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maker’s bingo 2025
fabulous new additions
to the 7th annual game
2025 maker’s bingo includes:
15 knitting patterns by kate oates
14 crochet patterns by britt garber
a brand new knit and/or crochet collaborative design from britt & kate
30 patterns total, as per usual
a (totally optional) makealong of the new design; whether you participate in the makealong or not, you’ll still receive the pattern.
a discord group so that we can all enjoy each other in community: whether you’ll be showing your progress on your mmal project, chatting about how close you are to a bingo, or sharing what’s going on in your life, we are super excited to host this group so that we can get to know you. britt & I are both super community-oriented and we want to encourage you in whatever way we can.
registration is $57 and includes all of the above: providing you with 30 patterns, including the exclusive, brand new epic knit & crochet collaboration, for less than $2 each with a makealong & community experience.
note: I track each and every pattern that’s been featured in bingo every year and I never repeat them! it accidentally happened once, and so I sent out another pattern. for returning players, just know that you don’t need to worry about that.
are There are Bingo prizes to be won?
heck yes. i’m so happy to share that we have over 30 prizes this year.every year the bingo prize pool has grown. britt and i are so grateful for the support from our colleagues! we will reveal all the prizes in early march so you can see what you’re playin’ for, aside from the patterns that is. For now, look at the amazing brands who have been so generous! check them out, show them 🖤, thank them, all the things. bingo wouldn’t be bingo without them.
this year’s event is sponsored by
in addition to the following generous brands
Read on for all the game details
if you’re new to the game or need a refresher, you can find all the logistics at the bottom of this post, including images that will show you exactly how you’ll receive all your patterns and how you can either save them to your own device or add them to your ravelry library along with how you can make sure you’ll receive our emails.
but first, i’m going to share the fun stuff.
Bingo begins on april 1
as we announced in our instagram live, cards are on sale and as soon as you register, you’ll get the makealong info & be able to join the discord group to start chatting.
Each card is created manually as they are all unique, so when you register for bingo, you’ll receive an automatic download but not your bingo card. your card will be sent to you separately, closer to when the game starts.
your download will include the link to jump into the discord group and start chatting along with your bingo instructions and makealong information so that you are ready to begin as soon as the first set of instructions goes out.
all players who register for bingo by march 30
will receive their cards before play begins.
card orders placed between march 31-april 5 will be fulfilled within 48 hours. You’ll still receive the automated download, but we will need time to create your card and get you caught up with any patterns, clues & bingo numbers you’ve missed.
come one, come all
If you would like to participate in the game, but aren’t able to purchase a card due to financial constraints, e-mail knitbingo@gmail.com to request a card without pattern delivery. we will be delighted to have you play the game and be eligible for prizes. we want our game to be accessible to all.
registration for this year’s game closes on April 5, 2025!
check out the LIVE britt & I did a few weeks ago to hear straight from us about how excited we are! if you’ve got any questions, email knitbingo@gmail.com
britt & kate
I reached out to britt aka knotbadbritt to see if she wanted to collaborate with me this year for a few spectacular reasons. first, I totally hit it off with her on threads ☺️ for whatever reason, I just liked the heck out of her and everything she was sharing! naturally, this led me to pattern stalking and of course I loved her work. next, I thought to myself, how amazing would it be to bring crocheters & knitters together for bingo and make it accessible for more makers! when britt said yes, I was over the moon. during our first zoom it was so obvious we both were on the same page about so many things. it wasn’t long after that when our plans for a collaborative, new pattern were born. both of us have been so in sync throughout the entire planning process and I can honestly say that our design is literally for everyone. you can work it with 1 or 2 colors, or 15 or more! britt is working hers in black & white and I (naturally) am using 7 colors in a vibrant, neon spectrum. the design itself couldn’t be perfect for a mal. I am stoked that britt and I get to meet in person in late march, she’s coming to south carolina so we can do our photos for this design together, and also film a video series for it as well as host a live in our discord group to answer any questions or just have fun chatting. as for my other project-based video series, this one is going to show each and every technique used in our design in both knit and crochet. britt’s gonna teach me crochet & I’m gonna teach her some knitting, we are gonna have a blast. our goal is to encourage makers to maybe try out the method they are less familiar with. I know I can’t wait! after I finish my knit version of our epic design, I plan to work up a combo knit & crochet version.
