It’s nearly September, which means holiday season is right around the corner!  December is Bingo Month so get a head start on your gift giving and create your own bingo game with yarn and thread.

by Michael Cote' on Wikimedia commons

Do you have someone in your family who is an avid bingo player?  Maybe you just have a child that loves to play the game with you.  If you know how to crochet and cross-stitch, you can have some fun as you give them their very own bingo game made by you.  Here is how you do it –

1. Decide if you want to make only one bingo board or multiple ones.  Sketch out the bingo card design(s) on a piece of paper.  You could create a whole set or just one as a display piece on a coffee table.
2. Choose the color of yarn you want as the color of your “board”.  Also, choose the style of yarn.  The more simple the better for this project.
3. Plan on each square of your board being one inch by one inch.
4. Determine how many stitches you can do in one inch.  It varies from person to person and crochet hooks play a huge role.  Decide on the hook and practice to determine the number of stitches.
5. Chain stitch the amount of stitches needed to complete at least five inches.  You might want to design your board where you have a little bit more room around the main portion of your board.  This all depends on your design.
6. Using single crochet stitches complete the rest of the board based on the design and size you pre-determined.  Finish off.
7. Choose a color of thread you will use for your cross-stitch portion.  Tread your needle and then refer to your design.
8. Start off with creating the chart that marks off each of the numbers and the letters of “B,I,N,G,O”.  Be creative as you go about designing this part.
9. Next, create the standard letters on the top and then stitch in the planned numbers in each of the remaining boxes.
10. You can’t play bingo without the chip. Choose a different colored yarn.  Crochet multiple disks that are circles with a one inch diameter. Start off by chain stitching three and single crocheting in the third chain from hook.  Continue single crochet stitches until the desired size is reached.
11. After you have the number of boards and chips you want, personalize them.  Stitch their name on the back of each board.  That way no one else can claim your masterpiece as their own.
12. Make or purchase a tote bag to fit the number of pieces you created.
13. Celebrate December as Bingo Month with a game of bingo.

When you make a gift in regards to something that a person is passionate about, like bingo, you show them that you care as well as showing off your talent.  Crazy and fun holidays such as December’s Bingo Month gives you the excuse and creative idea to have some fun.