Knit Olympic Rings Double as a Stacked Bracelet

I wanted to knit a little something to celebrate the Olympic Games, so I came up with the idea to knit Olympic rings, since they are an icon of the Games that can come out every two years.

As I was thinking about how I would do it, it occurred to me that if I made the rings the right size they could also be used as a giant stacked cuff bracelet.

I don’t know if this idea was brilliant or crazy, but I like the way it turned out and am totally going to make more bracelets this way with different colors and textures of yarn in the future.

This is more of an explanation than a pattern, because it’s super simple. You’ll need a small amount of medium-weight yarn in each of the ring colors –blue, yellow, black, green and red — and two size 8 US/5 mm double-pointed knitting needles or one circular needle.

The rings are each made of five-stitch I-cord: cast on 5, knit 1 row, *slide the stitches to the opposite end of the needle without turning the work, then knit 1 row. Repeat from * until ring is desired size. Bind off, leaving a tail to sew the ends together.

Make one ring of each color, then sew the strips into rings as you sew them together in the order of the Olympic rings: blue, yellow, black, green and red.

Arrange alternating up and down to display, or stack the rings on top of each other to wear as a bracelet.

This is a super quick, easy and fun project that I hope you’ll try, and if you do I’d love to hear what you think!

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The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical.

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique.

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead.

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit.

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern.

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like.

[Photo: Maymade Knits]

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