Julie and the Cocoknits team are hopping into The Everlasting KAL our 7th annual knit-a-long! For 2026 we're knitting the Tracy hoodie (an optional On Demand Class is available). You can follow along with Julie as she works on her Tracy over the course of eight weeks. Between January 30 and March 27, we'll be posting updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses of her progress, with a few tips and tricks along the way.
Want to knit along with us? Sign up here!
Prep Week
This will be the third Tracy that Julie has knit, and she’s chosen to knit it with the newest installment of her favorite yarn line: Bread & Butter Pretzel! A plumpy soft DK weight 100% USA merino wool in the light gray color Dove. She’s looking forward to a cozy, drapey hoodie that she can wear every day.
Her preblocked swatch gauge was 19 sts/4” (10 cm) but after blocking Julie got 18.5 sts/4” (10 cm). If you’re not getting pattern gauge exactly, we encourage you to prioritize getting a fabric you like over obtaining gauge. Learn more about how to modify your gauge here.
TIP: Do you struggle with Rowing Out? If you’re like Julie and you find your purl rows are more loose than your knit rows, a quick adjustment that you can make is switching to a smaller needle size for your purl side, and/or using wooden needles instead of metal. For her Tracy, Julie is using Addi Click olivewood needles in US 7 for the knit rows and US 6 for the purls. Click here to watch our video with more info about rowing out.
Resources & Tutorials:
See what others are knitting in the 2026 Knit-A-Long Ravelry Discussion
The Hood & Sections I-III
Time to cast on! The experienced Cocoknits Method knitter will notice that this pattern starts a little differently than most. The hood is knit first starting with a Provisional Cast-On, then continues seamlessly into the Cocoknits Method Section I upper back.
Julie knit through the hood, finished Sections I-III, and crossed the neckline stitches without any modifications or hiccups! She’s ready to fill out her Worksheet. With the hood and shoulders finished, Tracy is really starting to take shape and look like a wearable garment. It feels like knitting magic!
TIP: Want to blend pattern sizes? Sometimes some areas of a sweater fit perfectly, and other areas…not so much. Luckily the Cocoknits Method makes it easy to combine different pattern sizes to get your ideal fit in the shoulders, bust, arms, and body! For tips on how to do this, check out our video tutorial here.
Resources & Tutorials:
See what others are knitting in the 2026 Knit-A-Long Ravelry Discussion
Section IV: The Cocoknits Worksheet
Julie filled out her Cocoknits Sweater Worksheet without making any modifications. You can watch her explain the Worksheet on our YouTube playlist, here.
Halfway through knitting the worksheet, Julie tried on her Tracy to double check the fit. The relaxed shoulder and armhole depth are on track for what she planned! Watch her try on and discuss the fit here.
TIP: Need a little ease in the bust? If you want to add a bit of length in the front to lower the hemline, you can work bust darts. If what you want is more overall room in the front (but not in the back), you can simply add a few more increases in the “front” columns on your Worksheet! Julie explains this here.
Resources & Tutorials:
See what others are knitting in the 2026 Knit-A-Long Ravelry Discussion
Comments
Thank you for your quick response. I already have the Tracy pattern and have almost completed the original one. I thought the KAL would be more than the On Demand that I already have. I wanted to make another one to “fix” the mistakes in the first one. I thought it would be more like a Zoom course – you never said it would – my mistake! That’s why I chose a different pattern. I will start my Tracy and try to catch up with what questions I have.
Thank you
Hi Deborah, it means Center of Hood marker. The name is given when it is first introduced, but we will check into adding it to our glossary. Enjoying the KAL!
Hi Gwen,
When you signed up, you should have received a confirmation email, then a Week 1 email. Knit the pattern you want to knit, since you already own the one you want, your free one is just a gift to use later. For participating, you have some choices—you can simply work from the emails on your own or you can participate with us by contributing to our social media and/or to our Ravelry threads about the Knit-a-Long (both Tracy and any other Cocoknits Method pattern you are using). We are here to answer questions in those places and by email at knit@cocoknits.com. If your Local Yarn Store is participating, you can also sign up with them. We have a list of those participating on the Local Shops + Events page on our website. We look forward to hearing how you are doing!
Hi Terry, Julie’s rule of thumb is that you will use the yardage for the size whose stitch numbers you are knitting. So if the size 4 has the correct stitch counts for you, but you are knitting it to the measurements of size 2, you use the size 4 yarn requirements.
What is COH in the very first section of the hood? I can’t find a translation anywhere. Thanks.
I signed up for the Tracy KAL but am confused as to how to get to it and how it works? Do I start by my self? I already purchased the pattern so I purchased a different one – is that the one I will be KAL ? Help! Thank you
I am close to gauge with good fabric and meeting row gauge. How would modifying size I knit affect yarn usage? My gauge is about 18.7st/“
We’ll be sharing resources from our Everlasting Knit-a-Long page, as well as answering questions here, by email, and on Ravelry. Here is an overview of Sections I-III (which includes the shoulders): https://cocoknits.com/blogs/making/how-to-work-sections-1-3-of-the-cocoknits-method. Please email us if you have specific questions. Looking forward to having you on the knit-a-long!
Will there be a tutorial to demonstrate the right shoulder?
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