March Mayhem is Here! Vote for Your Favorites

Basketball lovers have March Madness; knitters have March Mayhem.

This annual event put on my Mason-Dixon Knitting pits the best knitting patterns of the previous year against each other in an elimination tournament to determine the favorite pattern of the year.

The bracket is divided into four general categories: Pullovers, Cardigans, Neck & Shoulders, and Head & Hands. Voting happens in five rounds beginning on Thursday, March 21 (the early announcement gives you time to consider all 64 wonderful choices and add some great projects to your Ravelry queue).

All the projects were published in 2018, are not free (since the idea is all about supporting designers), readily available on Ravelry or from the designer, and have some element of cool and attraction that makes you want to knit it.

More designers of color are featured than in years past, thanks to recent discussions about racism in the knitting community. You’ll see some old favorites, some new favorites, and lots of great things to knit.

Have any predictions? I’m expecting the Shift by Andrea Mowry to go far (and I think it’s the only one of these presently in my queue, so clearly I have some work to do!).

[Photo: Mason-Dixon Knitting.]

Looking for more knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for Yarn online? Check out Lionbrand our preferred source for purchasing yarn online.

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

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