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It’s always a good idea to have some fast knitting projects in your arsenal, like this quick knit headband. It uses about a ball of yarn and takes less than 30 minutes to knit. Great for a last-minute gift or a quick accessory when you need to get warm on the double.
Materials
- one ball Lion Brand Yarns Go For Faux yarn, or about 24 yards jumbo weight yarn of your choice; color shown is Mink
- one pair size 35 US (19mm) knitting needles
- crochet hook (optional; I just used my fingers to weave in ends)
Gauge and Size
Gauge is not critical, but I got about 1 stitch and 2 rows per inch (2.5cm) in Garter Stitch.
My knit headband is 6 inches (15.24 cm) wide and about 20 inches (50.8 cm) around. It fits an average-sized woman’s head.
This makes a pretty wide headband that is perfect for use as an earwarmer. If you’d like a narrower version, cast on fewer stitches. The pink and maroon ones pictured use 4 stitches instead of 6 and are 4 inches (5cm) wide.
If you are knitting this quick knit headband for yourself, stretch the headband slightly as you wrap it around your head as you knit until you have the length you like. Or if you know the recipient’s head circumference, knit slightly smaller than that measurement. (Measure as you would for a hat, though this goes around the back of the head. There’s usually enough of a difference in these measurements for the headband to be snug but not tight.)
Knitting a Quick Knit Headband
Cast on 4 or 6 stitches.
Work in Garter Stitch to desired length.
Bind off and sew cast on to bound off edge, or see below for the seaming bind off I used.
Weave in ends using a crochet hook or your fingers, and trim any excess yarn.
Seamed Bind Off Tutorial
I don’t know if there’s an official name for this technique, but I think of it as a seamed bind off because you are binding off and sewing the seam in the same step.
It’s basically the same as a three-needle bind off, except you’re only using two needles, and there’s only one set of live stitches. It’s quicker to do than it is to explain.
First, fold the headband in half so that the cast on edge is lined up with the needle with the stitches on it. You’ll want the cast on part to be on top.
Use your empty needle to grab the first stitch of the cast on (it’s kind of hard to see on this yarn, but you can definitely feel it). Knit it together with the first stitch on the needle.
Repeat, then lift the first stitch over the second as you would in a standard bind off.
Repeat across the row. When you get to the end, cut the yarn, leaving a tail for weaving in, and fasten off the last stitch.
You just bound off and sewed the seam together at the same time. How cool is that?
I love this technique for really bulky yarn like this because if makes your seam less bulky. That makes the quick knit headband more comfortable to wear, and it looks better, too, because the seam isn’t obvious.
More Knitting Articles: Build a Travel Knitting Kit |One-Skein Bandanna Cowl
Gifting the Quick Knit Headband
This headband was part of my Secret Santa gift at work, and I knit them for my daughter’s teachers (the narrower ones). You can make several in an evening for all your girlfriends for a getaway, all your coworkers, or whoever else needs warm ears.
Who would you gift this knit earwarmer to?
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