Hello fellow Hook Nookers! Kendra here, with a fun little headband pattern that knits up quick to keep your ears nice and toasty. You may have seen me around social media (especially Instagram) as KnittyVet, where I've been sharing my plant dyed Garden Yarn, knitting projects, and cat photos for close to 4 years now! A little more about me since it is my first time here...
I live in the north suburbs of St Paul, Minnesota, and wear many hats (yes, including headbands!). I am; a fiber arts nut, a gardening enthusiast, an urban chicken keeper, a real life pet vet (I treat dogs and cats; don't ask me sheep questions!), happily married to a husband who lovingly accepts a house full of yarn, and mom to a sweet, inquisitive, photogenic 7 year old daughter. Outside of my family and vetting, my current passion is using plant materials I've grown or foraged myself to dye natural fibers. I realized about 2 years ago that natural dyes were the perfect union between my loves of fiber arts and gardening. This pursuit is the natural progression from my deep dive into fiber crafts; although I learned to knit as a child from my very multi-talented piano teacher, I began knitting seriously as a stress reliever in college. Simple knitting kept me awake while studying, and I worked through piles of notes on anatomy, physiology, and medicine with the help of a pair of needles and some yarn. My family got so many arm and leg warmers in those years!
Since my stockinette and garter stitch college days, I've added pattern designer, spinner, and natural dyer to my fiber resume. I am thrilled by the current movement towards slow fashion, sustainable craft, and therapy through fiber arts, and am so inspired by the community of like-minded artisans I have found online and locally like at the fantastic Textile Center in here in St Paul. I also firmly believe that fiber arts should be a safe and accepting space for all who want to participate, regardless of background, heritage, orientation, ability level, or amount of affluence.
I designed the Hildy Headband with accessibility in mind. It is a one size fits all (from kid to adult) pattern with lots of flexibility for fit and yarn types. I actually wrote 3 pattern variations (Yarn A, B, and C) depending on the weight of yarn you have at hand, from worsted to extra super bulky! As one of my test knitters pointed out, it would be a great stash-busting pattern, so I've included some approximate amounts of yarn that you will need for each size so you can bust that stash more easily.
Supply List
*Yarn weight note* Since the variation in yarn weight is so great (even within the same general category such as ‘super bulky’), I have a trick to let me know if the yarn I want to use is close to the yarn used in the pattern example. I divide the yards in a skein by the weight of that skein in grams, giving me a yds/gm unit that I can then easily use to compare yarn. I will include this number below to help you pick your ideal yarn for this project!
Yarn A:
Extra Super Bulky Weight Yarn (0.4 yd/gm)
In Main Photo Example: 100g skein Knit Picks “Big Cozy” Wool/Alpaca Blend – Hand dyed in Garden Yarn Woad Blue by KnittyVet, uses about 70g.
Size US #15 (10 mm) straight or short circular needles.
Approximate Gauge: 2 st/inch in stockinette stitch
Yarn B:
Super Bulky Weight Yarn (0.7 yd/gm)
Example: 127.5g skein Loops & Threads “Cozy Wool” Wool/Acrylic Blend, uses about 55g.
Size US #13 (9 mm) straight or short circular needles.
Approximate Gauge: 2.5 st/inch in stockinette stitch
Yarn C:
Bulky Weight Yarn (or Worsted Wt held double) (1.1-1.3 yd/gm)
Example: 100g skein Knit Picks “Wool of the Andes” Wool in Garden Yarn Elderberry Green by KnittyVet held double, uses about 42g.
Size US #10 (6mm) straight or short circular needles.
Approximate Gauge: 3 st/inch in stockinette stitch
Notions:
A few feet of scrap yarn (similar weight to working yarn)
Size M (or similar) crochet hook
Cable needle (optional)
Tapestry needle
Key
St: stitch
K: knit
P: purl
Sl: slip
Wyib: With yarn in back
Wyif: With yarn in front
Pattern
Cast on the appropriate number of stitches with a scrap yarn of similar weight to your main yarn, using the provisional cast on method. If using yarn A: 9 stitches, if yarn B: 11 stitches, if yarn C: 13 stitches.
I like a crochet cast on using a hook size M (or suited to your yarn weight). I found a great tutorial at Blueprint.
Yarn A Pattern (start with main yarn knitting into live scrap yarn stitches):
Row 1 (wrong side): K2, p5, k2.
Row 2: K1, p1, k2, sl 1 wyib, k2, p1, k1.
Row 3: K2, p2, sl 1 wyif, p2, k2.
Row 4: K1, p1, k2, hold sl-st to front of work (with fingers or on cable needle) k2 from left needle, knit held stitch, p1, k1.
Rows 5, 6, and 7: Repeat Rows 1, 2, and 3.
Row 8: K1, p1, sl 2 wyib, hold sl-st (from previous row) in front of work, sl the same 2 sts back to the left-hand needle, knit held stitch, k4, p1, k1.
Repeat these 8 rows 7 more times, for a total of 56 rows (or until piece is 18 to 20” from cast on edge. Do not bind off. Proceed to finishing instructions.
Yarn B Pattern (start with main yarn knitting into live scrap yarn stitches):
Row 1 (wrong side): K3, p5, k3.
Row 2: K2, p1, k2, sl 1 wyib, k2, p1, k2.
Row 3: K3, p2, sl 1 wyif, p2, k3.
Row 4: K2, p1, k2, hold sl-st to front of work (with fingers or on cable needle) k2 from left needle, knit held stitch, p1, k2.
Rows 5, 6, and 7: Repeat Rows 1, 2, and 3.
Row 8: K2, p1, sl 2 wyib, hold sl-st (from previous row) in front of work, sl the same 2 sts back to the left-hand needle, knit held stitch, k4, p1, k2.
Repeat these 8 rows 9 more times, for a total of 72 rows (or until piece is 18 to 20” from cast on edge. Do not bind off. Proceed to finishing instructions.
Yarn C Pattern (start with main yarn knitting into live scrap yarn stitches):
Row 1 (wrong side): K4, p5, k4.
Row 2: K3, p1, k2, sl 1 wyib, k2, p1, k3.
Row 3: K4, p2, sl 1 wyif, p2, k4.
Row 4: K3, p1, k2, hold sl-st to front of work (with fingers or on cable needle) k2 from left needle, knit held stitch, p1, k3.
Rows 5, 6, and 7: Repeat Rows 1, 2, and 3.
Row 8: K3, p1, sl 2 wyib, hold sl-st (from previous row) in front of work, sl the same 2 sts back to the left-hand needle, knit held stitch, k4, p1, k3.
Repeat these 8 rows 12 more times, for a total of 96 rows (or until piece is 18 to 20” from cast on edge. Do not bind off.
Finishing:
Using the free knitting needle, unravel scrap yarn and pick up the live stitches at the beginning of the work so that the pointed ends of the needles are on the same side.
Graft the live edges together using a Kitchener stitch. I like the clear description from Blueprint, but there are a lot of tutorials out there!
Sew in the ends. No blocking needed!
I hope you enjoyed this pattern and will treasure the finished product. Big thanks to my worldwide group of intrepid test knitters and to Jessica for the opportunity to contribute to THN blog. I would LOVE to see your yarn and color choices as you knit this pattern; tag me on Instagram and use the hashtags #HildyHeadband and #KnitWithKnittyVet. If you are interested in using plant dyed yarn for this project I have a great selection of colors in my Etsy shop!
I am also KnittyVet on Ravelry, where I host a group and more knitting patterns, and my website has even MORE patterns and some natural dye tutorials for beginners. Thanks for joining me on this knitting journey - have a beautiful day and remember to knit fresh!
