Yarncrafting Costumes: Designing a Light-up Crown

Costume headpieces still reign supreme in my little corner of the knitting world. When I was invited to attend a “royal ball” themed costume party, the process of designing a knitted crown promptly began to conquer my creative realms.

I explored several stitch dictionaries, looking for patterns that would create a zigzag edge. After swatching a couple of options, I found a pattern I liked and knitted it into a band long enough to stretch around my head.

For my yarn, I chose Vanna’s Glamour held double, using a strand each of Topaz and Platinum and working on US 7 needles. (This was the same color combination I used for the moon phases in my lunar queen costume.)

Predictably, I wanted even more sparkle for my crown. A strand of blue LED lights on silver wire added the extra shimmer suitable for a royal queen. I knitted a tiny pocket for the battery pack and stitched it to the inside of the crown.

For my royal look, I wore a velvet ribbon in my hair and glam jewelry along with my usual glitter.

The crown is one of my most “wearable” costume pieces; its simplicity makes it work for so many different occasions. I wore the crown again on New Year’s Eve. Once the clock struck midnight, I turned on the crown’s lights to celebrate!

What’s your most wearable costume piece? Perhaps something you picked up for Halloween and find yourself donning throughout the year?