you may have noticed my sponsor note earlier
not only is la bien aimée donating a fabulous prize (you’ll have to wait to hear about that until our prize announcement post in early march), but they have been collaborating with us on our new design from the very beginning. this is no ordinary collab, with two designers working up their own pieces and we are so grateful for the support & trust that the lba crew has in us to produce a totally epically worth-it design. and yes, it is. I can honestly say i’ve never designed anything like this before and the versatility can’t be overstated. we cannot wait to show it to you.
are you ready already?
About your Designers
britt garber
I am a Black Tunisian crochet and crochet designer. I started crocheting in 2015 as an attempt to make a blanket while pregnant with my daughter. I bought a book, a hook & some thick yarn. But for the life of me, I couldn’t do it. Instead, I did a classic Britt move. I rage quit and declared myself unable to do anything artistic and moved on. Weeks later, I tried again and it just clicked! I have been crocheting nearly every day since.
Before becoming a crochet pattern designer, I was a serial crochet pattern tester and sample maker. Those experiences gave me the confidence to start publishing my crochet patterns. Since becoming a crochet designer in 2020, I have specialized in creating advanced crochet patterns that are easy to memorize and capture the joy of crochet. I am passionate about elevating the perception of crochet as an art form and creating drape that would make any knitter jealous.
My designs are often easy to memorize after the first few rows, making them perfect for crocheting in front of your favorite TV show.
kate oates
I am a knitting pattern designer, instructor, author, (online) boutique owner & now, retreat hostess! join me at oq farm in vermont this fall for a luxurious retreat surrounding the vermont sheep & wool festival with on-site workshops from local artisans (and yours truly) & a personal chef to treat you to delicious meals throughout the long weekend. In the past 15+ years as a full-time fiber artist, i have published well over 300 original patterns and authored several books: grown, knits for boys and knitting clothes kids love. I create modern, wearable and stylish knits for adults under my “kate oates” line. my patterns are known for attention to detail & fit, extensive size ranges, providing a multitude of option-sets along with thorough technical instructions that often link to video tutorials. my other line (and first one), tot toppers, features whimsically wearable garments and accessories for babies and children. as an instructor, I am passionate and organized, especially when it comes to enabling knitters to create garments that fit and flatter. with over 20 years of teaching experience, my classes are well known for their high quality, original content, thorough materials & detailed workbooks that allow knitters to soak in their class experience without scrambling to take notes. I’ve even got online .
I am a neurodivergent & under-abled chronic pain warrior who advocates for others while fighting my own personal battles and choosing JOY. I have endured through more than a dozen surgeries, primarily due to spinal fusions resulting from a childhood injury. you can listen to some of my personal story here.
Prior to my transition to knitwear design, I earned a b.s. at Clemson university, then my m.a & Ph.D from the University of Florida with concentrations in political science & methodology (aka= math!). i’ve always been driven, self-motivated and committed to performing at the highest level despite my limitations.
and now for those minute details…
game play
Hint: If you’ve played with me in the past, the process itself is pretty much the same, there are just some extras this year.
This post is filled with all the detailed information you could possibly want, but if you still have questions, e-mail us at knitbingo@gmail.com.
first: add these e-mails to your address book, favorite them, mark them safe, whatever options your server gives you, do it!
help@kateoatesdesign.com: your registration confirmation & download prep is sent via automated delivery from this address after purchase. If you haven’t received your confirmation within 15 minutes after you purchase your card, e-mail knitbingo@gmail.com.
knitbingo@GMAIL.COM: Your bingo card itself & daily e-mail with the pattern name & number, along with your makealong clues will come from this address. if you registered for the game prior to March 30 and have not received your card by april 1, e-mail knitbingo@gmail.com. aside from the obvious need for your card, if you don’t receive it, it’s likely that you won’t receive our other e-mails either.
downloads@ravelry.com: pattern delivery itself will come from this address. you do not need to use ravelry, more on that later! if you have not received your pattern delivery by 10pm EST on any particular day, e-mail knitbingo@gmail.com.
these days, spam filters love to spew hate 😜 so the very best way to avoid any issues is to manually add all of these addresses as safe. if you don’t receive your confirmation e-mail, be sure to e-mail us asap so we can figure things out before the game begins. we want to make sure you’re address is correct in our system so you don’t miss anything. the good news is that I am quite used to getting email issues sorted out! there are always a handful of players with either an email typo during registration or a server/spam issue but I have always been able to resolve it within the first few days.
