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With our enthusiasm dialed up to 11, we present MDK March Mayhem 2020.

The tournament of patterns.

The world’s only bracket for knitters.

Throughout 2019, we scoured the internet in search of the most amazing patterns we could find. Our task was daunting: we had to choose only 64 from the thousands of patterns published during the past year.

Click here to see the bracket.

Our hearty congratulations to all the designers whose patterns appear in the MDK March Mayhem bracket. We are slack-jawed in awe at your work, and grateful for all the beauty, challenge, and fun you bring to knitters.

The Categories

There are four: Sweaters, Neck & Shoulders, Head & Hands, and—for the first time, sock fans—Feet! We heard you, and we’re thrilled to give you a category of your own.

In our upcoming category previews, you’ll see the trends and inventiveness that made these patterns of 2019 stand out.

The voting begins next Friday, March 20.

We are announcing the bracket now—a full week before voting starts—so that you can spend time with these patterns.

We are really proud of this beautiful bracket, designed and lovingly handcrafted by Eric Olson.

Be sure to click on each pattern name, which opens up our thoughts on each pattern, a link to the Ravelry pattern page, and yarn ideas from the MDK Shop. It’s a great chance to think about how these clever designers do what they do. And it may give you some insight into why you like to knit what you knit.

Our Criteria

What does it take to land in MDK March Mayhem?

  • Published in 2019.
  • Available directly from the designer via Ravelry or another website.
  • Not free. We’re trying to help designers flourish.
  • Aesthetic considerations: Inventive, surprising, elegant, cool.
  • Most of all, and it’s the thing that is most difficult to explain: knitability. We asked ourselves, a thousand times, “Do I want to knit that?” For a design to be included, it has to be something we are dying to make. Every one of these 64 patterns meets that standard.

When you look at the list of designers included in this group of 64, you will see familiar names and new ones. Reputation and length of time in the knitting world are not factors for us. It’s all about the pattern, and whether it sparks that Must Knit Now feeling we love so much.

You may see designers in this bracket who are new to you. That’s part of the fun for us—the thrill of discovery. At the same time, it’s delightful to see established designers who keep working at the top of their game. Every designer in the bracket is working hard to make fun for knitters.

A special thank you to all the readers who responded to our call for nominations. You showed us loads of beautiful patterns, some of which we hadn’t yet seen. Your love for your favorite designers is contagious.

As you spend time with these patterns, we encourage you to buy them, favorite them, queue them, and tell your friends and followers about them. We would love nothing more than to have designers discover heaps of new customers in their Ravelry accounts. We would love to see all these designs knitted a million times. This is a celebration, and there’s so much to celebrate.

The Vote

There will be five rounds of voting, each round taking the top vote-getters to the next round.

Voting begins on Friday, March 20 with Round 1, where you will choose your eight favorite patterns from each of four categories. Subsequent rounds will require voting again, so be sure to keep up with the voting dates for each round.

As in Mayhems past, we’re using Survey Monkey. The Monkey is robust, and has worked well for us.

The last round, the Final Four, will put the four category winners up against each other to determine the Champion of MDK March Mayhem 2020. The champion will be announced on Tuesday, April 7.

Let the browsing begin—and be ready to cast your first votes on Friday, March 20.

A Bracket to Print Out

We have cooked up a PDF of the bracket that you can download and print out.

Click here for the MDK March Mayhem 2020 printable bracket.

Print out a bunch for your knitting group. Make your picks and keep track of how they’re doing, just like the sportsball fans do. We do not condone wagering. But we do condone heartfelt opinion!

Congratulations to the designers. Now let’s all dive in and start to make some tough decisions. Be strong—the first round is the hardest!

Welcome, People Who Don’t Knit

With news of the NCAA basketball tournament being cancelled, this may be the last bracket standing.

Basketball fans, pull up a chair. Knitting patterns are just like basketball teams, only snugglier. Jump in! You’re gonna love it!

38 Comments

  • As a sweater knitter all I can say is WOW! These are gorgeous. Looking for a pattern to knit for a friend but the siren song of me, me, me, me is calling.

  • Never ever has a distraction been more welcome. Thank you!

  • So exciting. Shifting Sands is amazing. I love Norah Gaughan’s designs. But, I think I can get a project like In the Tweeds done. Also a beautiful design. So much to think about.

  • The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Thank you!

