Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knits to Celebrate the Olympics

by

olympic knitting patternsThe Winter Olympics are right around the corner, and if you’d like to celebrate with knitting there are lots of options available, from knitting the Olympic rings on a project to using your knitting to cheer on your favorite team.

DeAnza Jig knit a fun Olympic ring washcloth for the 2012 Games, but you could easily change the date or leave it off. Bolette J. Ohms also has a washcloth with the Olympic torch on it. So cute!

The Homemade Mama whipped up some adorable knit medals that are perfect for kids who want to pretend they’ve won the gold. And Kathy Murray’s Olympic Ring Necklace would be great for kids or adults who want to show their Olympic spirit.

For a slightly more subtle version of the rings, try the Olympic Bracelet from Yarn Birdy. It uses a fun sparkly yarn to evoke gold medals.

Searching on Ravelry I found lots of knits in support of Team USA and Team Canada but not much else. If you’re from another country you could use these patterns in different colors without the national symbols to make a project that will support whatever team you fancy.

Check out Marlene’s Patriotic Earflap Hat, the USA 2014 Hat by Ann Schneider or Jenni Propst’s Team USA Sochi Hat to support Team USA. The Go USA Hat by Heidi Rosin could easily be altered for another country, as could the Mitts for Medals by Jean Anderson. Oh, and there’s my USA Hat, too, which is ripe for alteration.

Canadian patterns include the O Canada Mittens from Vicky Taylor-Hood and the O Canada Toque by Candise Wilde.

Do you plan any Olympic knitting? I’d love to hear what you’re working on!

Comments

Have you read?

Patchwork Blanket Knitting Patterns

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns. 

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn. 

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options. 

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners. 

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set. 

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn. 

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers. 

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.