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Meet the Knitters of Team USA

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I actually haven’t watched any of the Olympics because I don’t have the right streaming services (it’s the rare time I actually miss cable!) but I know there are a lot of gorgeous knits there and a few knitters, too. 

Ben Ogden broke the Americans’ 50-year medal drought in the men’s sprint classic (that’s a cross country skiing event), getting a silver medal and coming in just a second shy of gold. 

He says that knitting helps him decompress, and in a press conference he said he packed a lot of yarn for the Games and that he was working on a pair of mittens featuring Joan of Arc. You can see him working on the project in a recent Instagram post. 

“I have gotten really into knitting recently. So far, I’ve knit a hat and a sweater this season. I’m really fired about it,” he said. And he’s not the only one. 

Teammates Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern also knit, with Jessie reporting a recent sweater finish and Julia reporting she was knitting a hat. 

Jaelin Kauf, American freestyle skier, won her second silver in moguls with about 50 supporters looking on, all in custom knit hats that she made. She said each hat took about 90 minutes so she spent 75 hours knitting them. You can see a few in this clip from the Today Show on her Instagram. 

She said she introduced knitting to the whole team and they like to knit together when traveling to competitions and during downtime. Jesse Andringa, who skis moguls on the men’s side, also knit hats and headbands for girlfriend and fellow skier Tess Johnson’s family and friends who attended the games. The pair also knit Christmas stockings for themselves and family members this year. 

And then there’s Breezy Johnson, another Olympic champ and knitter, who is actually a little superstitious about knitting before races. She told The Athletic she was up past her bedtime before the women’s downhill Alpine race because she was knitting her race headband. 

It’s a tradition that started for the Val d’Isere World Cup meet in December of 2020. She knit her race headband and made her first career podium at that event. After another podium the same season that also featured a handknit headband, it’s become a ritual. 

The extra knitting time didn’t seem to be a problem, as she won gold in that event. She had another event later in the week she knit another headband for. 

She said she likes the sense of accomplishment from making things and the distraction that knitting brings when waiting a long time for her race to start. 

I’m sure we’ll be seeing dupes of all her creations soon! Best of luck to all the knitting Olympians. 

[Photo via Breezy Johnson’s Instagram post]

Comments

  1. You don’t need a streaming service to watch the Olympics LOL SMH, NBC broadcasts them digitally for free over the air. All you need is a ~$20 antenna, they make them for your TV.

Have you read?

Adorable Ghost Knitting Patterns

Adding a bit of knitting to your fall decor is a lot of fun, whether it’s knit pumpkins or a bunch of adorable knit ghosts like these.

Knit ghosts can be super simple like this free ghost knitting pattern from Trixie Zynch on Ravelry. Using about 50 yards of worsted weight yarn, they’re worked from the bottom up and are super cute as a pair. 

This fuzzy little ghost from Forest Knitting Toys is holding a pumpkin and wearing a witch hat, though of course the accessories are optional, as is the fuzzy yarn. The main yarn is chunky and the ghost measures about 10 cm/4 inches tall. It’s worked in the round. 

Another fuzzy ghost in more of a Pacman style is this ghost plushie form South Stitch Girls. It’s worked in the round with bulky yarn and includes a sweet little bow you can make in whatever color you like. 

The ghost doll from Edith Grace Designs has little arms and a curl at the top of its head. The body is worked flat using DK weight yarn and you could also work it in glow in the dark yarn for extra fun. The body and head are worked in one piece with the arms knit separately. 

The Grim Grinning Ghosts from Susan Claudino are super cute and you can knit them in any yarn and gauge you like to make ghosts of different sizes. These are worked in the round with the body done in one piece and the arms are knit separately. The ghosts shown were knit in sock yarn, DK and worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

Make a ghost with funny striped legs with this ghost shelf sitter design from Claire Fairall Designs. It’s worked in three colors of DK weight yarn, and the letters spelling out boo are made with strips of garter stitch sewn into shape.