Man Knits World’s Largest Flag to Celebrate Estonia’s Birthday

Estonia’s centenary is coming up in 2018, and knitter Valtrik Pihl is already hard at work on his gift to his nation: a giant knit flag that, when complete, should be the largest in the world.

The planned flag will measure 160 square meters (that’s 1,722 square feet) and is expected to take about 3,000 hours to knit and 26 miles of yarn (cost: about €4,000).

Pihl says each row of the giant blue, white and black flag takes an hour and a half, and he tries to knit three rows a day.

He says he’s knitting the flag not only to honor his country but to bust stereotypes about men and knitting and to confirm the belief that Estonians are hard working.

The flag will be displayed in the national museum when it is complete.

[Photo via Estonian World.]

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In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never watched Gilmore Girls. I know I probably should, but I feel like I wasn’t quite the right age for it when it came out and I’ve never gone back to watch it. That said, fans of the show are sure to enjoy these knit homages to the beloved characters from Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls: The Official Knitting Book.

Edited by Tanis Gray, the book includes 29 projects for hats, cowls, scarves, socks, mitts, garments and home decor designed by a variety of stitchers.

Six of the projects are rated easy, 17 intermediate and six for advanced knitters.

The projects are sometimes literally inspired by the show, such as the tam Rory wore when she went golfing with her grandfather, while others incorporate icons, quotes (like “I smell snow”) and logos (Luke’s Diner) from the show.

There’s a hat made to look like newsprint as a nod to Rory’s journalistic aspirations, mitts and gloves for supporting the teams at Stars Hollow High, a beaded lace scarf inspired by Rory’s adventure with the Life and Death Brigade, and a cardigan designed to show Paris’s love of macaroni and cheese.

Some of the patterns are less obviously related to the show, like a cowl with falling leaves or an argyle vest.

Each pattern comes with a quote from the show and a little back story about the cast, different storylines or the inspiration behind the design. The book is scattered with photos from the show and other fun facts about its production.

In the back of the book you’ll find a glossary of techniques (words but no pictures), and the book has a ribbon bookmark to hold your place on the pattern you’re working on.

This book would be a fun gift for a knitter who is a Gilmore Girls fan, or use it to stitch something up for someone who watches this show as their comfort show almost 25 years later.

About the book: 200 pages, hardcover, 29 patterns. Published 2024 by Insight Editions, suggested retail price $34.99

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