The basics
Please make sure to read our code of conduct 
!
We have a lot that goes on during the event, and it goes on in a lot of different places. The most important thing to remember is that you don't have to monitor everything, everywhere! The reason we do this is to accommodate people who wouldn't be able to participate if we were only available in one place. Of course, if you've got the time and energy, you can try and find us everywhere, but we advise folks to pick where and how you want to play, and don't worry about hitting all the platforms.
You can join in the fun however works best for you. To help you decide, we've organized all the information about participating in two ways:
Use one or both of these tables to work out where to go to play. For when to play, check out the event schedule.
Note: Which platforms and activities we support in any given year depend on the wonderful volunteers who help us manage it all!
How you can participate
| Platform | Information |
|---|---|
| Our website |
You can search for designers and see what they're all about, using our search feature. If web searches aren't your thing, the search page will also link to a Google spreadsheet which includes information about our participating designers. |
| Discord |
|
|
|
| Facebook, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Tumblr | Throughout the event, we may post promos to these social spaces, calling your attention to the awesomeness of our participating designers. |
| We'll have a board on our Pinterest account highlighting our participating designers. | |
| TikTok | Some of our interactive designer events may be TikTok LIVE AMAs. |
| Zoom | Our video panels with participating designers will be held on Zoom. |
| YouTube | Our video panels with participating designers will be archived on YouTube. |
During the event's discount period, you'll be able to get 25% off a selection of our participating designers' patterns and eBooks! From November 22 9pm to December 5 (ET), you can use the discount code FO2024 at checkout. Code-eligible patterns will be specially marked on the website and in the Google spreadsheet.
If you have problems redeeming the event code for any purchases, please contact the designer you're trying to buy from.
| Platform | Information |
|---|---|
| Our website | You can search for patterns and eBooks by our participating designers, using our search feature. If web searches aren't your thing, the search page will also link to a Google spreadsheet which includes information about our participating designers' patterns and eBooks. |
| Our Pinterest account will have a variety of boards highlighting designs from our participating designers, including new releases. Each pin will link out to the purchase page for the pattern. |
Any for-sale pattern from one of our participating designers can be used to make a project for the yarnalong. Whether the pattern is for sale individually, or it appears in a for-purchase magazine or book (including eBooks), you can use it! Note that we don't require that you personally paid for the pattern (e.g. you got it free because you test-knit it, it was in a book you got as a gift, whatever). As long as normally, a person would have to pay to get the pattern, that works!
Once you've finished a yarnalong project, you can submit it to be eligible for prizes, and for it to appear in our website database, and (optionally) our FOs board on Pinterest. There will be a submission form link here once the event begins.
| Platform | Information |
|---|---|
| Website |
Any patterns which were used to make finished yarnalong projects will have those projects listed with them throughout our search feature. If web searches aren't your thing, the search page will also link to a Google spreadsheet which includes information about finished yarnalong projects. |
| Discord |
We'll have two channels related to sharing the projects you're working on and seeing other people's projects:
|
| Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, TikTok, Tumblr, and other social media spaces |
|
| We'll have a board on our Pinterest account for this year's finished projects so you can see what everyone has done! |
Details about each of our games
| Platform | Information |
|---|---|
| Our website | Links to the weekly Trivia forms will be posted in the trivia section - keep checking back! |
| Discord |
|
|
|
| Mastodon | Random giveaways happen here! |
| Facebook, Bluesky, and Tumblr | Stay tuned for more information - we may be hosting some games and giveaways this year on these accounts. |
| Mailing list | Weekly emails will be sent out to our mailing list containing the links to the Trivia forms. |
| Platform | Information |
|---|---|
| Our website | The event's schedule is available from our website - this contains information about the different periods within the event (e.g. designer sign-ups, discount period), as well as other items on the schedule such as interactive designer events, games, etc. And the main page of the website will give a high-level snapshot of where we are in the event. |
| Discord |
|
| Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Tumblr | We post important event information to our accounts here. |
| Mailing list | We send out important event information to our mailing list. |
| Platform | Information |
|---|---|
| Discord | There are scads of opportunities to chat with the Fasten Off Yarnalong community on our Discord server! We'll have a variety of chat channels during the event. |
| Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, TikTok, Tumblr, and other social media spaces | Use the #FastenOffYAL event hashtag to make and discover posts related to the yarnalong - you can comment on other people's posts or engage other participants with your own posts! |
Where you can participate
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers |
You can search for designers and see what they're all about, using our search feature. If web searches aren't your thing, the search page will also link to a Google spreadsheet which includes information about our participating designers. |
| Search and buy patterns |
You can search for patterns and eBooks by our participating designers, using our search feature. If web searches aren't your thing, the search page will also link to a Google spreadsheet which includes information about our participating designers' patterns and eBooks. Plus, during the event's discount period, you'll be able to get 25% off a selection of our participating designers' patterns and eBooks! From November 22 9pm to December 5 (ET), you can use the discount code FO2024 at checkout. Code-eligible patterns will be specially marked on the website and in the Google spreadsheet. |
| Make and share projects |
Any patterns which were used to make finished yarnalong projects will have those projects listed with them throughout our search feature. If web searches aren't your thing, the search page will also link to a Google spreadsheet which includes information about finished yarnalong projects. |
| Games and giveaways | Links to the weekly Trivia forms will be posted in the trivia section - keep checking back! |
| Event news | The event's schedule is available from our website - this contains information about the different periods within the event (e.g. designer sign-ups, discount period), as well as other items on the schedule such as interactive designer events, games, etc. And the main page of the website will give a high-level snapshot of where we are in the event. |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers |
|
| Make and share projects |
We'll have two channels related to sharing the projects you're working on and seeing other people's projects:
|
| Games and giveaways |
Loads of games and giveaways happen on our Discord server!
