Knitting

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Are You Ready for Some Football Knitting (Again)?

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Scoreboard 2.0 knitalongDo you remember the Scoreboard Knitalong from last year? Maybe you took part in it?

The idea was to knit a scarf or cowl in two colors throughout the football season, with each row representing a point scored either by your team or the opposing team. Nearly 900 people posted projects on Ravelry during last year’s event, and it’s just about time for version 2.0.

This year’s knitalong is starting earlier, August 1, to be able to accommodate people who want to knit the score for their favorite high school football team (wouldn’t that be a cool gift for a guy on the team?).

In order to entice people to sign up this year, Skacel is hosting a giveaway of 13 skeins of HiKoo Simplicity, the yarn of choice for the knitalong. The winner will receive 6 skeins each in their team’s two colors, plus one contrasting color, which can be used to mark where a new game started.

If you’d like a chance to win, send an email that includes your football team name, your name and address to [email protected]. Their newsletter didn’t say when entries close, but the winner will be announced May 30, 2016, so get your emails in before then.

Are you going to take part in Scoreboard 2.0? What team are you knitting for? Or if you did it last year I’d love to hear about that, too.

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Free Knitted Crown Pattern for Kids and Adults: A Sweet Handmade Dress-Up Idea

There’s something wonderfully charming about a knitted crown. It’s playful, useful for the dress-up basket, and just the sort of small project that gives a leftover ball of yarn a proper purpose. Much better than letting it roll around the cupboard for another three years.

This free knitted crown pattern for kids and adults combines a simple garter-stitch band with shaped triangular points. The mustard-gold colour gives it that storybook crown look, although pink, purple or woodland green would be equally lovely.

A Manageable Next Step for Beginner Knitters

The construction is the appealing part of this design. Everything is knitted flat, so you won’t need double-pointed needles or experience joining stitches in the round.

You knit the band first, then work each crown point separately over a group of 12 stitches. Paired decreases gradually narrow each triangle, giving you a small, repeatable section to concentrate on.

I’d describe this as a confident beginner knitting project. You’ll need to know how to knit, work two types of decreases, hold unused stitches and sew a simple seam. There are several yarn tails to weave in, so a little patience with finishing will help.

Three Sizes With Room to Personalise

The pattern includes three sizes, with seven, eight or nine crown points. Choose by the wearer’s head measurement rather than age, and check your gauge carefully. Yarn stretch will make a noticeable difference to the fit.

For birthdays, an embroidered initial would be a sweet finishing touch. Contrasting yarn diamonds could suggest little jewels without adding hard embellishments.

What to Know Before Casting On

This is a soft knitted crown, so expect gentle points rather than a rigid costume accessory. A springy wool or wool-blend yarn should give the shaping more support than a very drapey yarn.

The stitch calculations have been checked, but the design has not yet been sample-knitted. The accompanying image is an illustrative mockup, so the finished texture and proportions may vary with your yarn and tension.

For a small handmade birthday accessory or a cheerful addition to the dress-up box, this is an appealing idea. And if an adult needs a matching crown for supervising the royal household, the larger size has that covered too.