DIY Easy Knit Turban Headband

I've been making a lot of headbands lately. I made a bunch as Christmas gifts but then never really stopped! They're just so fun! I had been seeing this style of headband around and thought, "I could make that!"

This is an insanely easy pattern. Spoiler alert! It's stockinette stitch with one cable. It follows a simple formula so whatever yarn or needles you want to use, you can easily amend the instructions.

Here's what I used for mine:

Yarn: Bernat Roving (surprised?) in Plum
Needles: US 13

CO 14

Row 1: P1, K12, P1
Row 2: K1, P12, K1

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until you are halfway done your headband.

Best practice is to measure your head first and divide the number by two. For example, I make my headbands 18 inches long so when I got to 9 inches I stopped. (Make sure to stop when you've finished a purling row so you're ready to cable.)

Cable Row 1: P1, cable 12 forward (slip 6 stitches onto your cable needle and hold in front, K6, K6 off your cable needle), P1
Cable Row 2: K1, P12, K1

Continue repeating the original rows 1 and 2 until the headband is long enough to fit comfortably around your head.

Bind off.

Use a yarn needle to seam the ends and weave in the tails.

HOW TO ADAPT IT:

This pattern is easily adaptable so you are free to make this whatever width with whatever yarn you want. It might take a few false starts to get the width right (this pattern took me 3!) but this is such a quick knit it's worth the extra time to make sure it's perfect!

Always cast on an even number of stitches. Subtract 2 for the knit edges and divide that number in 2 for your cable row. For example for thinner yarn:

CO 20

Row 1: P1, K18, P1
Row 2: K1, P18, K1

Cable Row 1: P1, cable 18 forward (slip 9 stitches onto your cable needle and hold in front, K9, K9 off your cable needle) P1
Cable Row 2: K1, P18, K1

Or if you have really thick yarn on really fat needles:

CO 8

Row 1: P1, K6, P1
Row 2: K1, P6, K1

Cable Row 1: P1, cable 6 forward (slip 3 stitches onto your cable needle and hold in front, K3, K3 off your cable needle) P1
Cable Row 2: K1, P6, K1

You get the idea! Any questions, leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading!

Itching to Knit

With the cooler weather comes the uncontrollable urge to curl up with a cup of tea to make cozy things with colourful yarns. Last year I made seed-stitched cowls, cabled boot cuffs and braided headbands. What should I do this year? I am leaning towards stocking up on pillow forms, thick yarns and whipping up a batch pillows for my bed, but for now here are some fabulous patterns I've come across lately that would make amazing gifts:

Devonshire Cream pattern by Laura Aylor

Chic Easy Shrug by Fine Craft Guild (sign up to view the pattern)

Herringbone Cuddler by Kara Mayfield

Follow me on Pinterest to see more of my favs!

DIY Braided Knit Headband

Cabling is deceptively simple so if you're a knitter who has yet to learn, get your hands on a video tutorial (www.newstitchaday.com is fabulous!) and prepare to have your mind blown. Then proceed to blow the minds of your friends with your awesome creations.

I recently made a three-strand braided headband and it was so much fun to make that I decided to step it up a notch. This 5-strand braided headband is perfect for transitional weather and works up in an evening!

What You Need:

Bernat Roving (I used a little over half a ball, but it's dependent on the length you make it)
Size 13 needles
Yarn needle
Cable needle

Cast on 17

Rows 1 and 5: P1, K15, P1

Rows 2, 4, 6 and 8: K1, P15, K1

Row 3: P1, K3, *cable 3 forward (slip 3 stitches off onto your cable needle, hold in front, K3, K3 off the cable needle), rep from * once more, P1

Row 7: P1, *cable 3 back (slip 3 stitches off onto your cable needle, hold in back, K3, K3 off the cable needle), rep from * once more, K3, P1

Repeat rows 1-8 until your headband is snug enough around your head without stretching out the pattern. Bind off, sew ends together using your yarn needle and weave in the tails. The width should be about 3.5 inches, dependent on your tension. :)

Be warm and happy. Spring is almost here!

DIY Knitted Boot Cuffs

It's winter. It's cold. You're sad. Time to make something! I was having a conversation with a coworker the other day trying to explain what boot cuffs were.

"Are they socks?" 

"No, they're cut off so it only looks like you're wearing socks." 

"Like legwarmers?" 

"Tiny ones, yes." 

"So…they're leg bracelets."  

"…yes."

This is a fun and simple knitting pattern for cozy, cabled leg bracelets boot cuffs. Enjoy!

What You'll Need:

Bernat Roving (half a ball used for one pair)
US 11 (8mm) needles
Cable needle
Yarn needle

Make two.

Cast on 47

Rows 1 and 16: K1, P1, rep and end on K1

Rows 2 and 17: P1, K1, rep and end on P1 (this will create two rows of 1x1 rib at the bottom and top of your cuff)

Rows 3, 7, 9, 11 and 15: P3, K8, repeat 3 more times, end with P3

Rows 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14: K3, P8, repeat 3 more times, end with K3

Rows 5 and 13: P3, cable 4 forward (slip 4 stitches onto your cable needle, hold in front of your work, knit 4, knit the 4 off of your needle), repeat 3 more times, end with P3

Bind off. Measures 14 x 4.5 inches. Using a yarn needle, stitch together to form the cuff; weave in the ends. 

Make a pair in every colour!

Knitted Cowls: A Love Story

This past Christmas, I wanted to do more handmade gifts. I always say I am going to do this but then life gets away from you and you're left with abandoned supplies, unfinished scarves and broken dreams. Since I was on a clutch-making rampage at the time, a bunch of people got those, but I wanted to knit a cowl for my mom.

I used this pattern and it came out beautifully. I've never used Bernat Roving yarn before but it quickly became a favourite. And buying my first pair of circular needles was awesome until I realized I bought too-long ones so knitting in the round as instructed wasn't an option. But I do love how knitting on the subway is no longer a hazardous activity. :)

I enjoyed this pattern so much that I immediately made another one for my friend in "Royal". Then another for myself. This time in Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in "Butterscotch". Selfies ensued.

Cozy happiness.

And, eff it, after an impromptu post-work Mary Maxim trip I bought yarn and promptly started my fourth with Bernat Roving "Low Tide". Absolutely beautiful. But I did a basket weave knit stitch this time.

Yes, I am in love.

First attempt at the basket weave!

The number of knitters and crocheters at work has grown exponentially over the past while so it is always a good idea to have a project on hand for lunchtime knitting sessions. Now that I have exhausted the cowls, headbands are next!

Yellow Afghan: Progress

Yesterday was a glorious day. I returned home from work to see a large box of yarn awaiting me...

I set off to work straightaway!

Today involves more crocheting and Lord of the Rings boxsets. Perfection.

Head Start

I love to crochet, especially giant afghans. I have made two since 2008, one per spring (photos coming in a future post!) but I have had a slow start with the afghan of 2010.

The original plan was to make a thick and chunky blanket out of butterscotch coloured yarn but unfortunately, the yarn alone would have cost me well over $100.00. Waaaay over budget. While looking for yarn deals online, I came across this pattern. Immediate inspiration. It is so straightforward yet beautiful. I have decided to make it with yellow yarn, in accordance with my recent obsession with yellow. Mmm... yellow.

Anyways, the yarn has been ordered but I do not expect it to arrive anytime soon so, in anticipation, I did a test run of the pattern and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't difficult and it certainly wasn't boring. Here is the end result:

I had so much fun making this piece, I cannot wait until my yarn comes so I can make *counts* 48 more! Yikes!