Casting on everything seems a little crazy right? How many WIPs does one human need?
About a year ago, looking at my massive yarn stash, I started getting genuinely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of knitting waiting for me—or, more accurately, the sudden realization that I might not outlive my yarn collection.
So, as any completely rational person does, I started sorting my yarn into specific project bags. I stopped at about 22.
Instead of solving the problem, those 22 prepped bags sat around for another full year, creating a whole new level of craft guilt and stress. Finally, I decided the only way forward was to eliminate the pressure entirely: I was going to cast on every single project I wanted to make.
No guilt, no forced finishing deadlines—just pure, unadulterated creative chaos.
Welcome to the The Cast-On Chronicles! To kick off Volume 1 of year-long journey, here is the very first project to hit my needles?:
Project Profile: Cast-On #1
Pattern: Anker’s Summer Shirt by PetiteKnit
Cast on Date: Jan 8, 2026
Yarn: Tweed DK by The Loving Path Yarn
Project Details: View on Ravelry
Why This Project?
I don’t have a revolutionary, grand philosophical reason for choosing this as my first cast-on other than pure impulse: I just really wanted to make it. A friend of mine recently finished hers, and I’d been itching to get my hands into this luscious yarn.
The yarn was dyed by another close friend of mine, a local dyer, and over the years I’ve amassed quite a collection of her work. The color isn’t something I would typically gravitate toward in a shop, but I remember standing in Debbie’s shop clear as day—it was like this specific skein was calling my name. (Yarn does that from time to time… or, let’s be honest, always.)
Because I’m working with two different dye lots for this garment, I’m using helical knitting to blend them seamlessly. It’s my very first time trying this technique, and I am absolutely in love with how the subtle striping and texture are working up!
Pattern & Yarn Thoughts
Unsurprisingly, this yarn is a dream to work with. The pattern itself is straightforward and easy to follow—provided you have a clear head, which I admit I only have about 5% of the time.
I’ve realized recently that DK weight has quietly become my absolute favorite yarn weight to knit with. I don’t have a long history with it, but a couple of recent projects (the Honey Crueller Cardigan and the Camaro) completely won me over. It knits up quickly without feeling overly heavy or bulky. Expect to see plenty more DK-weight projects as this #AllOrNothing series rolls on!
Even though the pattern is called a “Summer Shirt,” I think this piece is going to lean more toward fall or winter layering for me. The Tweed DK feels a bit substantial for hot weather, but I can already picture it over a fitted long-sleeve tee for a trip to the apple orchard with a warm latte in hand.
Progress Update
- March 6: The body is officially finished! Right now, I’m just gathering the motivation to execute a stretchy bind-off on the hem before making the jump to Sleeve Island. I still haven’t decided whether I’ll stick to short sleeves or go full long-sleeve for cold weather.
- August 1: The garment it done! Well, it’s fully knitted. It’s in weaving in the ends and blocking purgatory.
Join the Conversation
Have you knitted the Anker’s Summer Shirt, or do you have a stash of yarn that’s currently calling your name? Let me know in the comments below!
Progress:
March 6 – I finished the body. I’m just waiting for some motivation to do a stretchy bind off on the hem and then it’s on to sleeve island. I haven’t decided yet whether I will do short or long sleeves.
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