If you want to try your hand a knitting cables for the first time, or if you’re looking for a small project to work on while on the go, this headband is the ideal project for you; and it uses up only 50 grams of yarn, so it’s also perfect to use up that one odd skein of yarn that’s been sitting in your stash. It’s quite relaxing to knit and the result is elegant and comfy.
I used one 50g skein of sport weight polyacrylic yarn from a local craft supplies store in a dusty green colour. For the knitting needles, I followed what’s recommended on the yarn label and used 3.5mm circular needles (regular knitting needles are fine too).
For the cabling part, a cable needle is ideal as in my opinion it’s the easiest to use, but if you don’t have one you can also use another knitting needle, a chopstick or anything else that can hold a few stitches. Additionally, you’ll need a pair of scissors or yarn cutter, a tapestry needle, a measuring tape, and optionally some sewing clips or sewing pins to make it easier when seaming.
If you want to block your project, you’ll need blocking mats and, depending on the yarn and your preferences, wool detergent or a garment steamer.
To get started, cast on 46 stitches using long tail cast-on. Then knit the cable repeat as outlined in the chart. For the edge stitches, always slip the last stitch knitwise with the yarn in the back; the first stitch of each row is simply a knit stitch. This creates an edge that’s great for seaming together later on.
How to do the pattern repeat
Rows 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 are simply knit and purl stitches where you knit the stitches as they appear.
Two stitch cables
For the stitches 14/15, marked as RC for right-leaning cable, first insert your right needle into both stitches on your left needle and pull through the yarn as you would for K2tog (knit two together); but don’t slip the stitches off your needle yet, instead insert your right needle again but this time only into the first stitch, so the one closest to the needle tip, and pull through the yarn again as for a knit stitch. Now lift both loops off the left needle and continue knitting following the chart instructions.
For the stitches 32/33, marked as LC for left-leaning cable, insert your needle into the back loop of the second stitch on your left needle and pull through the yarn, but don’t lift any stitches off your needle yet. Instead, now insert your right needle into the back loop of the first stitch on the left needle and pull through another loop. Now you can lift both stitches off the needle and continue following the chart.
Twelve stitch cable
In row three, you need to cable twice, holding your cable needle in front of your work. So once you reach the section where you need to cable (starting from stitch 18), slip the next three stitches onto a cable needle. Then hold the cable needle in front of your work and knit the next three stitches. Afterwards, either slip the three stitches back onto your left needle or you can also knit them right of your cable needle. Repeat this one more time.
In row seven you only need to cable once, this time holding your cable needle behind your work. This time, starting from stitch 18, simply knit the next three stitches as you regularly would. Then slip three stitches onto your cable needle and now hold the cable needle in the back of your work, so behind your knitting needles. As in row three, knit the next three stitches off your left needle, then slip the stitches from your cable needle back onto your left knitting needle and knit them. Now simply follow the chart again, knitting the next three stitches and so on.
Keep knitting your headband
Keep going until your headband has reached the desired length (make sure to stretch it out as much as you would on the blocking mat before measuring). The final measurements will depend on your head circumference, the ideal length is around five centimetres or two inches shorter than your head circumference for a snug but comfortable fit. Mine ended up measuring 52cm for a head circumference of 56cm. Once this is done, use a regular bind off and weave in the yarn tails.
Now it’s time to block the flat piece. While this isn’t absolutely necessary, as cable tends to be less stretchy than the knit fabric on the sides, I highly recommend that you don’t skip this step.
Seaming together and adding finishing touches
Once this is done, turn the headband inside out and seam together the sides to create a tube. It’s up to your preference which seaming method you want to use, I used simple whip stitch as it lays flat and this part doesn’t need to be particularly pretty as this will be on the inside of your headband anyway. Just make sure that whichever seaming method you choose is stretchy enough, I would not recommend something ‘sturdy’ such as slip stitches.
After this step, don’t cut the tail yet. Turn your headband inside out so that now the right is facing outside. Afterwards, hold both ends of the tube together (you can also use sewing pins/clips to help with that) and seam those edges together as well to turn your flat piece into a headband.
This last step is certainly optional, I just like the look of it – you can pin your headband onto your blocking mat, making sure that the cable part is outside and centred, and hit it with a steamer once more. This just makes the edges of the headband lie flat neatly.
If you want to give your headband a final touch, you can sew on a label. I use small faux leather labels that just say “handmade”, I feel like this takes the look of the final piece to the next level.
In total, given that I’m certainly on the slower side when it comes to knitting, it took me six hours to finish this project.