8 Fun, Free, Fabulous Knitting Patterns to Get Your Game On

Lift your gift knitting game with these delightful game-themed knitting patterns – playable games included!

What do you knit for the kids (or adult!) who are getting tired of your knitted gifts?

What if that kid (or, *ahem*, adult) you’d love to knit for seems to care about zilch except video games?

Why not try… knitted games?

Yes, these exist! You can find knitting patterns for chess or checkerboards, mancala, or dice. Isn’t it amazing? The ingenuity of knitting designers continues to delight me.

Sure, some of the patterns you’ll find in this collection are purely whimsical and decorative.

But most actually create playable games that make great gifts for the kids who don’t need another stuffed animal or hat.

They also make terrific charity or fundraising projects.

So let’s get to it! 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

Right This Way to the Game Knitting Fun

1. Fluffy Dice

• What you’ll need to make them: About 125 yards DK weight yarn (in two different colors); US Size 3 needles; tapestry needle

• Why you’ll want to: We’ve all seen fuzzy dice hanging from a car’s rearview mirror. Why not knit them? This would make a delightful gift for anyone who’s just earned their driver’s license.

2. Mancala Mia

• What you’ll need to make it: About 400 to 600 yards worsted weight feltable wool yarn; US Size 8 circular needles, DPNs, and/or straight needles (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round and knit flat; you’ll definitely need DPNs for the I-cords); sewing needle & thread; beads, stones, marbles, or other such items to use as game pieces

• Why you’ll want to: Mancala is one of the oldest games on Earth, if not the oldest. I absolutely love this clever design, whereby you create not only the little cups to hold the game pieces, but also the board itself. Everything is felted and then sewn together. What a charming use for leftover wool yarn–it creates a colorful game that also travels exceptionally well!

For more knitting whimsy, take a look at more whimsical knitting patterns!  

3. Bavgirl’s Felted Jigsaw Puzzle

• What you’ll need to make it: An abundance of worsted weight feltable wool yarn, preferably in multiple colors; US size 6 or 7 needles; template for jigsaw puzzle (you can find several here); fabric scissors

• Why you’ll want to: This is one of the cleverest and most delightful ideas I’ve seen. I love the idea behind it, too: the designer simply wanted to knit her knit-averse husband something, so she essentially knit up a wool lap blanket, felted it, and cut it into jigsaw-style pieces. So fun!

Note: This pattern’s designer, Claudia Purgason, aka Bavgirl, died Nov. 7, 2018. She leaves among her legacies several terrific knitting patterns in addition to this one. You can see them all here. 

4. Cup and Birdie Game

• What you’ll need to make it: Small amounts of DK-weight yarn (probably no more than 50 yards); small amount of stuffing; US Size 2 needles; one US Size 8 needle; plastic wiggle eyes; empty cardboard paper towel tube; small bits of cardboard (about the weight of the back of a notepad); colored paper; quick-drying glue; double-sided tape; compass (the type you use to draw circles with); curly gift ribbon (optional)

• Why you’ll want to: Based on the popular-for-centuries “cup and ball” game (you try to catch the ball in the cup), this adorable pattern turns the ball into a birdie. A fun little game for children and adults alike–and so gosh-darn cute!

(Scroll down the page for the pattern. As of this writing, it’s the 8th pattern on the page, but it could be in a different position now, as new patterns are added to the top of the page. Just scroll until you hit it!)

5. Game On

• What you’ll need to make it: T-shirt yarn in multiple colors (you can find a fantastic video tutorial for creating T-shirt yarn below); US Size 19 needles; US L crochet hook

• Why you’ll want to: Even if you don’t have young children in your life who would enjoy an enormous checkerboard, this is an outstanding way to use up a bunch of old T-shirts you never wear anymore that creates a lovely checkered rug. I love that this pattern creates both a rug-sized checkerboard and the checker pieces!

6. Felted Checkerboard/Chessboard

• What you’ll need to make it: 1200 to 1300 yards feltable worsted wool yarn (in two different colors); 2 sets of US Size 13 circular needles and DPNs (yes, you’ll need circular needles and DPNs); stitch markers

• Why you’ll want to: If you love the idea of a knitted checkerboard but don’t have the T-shirts needed (or just don’t want to make or knit with T-shirt yarn) for the previous pattern, try this delightful one. For this one, you’ll knit with wool and felt it afterwards. This works especially well as a traveling checkerboard — just fold it up and tuck into a bag.

7. Fish Story

• What you’ll need to make it: 75 yards worsted weight yarn (in 2 colors–55 yards of main color, 20 yards of complementary color); US Size 4 and 6 circular needles and/or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round); stitch marker; tapestry needle; stuffing; 3/8-inch dowel cut to 19 1/2-inch length; 1-inch diameter magnets (one for worm & one for each fish you knit); items for eyes (buttons, wiggle eyes; post-and-washer toy eyes)

• Why you’ll want to: Because it’s beautiful. Because it’s adorable. Because it creates a cute fishing game, complete with fishing rod, fish, and worm. It would be an outstanding gift, charity project, or fundraising project. It’s even a great way to use up a lot of scrap yarn!

8. Rockin’ Tic Tac Toe

• What you’ll need to make it: 50 to 100 yards DK weight yarn in two colors; US Size 9 needles; rocks, paint, paintbrush

• Why you’ll want to: This is a double knitting pattern that creates the most adorable Tic Tac Toe board. Gather some rocks, paint Xs and Os on them, and you have another delightful gift/charity/fundraising project.

Knitted games are such a fun way to give gifts or to help others!