  • Incredible designs! Wow! And absolutely Perfect timing this year! I’ve already “favorited “ several – and I’m still knitting from previous March Mayhems. Thank you!

  • This may be the only piece of my life that COVID-19 hasn’t affected! I’m going to spend this evening poring over the brackets — something to look forward to after a day that is going to be full of meetings with semi-freaked out people!

    • Only semi-freaked out! Consider yourself lucky….

  • I woke up with a song in my heart. It’s March Mayhem, Thank you!

  • Hope this goes through…Sometimes it doesn’t. OMG, you guys are awesome. So tickled that you love Ursa, as I bought it months ago when it was featured in a British knitting mag. The Snuggle is Real looks like something you would see in a movie. I really want to make that one! And Polarize might be within my skill level. The ABBA one is so fun and so cool!

  • MDK March Mayhem; Take Me Away.

  • Last yea, I saved a pdf and marked it up with my iPencil…. so fun! I’m looking forward to doing this again! Thanks for all the fun!

  • Wow, this diversion came at just the right time! I can spend more time looking and loving patterns than watching the news. I would have liked to see more shawls/wraps that aren’t triangles, not my favorite shape, but I love the beauty of the fabrics created! The downside is I keep adding to my Ravelry favorites, so many patterns so little time!

  • I’ve been looking forward to this. Last year is the first year I was really aware of it, and I went back and also bought patterns from previous years.
    It would be nice if you linked previous years’ brackets so they are easier to find for new fans.

  • I have favorites already in three categories but Head and Hands, WOW! They are all great. Impossible to choose.

  • Oh so fun! And what could be more enticing than Nell Ziroli’s Endeavor – knittable and wearable. Thanks MDK!

  • Great patterns and ideas. However… We all can’t wear the “cropped” look. I wish there were a few selections that would flatter us fuller figure girl;s.

  • Y’all are the best.

  • Glad to see some competition is still going on during the pandemic. Thanks for the bit of sanity.

  • You have done it again, ladies! Beautiful patterns I am lusting after already, and it is all the more welcome given the current unpleasantness. I am so glad knitting lowers stress. I plan to do quite a bit in the month(s?) ahead.

  • P.S. Until even small gatherings are banned, we should all be sure to visit our LYS and support small businesses we love.

  • Oops! You did it again!
    Wonderful choices. Thank you.

  • I fell in love with Polarize immediatel. Thank you for all the amazing patterns.

  • Dear MDK, the thought of looking at all these patterns has kept me going through a sad and anxious day. Thank you so much for all the work that goes into making this such a pleasure. Very grateful for this today.

  • Congrats MDK–yours will be the only March Madness happening! Thank god for virtual competition! 🙂

  • Thank you for this annual bracket and for your care in selecting these beautiful, knittable patterns! Such a welcome diversion from the news.

  • Yay! So exciting. I’ve been looking forward to this.

  • Hmmmm. Not one sweater for men. Only 2 male designers in the whole bunch. Frustrating.

    • I don’t like any of the sweater patterns this year

  • I will dip in and find inspiration all year-round, even just with the initial posting! Such variety. Soch colourwork. Lovely stuff. Mille et un bisous

  • ESPN and Sport Nut Radio are desperate for something to fill their slots. Make them aware of this. It’s brackets!!! They can then seek out sports figures/sports reporters/ coaches/and any team employees who knit/crochet and interview them, talk about their brackets, show off their projects and talk about how this craft helps them excel. They can talk about how they learned and who taught them.

  • Full disclosure: I am hopeless at choosing – I’ve tried in previous years, and just couldn’t do it. I like too many in each category! The good news is, I look at your March Mayhem event as an impeccably curated collection, where I can wander and admire at will, and find many, many patterns to add to my queue. And I LOVE that you boost the signal for designers this way – MDK is the BEST 🙂

  • This could not come at a better time.

  • I already had several of these in my Ravelry que. This is going to be fun with a lot of creative designs to win my vote. Spending the week contemplating so I can vote wisely. Good luck to all of the designers.

  • In Necks & Shoulders, the Retreat Shawl looks to be a free pattern. Is that a mistake?

    • Not a mistake; it was a paid pattern when we made the bracket. Today the designer made all her individually published patterns free as a gesture of solidarity and gratitude in these times.

  • I put the Wakairo Top in my Ravelry favourites only yesterday!

  • I do so miss the March Mayhem! Will you do it this year, 2022?

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