How to Knit a Button Headband

Use up some of your button stash by knitting a button headband.

Elasticized yarns make it easy to create a headband that stretches to fit your head. There are a number of elasticized yarns on the market, most of them cotton blends in double-knitting thickness, also known as DK-weight yarn. You can make your headband as wide or narrow as you like, but a 2-inch band will give you enough space to sew a 1/2-inch button on one end and create a buttonhole on the other end.

Things You'll Need

• Elasticized DK-weight yarn
• Size 4 knitting needles
• 1/2-inch button
• Needle
• Thread
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Cast on 12 stitches using the method of your choice.

2. Knit 1 1/2 inches in garter stitch. Garter stitch is what you get when you knit every stitch and turn your knitting after every row.

3. Knit or purl every stitch in the pattern of your choice. Continue with garter stitch for a horizontal ribbing effect, use seed stitch for texture or use a drop stitch pattern for a lace effect.

4. Stretch the band around your head every 2 to 3 inches to check the fit. When the band stretches almost all the way around your head, work another inch in garter stitch.

5. Knit five stitches in the next row. Bind off two stitches to create the top of the buttonhole. Knit five more stitches.

6. Knit five stitches in the following row. Cast on two stitches using the backward-loop method. Knit five more stitches.

7. Knit another 1/2 inch in garter stitch and bind off your stitches.

8. Sew a button onto the end of your headband opposite the buttonhole.

Tips & Warnings

• Have a friend hold the band around your head and mark the spot where the button should go with a stitch marker or safety pin.

References

• HJS Studio Pattern: Super Simple Knit Headband
• Girl in Sheep's Clothing; Betsy Headwrap -- A Free Pattern; June 2011
• Craftown: Knit Headband

Resources

• Knitting Daily; Backward-Loop Cast-On; May 2008