Getting prepared. Click here to purchase your Bingo card. after purchase, look for your e-mail from help@kateoatesdesign.com which will include a link to download your confirmation PDF with further instructions. If you place your order prior to march 30, 2024, you’ll receive your randomized, individual card prior to the first pattern delivery. If you register after that time, you’ll receive your card within 48 hours. don’t worry if you miss a pattern or a few at the beginning as we will absolutely get you caught up. we close registration before bingo’s begin being scored 🧶. registration closes on april 5.
join our community. for the first time, bingo isn’t just a game, but it’s a community event! our discord community is rockin’ already and loads of fun. if you’ve never played around with this platform before, don’t be intimidated. It’s very user friendly and we will happily answer any questions you have. as for the makealong, our discord community is totally optional but we really hope that lots of you will join in so that we can get to know you, support & encourage you in any way you need. we will not be closing the discord group immediately after bingo is officially over for the year, not only because we want to give our makealong participants additional time to create & share, but also because if it becomes a supportive space for all, why close it? Perhaps it’ll stay open for an additional month or two, or perhaps it’ll be open-ended!
makealong with us. we are so confident that you are all going to love our collaborative design that we decided it would make a perfect makealong to work up during this year’s game. depending on your speed as a maker and amount of free time, you may or may not finish your project by the time the final clue is released and that is totally ok! the makealong is totally unrelated to prizes; create at your own pace.
Playtime. throughout april, you’ll be receiving a surprise pattern in your inbox each day! This is really what Bingo is all about, as these patterns are valued at well over $250 total, and you’re getting them for less than $2 each = win-win. Each pattern will have a corresponding number which you will cross out on your card each day. Patterns will be sent at randomized times each day. We serve a variety of time zones, so this allows us to adjust the timing so that no one knows exactly when to expect it. we don’t want those in earlier time zones to always have an advantage over those in later ones so the timing of your delivery will vary just like the patterns do! by all means, if you realize that you didn’t receive a pattern on the previous day, contact us so we can sort you out.
Winning. In our game, BINGO is 5 numbers crossed off in a row either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. As soon as you have a Bingo, e-mail us with the photo or screenshot of it! let me reiterate, You must include that photo or screenshot of your card showing your winning bingo. Because we award prizes in the order they are received, you are not declared a winner until we are able to verify that you do have a BINGO by cross checking our numbers with your card! We gave a lot of thought to this, but since we go by the order emails are received and it does take a moment to take the photo, attach and send, we feel it would be unfair to “count” emails that don’t include all the information needed right front the start. If you do send us a note without the photo, you aren’t disqualified, but you’ll want to resend ASAP with your image.
prizes. If you are one of the first 30+ knitters to share your Bingo with us, you are eligible for a prize! when you win, you will get to choose the prize that you are most excited about from our list. The list will get smaller as each prize is claimed. we aren’t going to say exactly how many prizes we have right now 🙃 but there are at least 30, way more than ever before!
patterns. Bingo will continue even after all prizes have been claimed because of course, you’re getting all your patterns! in your daily emails, we’ll keep you updated on how many prizes remain. once all prizes are claimed, we will let you know & there is no longer any need to send us any bingos. we hope that you will continue to enjoy our discord community, the makealong opportunity, the expansion of your pattern library and, hopefully, queue!
you may not always have a number to cross off on your card
You can skip this section if you wish as it is only explanatory, but for those of you that are curious about bingo methodology and why we do things the way we do, we don’t mind sharing at all! as bingo has gained momentum and participants, the prizes have been claimed more quickly so we have tried to increase the challenge a bit. there are more patterns included in the game than there are numbers on your card. Your card will be missing 5 numbers, so sometimes the daily pattern will not be on your card. there are also no free spaces, you’ll have to get all 5 in a row to win. The anticipation is so fun and we want there to be prizes to win for as long as possible.