|
| Event news |
|
| Community interaction | There are scads of opportunities to chat with the Fasten Off Yarnalong community on our Discord server! We'll have a variety of chat channels during the event. |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers |
|
| Make and share projects |
|
| Event news | We post important event information on our Instagram account. |
| Games and giveaways |
|
| Community interaction | Use the #FastenOffYAL event hashtag to make and discover posts related to the yarnalong - you can comment on other people's posts or engage other participants with your own posts! |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | Throughout the event, we may post promos to our Facebook page, calling your attention to the awesomeness of our participating designers. |
| Games and giveaways |
We may be hosting some games and giveaways on our Facebook page. Watch this space for more information! |
| Event news | We post important event information our Facebook page. |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | Throughout the event, we may post promos to our Mastodon account, calling your attention to the awesomeness of our participating designers. |
| Make and share projects |
|
| Games and giveaways |
Random giveaways happen here! |
| Event news | We post important event information our Mastodon account. |
| Community interaction | Use the #FastenOffYAL event hashtag to make and discover posts related to the yarnalong - you can comment on other people's posts or engage other participants with your own posts! |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | We'll have a board on our Pinterest account highlighting our participating designers. |
| Shop and buy patterns | Our Pinterest account will have a variety of boards highlighting designs from our participating designers, including new releases. Each pin will link out to the purchase page for the pattern. |
| Make and share projects |
We'll have a board on our Pinterest account for this year's finished projects so you can see what everyone has done! |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | Throughout the event, we may post promos to our Bluesky account, calling your attention to the awesomeness of our participating designers. |
| Make and share projects |
|
| Games and giveaways |
We may be hosting some games and giveaways this year on our Bluesky account - watch this space for updates! |
| Event news | We post important event information our Bluesky account. |
| Community interaction | Use the #FastenOffYAL event hashtag to make and discover posts related to the yarnalong - you can comment on other people's posts or engage other participants with your own posts! |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | Some of our interactive designer events may be TikTok LIVE AMAs. | Make and share projects |
|
| Community interaction | Use the #FastenOffYAL event hashtag to make and discover videos related to the yarnalong - you can comment on other people's videos or engage other participants with your own videos! |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | Throughout the event, we may post promos to our Tumblr account, calling your attention to the awesomeness of our participating designers. |
| Make and share projects |
|
| Games and Giveaways |
We may be hosting some games and giveaways on our Tumblr account. Watch this space for more information! |
| Event news | We post important event information our Tumblr account. |
| Community interaction | Use the #FastenOffYAL event hashtag to make and discover posts related to the yarnalong - you can comment on other people's posts or engage other participants with your own posts! |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Games and giveaways |
Weekly emails will be sent out to our mailing list containing the links to the Trivia forms. |
| Event news and updates | We send out important event information to our mailing list. |
See the event schedule for when we'll be live on Zoom.
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | Our video panels with participating designers will be held on Zoom. |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Discover designers | Our video panels with participating designers will be archived on our YouTube account. |
| Activity | Information |
|---|---|
| Make and share projects |
|
| Community interaction | Use the #FastenOffYAL event hashtag to make and discover posts related to the yarnalong - you can comment on other people's posts or engage other participants with your own posts! |
Game details
The event has a bingo game, where you fill out cards based on what event activities you've done.
Keep watching this space - we'll be adding links here so you can download the cards.
To play:
- You can fill out cards manually or digitally. Just make note of which project(s) and pattern(s) you use for each square as you go.
- You can try to fill up one or both of the two cards, as you prefer.
- If you finish a card, you can start all over again and fill out more.
- There is no "double-dipping"; for example:
- Both cards have a 'Follow 3 new participating designers' square; to check this on both cards, you would need to follow six new participating designers.
- If you're doing the same card more than once, the projects you used for one card don't count for subsquent card(s). The exception is for specific activities like 'try a new-to-you-technique', e.g. if you filled out your first card using Project A for 'Start your 1st FOYAL project' and Project B for 'Try a new-to-you technique', you could use Project A for the 'Try a new-to-you technique' square on your second card.
