for TCK patterns?
January 29, 2015 @ 10:58 am
Oooh… what is the colorway of Plucky Knitter Primo Worsted being used in the Antler sweater in progress? Pretty please with a cherry on top?
January 30, 2015 @ 10:39 pm
I think it’s Honey….
February 2, 2015 @ 7:07 am
Thanks!!!!!!! :)
January 29, 2015 @ 10:45 am
love this idea! I have 3 sweaters in progress and a couple of little people to knit for. This is the kick in the ass that I need and the prizes are to die for. Thanks!
January 29, 2015 @ 10:44 am
I’m with you! I NEED this KAL. Just counting Jane Richmond designs, I have 4 on the needles!!