Headbanging and Fuzzy Sweaters: Welcome to the World of ‘Heavy Metal Knitting’

If you love heavy metal and knitting, you better get your behind to Finland. That’s because the country is home to the world’s only Heavy Metal Knitting competition, where bands gurgle, scream, and craft scarves out of the finest yarns.

With a history that dates back to 2018, the competition ranks acts based on “attitude, originality, the suitability to the song, how the stage is used, crowd reaction, artistic impression, and knitting presentation.” The last iteration was in 2022, so we can only hope that this competition makes a return sometime soon — I’m in the mood for a mosh pit, and I could really use a new balaclava.