- Submitting finished cards:
- Even if you haven't completed any cards, make sure to submit them before the event ends (11:59pmET December 31, 2024). You can do this in one of two ways:
- Email your card(s) to FastenOffYALGames@gmail.com, with the subject "BINGO card". Include in your email the names of the patterns you've used.
- Submit via our Google form, marking all the boxes you've finished. Fill in the names of the patterns you've used below that. We'll be linking to the bingo submission form here once the event starts.
- Even if you haven't completed any cards, make sure to submit them before the event ends (11:59pmET December 31, 2024). You can do this in one of two ways:
- Prizes:
- You may be selected for prizes if you share your bingo cards (in progress or completed) in certain social spaces (see table below for more details)
- At the end of the event, we will randomly choose from the bingo submissions for a variety of prizes. Details about these prizes coming soon.
There will be weekly FOYAL Trivia Quizzes! All of the answers can be found by looking through this year's database of designers and patterns, or the master spreadsheet, for those that find that a more easily accessible way to search. Both will be available from our search page.
Our Trivia Quizzes are presented as Google Forms, with the links available in our weekly email newsletters, and right here on the event website. Even if you're not one for social media, you have the opportunity to answer our weekly Trivia, and possibly win one of our pattern prizes!
Be sure you're signed up for the FOYAL newsletter to receive the links to the weekly Trivia! And happy searching.
Check the event schedule for when and where this game will be happening.
This is a chain game, eligible for prizes. To start, at the very beginning of the chain, the game facilitator will post a prompt (examples below). Then, you reply with a link which matches the prompt, and post a new prompt for other people to reply to.
Rules:
- Links need to be from the website's database, or participating designers' websites.
- You can enter multiple times, but leave at least two posts by others between your entries.
- To diversify the designers and patterns highlighted in the game, we ask that you try to post something you haven't shared before. It's okay if you share something that's been shared earlier in the game by someone else, that's hard to keep track of.
Some prompt examples to help you out:
- "Show me something by a designer with fewer than 5 patterns"
- "Show me something a beginning crocheter could make"
- "Show me something in bulky yarn"
- "Show me something using a new-to-you knitting technique"
Check the event schedule for when and where this game will be happening.
This is a fast-moving chain game, eligible for prizes. To start, at the very beginning of the game, the game facilitator will post a fibre craft-related statement which begins with the phrase, "The person below me". For example, "The person below me is knitting a hat pattern by Woolly Wormhead." Then, you reply with both:
- Whether this is true or false about you, for example:
- "True! It's Revolutions, and I'm making it for me." Or,
- "False! I'm crocheting a hat pattern by KnotBadBritt."
- A "The person below me" statement of your own.
Please keep your "The person below me" statements fibre craft-related! We especially love when they relate to the Fasten Off Yarnalong in some way.
Check the event schedule for when and where this game will be happening.
This is a chain game, eligible for prizes. To start, at the very beginning of the game, the game facilitator will post a photo of any design in our database. Then, you reply with:
- The link to the pattern which was pictured, and
- A photo of your choice from the database, for the next person to answer.
Check the event schedule for when and where this game will be happening.
This is a chain game. To start, at the very beginning of the game, the game facilitator will post a photo and a link. Then, you have to post a photo and link which has something in common with that. For example:
- Facilitator's photo and link is a blue knitted hat made with fingering weight yarn.
- The next person responds with a photo and link of a blue hat crocheted in worsted weight yarn - the similarity is that it's a blue hat.
- The next person responds with a photo and link of a crocheted shawl - the similarity is that it's crocheted.
- And so-on.
More information on how giveaways work coming soon.
Sometimes we post quick quizzes and polls in various channels, and invent new games in the middle of an event!
This is the final event of the Fasten Off YAL! As we stitch our way to 2025, we host a New Year's Boonanza on our Discord server for everyone who participated in the yarnalong. There will be a channel just for chatting in the new year, and we may also open it up as a video call. Planning for this year's Boonanza is still in the works, but in previous years, the event gave you a chance to win pattern prizes, through random draws and games.
Prizes
There are prizes to be won in the Fasten Off Yarnalong! All of our participating designers donate them to the event. Each prize is the winner's choice of a free, self-published individual pattern from one of the designers. Although we can't guarantee it, we will do our best to match each winner up with a designer of the winner's preferred craft.
There are lots of ways you can win prizes!
- Submitting finished projects
- Submitting Bingo cards
- Playing games
- Answering quizzes or polls
- Random giveaways
- ...and more! Check out how to participate or where to participate for more details.
Depending on the designer's preference, winners will either receive a prize code and a URL where the code can be redeemed, or, our Fasten Off Yarnalong team will connect the winner and designer together to arrange for prize selection and fulfillment.
All prizes must be claimed no later than January 31, 2025.
If a prize code doesn't work
Please contact us to let us know, and we'll reach out to the designer.
If the designer isn't responding to your prize request
Please check the designer's profile on our website to see if they have an alternate preferred method of contact, and if they do, try that first and give them about three business days to respond.
If you still aren't hearing back, please contact us to let us know, and we'll reach out to the designer.