Sometimes I think my knitting is just a way to get to take more cute pictures of my kid. As I was thinking about different crafts I could make to celebrate the Jubilee, I thought a crown would be a fun one. Of course a knit crown is good for dress up for little kids, and it can be a fun addition to a birthday celebration.

My girl loved her knit crown and wore it for a long time when I gave it to her. © Sarah E. White.

But grownups can have fun wearing crowns, too, on their birthdays, for bachelor/bachelorette parties, baby showers or any other time you want to feel extra special and just a little silly.

Mine is worked in yellow sport weight yarn, but you can knit yours in any color and yarn weight you like. The pattern gives a general description of what's happening in the project as well as the actual measurements I used to make the crown on my cutie's head.

And of course this is a project that's ripe for embellishment. Get out the little bits of yarn in your stash and add some embroidery, sew on some colorful buttons, or just break out the fabric glue and let your child glue lengths of yarn to the crown. If you were having a small birthday party, you could even make one for each of the kids (it's a pretty quick project) and have them decorate them as an activity for the party.

Have you ever knit dress up clothes or other play items? I'd love to hear about what you made!

The Summer Games are happening soon, and if you're a fan you might want to mark the event by stitching the Olympic rings on some knitting. My project is a simple Stockinette square with the rings worked in duplicate stitch, but the ring chart could be added to just about any project you like.

Olympic rings are easy to stitch into a number of projects. © Sarah E. White.

Knit a basic kids' T-shirt and stitch the rings on the front. Make the rings the centerpiece of a washcloth design, or put the rings on a block for a time-capsule afghan for a child who is going to be born this year.

Do you celebrate the Olympics with knitting? I'd love to hear if you've got any special projects brewing for all that extra TV watching you'll be doing!

I originally conceived of this cute red, white and blue bunting as a way to make the house a little more festive for upcoming events like the Olympics and the Queen's Jubilee. But it would also be great for patriotic holidays in any country that uses red, white and blue, from the Fourth of July to Bastille Day and beyond.

This patriotic bunting could be used for all sorts of celebrations in all sorts of countries. © Sarah E. White.

This would be such a cute decoration for your backyard barbecue (it is almost Memorial Day weekend after all, and you can start this now and have it done in plenty of time) or you can use it inside like I have.

If you don't live in a country that's all about red, white and blue, make this the colors of your nation's flag to cheer athletes on at the Games or to decorate for your national holidays. Or just make one in whatever colors you like to make a room more festive for a party, or a Thursday.

Once you knit one of these really simple buntings, you'll want to come up with more excuses to make them. This would be a most excellent stash-busting project, too, just work a triangle in every color of oddball you have and put them all together for a riotous decoration for your next riotous celebration!

How would you use a knit bunting? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Between the upcoming Summer Olympics (check that link out for a live blog of the torch moving across the country!) and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, all eyes are on London these days. And while crochet has been in the new related to the Olympics thanks to those awesome crocheted lions, knitting has so far played less of a role (though there was the great mystery of the Saltburn yarnbombing). But there are lots of knitters in London -- and all of England, of course -- and lots of knitters who love London for various reasons.

Stitch London by Lauren O'Farrell. David and Charles.

So it makes sense that these coming occasions might lead some knitters to want to stitch up some London-inspired knitting, and Lauren O'Farrell's book Stitch London allows knitters around the world to do just that. Here you'll find patterns for little versions of Big Ben and the queen, of course, but also some more commonly overlooked denizens of the city like pigeons, mice and foxes (!).

There are also patterns for making the most of city life, such as a plarn picnic blanket and decorations for your umbrella, since, after all, it rains on about half of all days, O'Farrell says.

Whether you're celebrating on of England's big occasions or just want to knit a little something funky for your office desk, this book is a lot of fun and is sure to inspire you to knit your world in a small scale.