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I decided to name this one the winter kerchief knitting pattern both because of the color and because I used this super cozy alpaca/wool blend that makes it the perfect thing to cover your head or neck when it’s cold out.
The great things about this bandana pattern is that is uses just one skein of yarn and an easy repeating stitch pattern that’s mostly knit stitches. It would be a great gift to knit for someone, or to make for yourself.
Supplies
You’ll need a skein of worsted weight/medium/weight 4 yarn for this project. Mine is long-discontinued (the company doesn’t even exist anymore) Artesano Aran yarn in color Maple, which is a 50/50 alpaca wool yarn and was 144 yards/132 meters per hank. Read more about this yarn on Ravelry, if you’re interested.
Something in that neighborhood will get you a kerchief similar in size to mine, but of course you can make yours bigger if you like (I wouldn’t go much smaller or it might not fit around your head properly).
You’ll also need a pair of size 8 US/ 5 mm knitting needles. I used straight needles and they got a little crowded toward the end. You could also use a circular knitting needle if you’d rather.
A pair of scissors and a yarn needle will be needed for finishing. I also used a 11/16 inch/18 mm button, and a sewing needle and thread.
Gauge
For my knit kerchief I got 17 stitches and 26 rows per 4 inches/10 cm in the stitch pattern used. Gauge isn’t super critical, but different gauge will give you a different size project.
Size
Again depending on the yardage of your chosen yarn, your adaptation of this kerchief knitting pattern may vary, but mine is 22 inches/55.88 cm at the widest point (bind off edge) and 14 inches/35.56 long to the tip.
The width is a couple of inches/10 cm narrower than my head going across my forehead and around the back, which is fine for fit. You don’t want yours to be a lot smaller than your head or it might not stretch to fit like it should.
Add this project to your Ravelry queue.
Winter Kerchief Knitting Pattern
This kerchief knitting pattern is worked from the tip to the wide side of the triangle. In the 6-row repeat you’ll increase on each end of 2 of the rows and work one eyelet round. It’s an easy repeat once you’ve done it a couple of times. The pattern is based on Ridged Ribbon Eyelet, found in Barbara G. Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns.
To begin, cast on 4 stitches.
Knit 1, knit in the front and back (kfb) of the next 2 stitches, knit 1. You now have 6 stitches.
Purl across.
Knit 1, kfb, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, knit 1. 8 stitches.
Knit across.
Knit 1 *yarn over, knit 2 together. Repeat from * to last 2 stitches, yarn over, knit 1. 9 stitches.
Knit across.
From here you’ll be repeating the next six rows for the remainder of the project.
Knit 1, kfb, knit to last 2 stitches, kfb, knit 1.
Purl across.
Work the increase row again.
Knit across.
Knit 1, *yarn over, knit 2 together. Repeat from * across.
Knit across.
Repeat these last 6 rows until you are close to running out of yarn, or the width at the top is a couple of inches/10 cm shorter than the circumference of your head. Or go on as long as you like. My bind off occurred in what would have been row 3, but you can stop wherever you need to.
Bind off. If you haven’t left enough yarn you can do a no-yarn bind off.
Weave in the ends.
Wearing Your Kerchief
Because my kerchief knitting pattern didn’t come out wide enough to tie the ends together, I added a button. I used a needle and thread to sew my little button over the eyelet on the edge of the last eyelet row.
Then just use the last eyelet on the other side as a buttonhole.
You can wear this kerchief as a bandana style head scarf and in wool yarn it’s almost as warm as a hat.
Alternatively you can turn it into a bandana cowl by flipping it over and wearing the point of the triangle down your body.
You could even tuck it into your coat when it’s cold out to give an extra layer of warmth without a lot of bulk.
