The Southern Cross is one of the most visible constellations in the Southern hemisphere sky. It has been used as a navigational aid by many seafarers. The Pointers (two bright stars) indicate where the Southern Cross sits in the night sky as its orientation changes throughout the year.

Māori have a number of different names for the constellation, including Te Punga, the great sky canoe and Māhutonga, an opening in the sky that allows storm winds to escape.

This pattern combines knitting and technology to create a wearable sparkling headband that will make you stand out on a dark night.

The headband is knitted flat with a slipped stitch edge in a dark blue 10 or 12 ply yarn. Using a Gemma microcontroller and Neopixels you sew a circuit together using conductive thread. This is a great introduction to e-textiles and Arduino.