pattern delivery
we know that ravelry does not work for everyone and is not always your preferred storage space but fortunately, ravelry does offer a gift delivery method. using this feature, individuals can choose whether they would like to download and store their pattern through their own system and/or add it to their library. as noted in above, you’ll want to be sure to have the e-mail address downloads@ravelry.com in your address book, unblocked and unfiltered, as this is how the daily pattern will arrive. We will be sending your pattern to the e-mail address provided from your Bingo card purchase through the Ravelry gift feature. All participants will receive their e-mail at the same time and then be able to decide where to store the pattern as best suits individual needs.
Put your Pattern where you want it.
When you receive your daily e-mail, it’ll look like this and you may save to your device or add it to your Ravelry Library, you do not need to use ravelry to retrieve your pattern. Either way, step 1 is to click the download button! Note: If you are not signed in to your Ravelry account before clicking the link in your e-mail, or you do not use Ravelry, you will see “sign in to store on Ravelry” in place of the checkbox shown at the upper top right.
After you click the button, you’ll arrive on a landing page. This page has a link for the actual file download, and a checkbox that refers to your Ravelry Library. The set-up below shows the set-up for saving the file to your device ONLY. Just click that link and you’re all set.
The exact same page is below, but this is what it looks like when storing to your library.
So there you go! A more detailed set of instructions than you could ever need for clicking a button!
prize shipping
tangible goodies are fabulous, don’t you agree? We want to include as many makers as possible and we love our international friends. This year we will be shipping internationally for up to $40.00 USD. If your shipping costs significantly exceed this amount, we may contact you to see if you would like to cover the additional cost or would rather switch to a digital prize.
Thanks a million!
To our generous sponsors! makers, you’ll never regret supporting them and we cannot wait to share the amazing prizes they are offering for this year’s game.
the best of inset side pockets
who doesn’t love great pockets?
whether they are in your pants, skirt, dress or sweater, in my opinion pockets are most welcome! last year, when I designed warmth, I played around with side pockets and developed a construction method that provides exceptionally sturdy pockets and now I’ve used them again in my new design, harriet cardigan. in your pattern you’ll have instructions to create linings that are worked with short rows on each front of your sweater and also on each side of the back. this provides 2 layers that are then seamlessly attached at the bottom to your sweater! In this tutorial. I’ll give a little overview of the construction and conclude with a video demonstrating the join. it’s not difficult, just a bit finicky, so be patient with yourself when you get to the joining row. in your patterns, you won’t need any of the set-up information provided here, as it’ll be included and already worked out for you. but, if you’re trying to add pockets to an existing sweater I hope this general overview will get you going! this overview is written for top down sweaters. if you’ve got either harriet or warmth already, you can skip down to step 4 of this post.
step 1: pocket placement
For great side pockets, you want the location of the opening to be located a couple of inches towards the front of the center side of your sweater. depending on how wide you want your pockets to be, you’ll have to play around with the exact placement but generally you need at least an inch or two in order to place your hands comfortably in the pockets. If you have an existing sweater with a side opening that you like, it’s a great idea to lay it out flat and actually measure the distance from center side to opening and use that to help you determine where you will place your pocket. You’ll use your stitch gauge to determine how many stitches this translates to and this will be where you separate your fronts & back + extra stitches to create your pocket opening.
for the pocket height, again this will depend on both gauge and personal preference. how tall will your pocket be? what distance do you want the top of it to be from the bottom of your sweater and the underarm? once you plan these numbers out in inches/cm you’ll use your row gauge to determine exactly where you will begin working your short rows either from the top of your sweater or from the separation of sleeves from body.
additionally, you’ll need to plan where you’d like your pocket to close in the front, which will be on the wrong side of your sweater. do you want it to go all the way to the buttonband or center front? or do you want to work a few stitches first? it’s all about how wide you want your pocket to be. we will come back to this number at the end, but it’ll be relevant for the width of your linings and when you begin your joining process. once you decide how wide your pocket will be, once again, use your gauge to determine the total number of stitches that will be included on the front of your sweater when you join your linings to your sweater front.
at the end of this step you should have determined the locations of the top and bottom of your pocket opening, as well as the total number of stitches that will be the pocket width.
step 2: calculate lining stitches
I know, you just determined the number of stitches in the width of your sweater front so shouldn’t this number match up? well, it depends on the stitch patterns used in your sweater and lining. in both of my patterns, i’ve chosen to use a linen stitch for my linings which does not share the same gauge in stitches or rows per inch/cm with the stockinette that is featured on the front of both of these garments. you may choose to simply work stockinette linings and therefore not need to do any additional math here. or perhaps you are working with a cabled fabric that equates to a similar gauge as your lining stitch. but, if your lining will be in a separate stitch pattern than your sweater garment, you’ll need to determine the equivalent number of stitches to cover the width you desire in your lining. Don’t worry if you need to increase or decrease stitches, this can all be done in a single row prior to joining your linings with your sweater.
row gauge matters here too. as I mentioned, I use linen stitch for a nice snug fabric with great hold. in both warmth & harriet, this translated to needing more rows in the pocket linings than in the sweater worked alongside it. if you’re starting to be flustered by the math, try out one of my patterns so you can see this pocket in action! but if you’re still with me, if you need more rows in your pocket linings, you’ll simply work what I call “sub short rows” over the linings only every few rows to accommodate those extra rows needed. if you don’t work these extra rows, you’ll find that your lining will pucker your sweater on the front because it won’t be the same height as your opening. to work the sub short rows, simply use a w&t (or your preferred style of short row method) where your lining meets your sweater to work in those extra rows only over the lining section.
use the stitch gauge of your pocket lining width to calculate the total number of lining stitches you’ll need to cast on for your lining. then, determine the difference between your sweater front pocket stitches and your lining stitches and decrease this number of stitches evenly during the final row of your lining.
step 3: create those pocket linings
once you’ve made your calculations, this is the easy part! once you get to the location of the top of your pocket, you’ll separate your sweater into three separate pieces as I mentioned above. each front-which totals the stitches in that will be worked over your pocket plus any extra stitches at the center front of your garment and your back will be the total number of back stitches plus the stitches between center underarm and the pocket opening.
work each section separately. for the fronts, you’ll work to the opening, cast on the total number of lining stitches, work back and forth (including those sub short rows if/when needed) until you get to your total pocket depth. for the back, you’re going to cast on the same number of stitches on both sides of the back panel and do the same work. don’t forget that if your linings are a different total number of stitches than your pocket width, you’ll make that decrease/increase adjustment during the final row of your lining work, working the shaping only over the lining section, not your front or back. on additional tip, in my patterns I work the final stitch before the lining through the back loop to help things look nice and clean. you could probably also do this with the first stitch in the lining section instead (something I might try in the future!)
step 4: join them up
the video tutorial below will show you exactly how to work the join for these amazing, sturdy layers you’ve created. all you’ll be doing is working k3tog’s across both layers of the pocket linings and the front stitches of your sweater that are part of your pocket. the video below shows this process along with more step-by-step written instructions as it goes along.
step 5: finishing
your pocket linings are now seamlessly joined to the bottom of your sweater. hooray! now all that’s left to do is whipstitch your linings closed while simultaneously sewing them to the wrong side of your sweater. don’t go crazy in this step. you don’t need to work your whipstitch stitch-for-stitch, it’s ok for it to be a bit looser than your stitches themselves. be careful not to let your yarn go through to the right side of your sweater. as a final, optional step, in harriet I added cute little X’s at the top corner of each pocket in a contrasting color.
so there you go
are these not just the best? you’ll be absolutely amazed at just how much you can actually put into your pockets (try your phone!) and they won’t sink down and show underneath your hem. I love function, especially when I can make it pretty, too.
I haven’t yet experimented with a single layered lining but theoretically, it should work similarly, just won’t hold quite the same level of sturdiness. I will definitely be trying this on a lighter garment. for single linings, you’ll want to only work the linings next to the back, and skip the linings that are attached to the front. the join will be similar, but it will be with k2tog’s instead of k3tog’s.