Guest Blogger: Rachel from Maybe Matilda

Hi! I'm Rachel of the blog and Etsy shop, Maybe Matilda, and I have a cute, quick, and simple crochet project to share with you (isn't that how you want all of your projects to be? Cute, quick, and simple? Check, check, check.). Even if this is your first time holding a crochet hook, you'll be able to tackle this easy knotted headband.

And if it looks that cute on my little boy, think how much better it will be on a girl! You can easily make this headband any size you'd like . . . make it thin and teeny for a baby girl (or boy, I guess, that's what I did) or make a larger, wide one for yourself.

 

(I sure hope you appreciate this picture because as we were taking it, someone was honking on the street as they drove by. It was terribly awkward, so I only ended up with 3 shots to choose from. Not my favorite picture on the planet, but I was way too embarrassed to go back out for more!)

Here's what you'll need to make this headband:

- yarn (you won't need much--you could get away with using leftovers from another project)

- crochet hook (size isn't terribly important, especially since you'll be sizing the headband yourself--I used a G hook for the baby size, and an H hook for the adult size, but use whatever you have . . . no need to go shopping for a specific size hook)

- tapestry needle

- ruler (optional! I'd actually recommend using a real live head for sizing instead of a ruler)

All right, here we go! You'll be working up the width of the headband . . . meaning every row will add to the length, and you'll be working back and forth across the width, so start by making a chain that is one stitch greater than what you'd like your headband's width to be (to learn how to make a chain, click here) (make sure to leave a decently long yarn tail, because you'll need it later to sew your headband into a loop--6 inches or so should do it):

I'm making the little green baby headband in these pictures, and I wanted it to be rather thin, so I made a chain of 6--the last chain will not contribute to the width, and I wanted it to be about 5 stitches wide. For the adult size, I made a chain of 11, so the headband ended up being 10 stitches wide.

Work a single crochet into the second chain from the hook and in each stitch across (so if you started with a chain of 6 as pictured, you'll have 5 stitches at the end of this step) (to learn how to do a single crochet, click here).

 

Here's what you should have at the end of this step:

 

Chain 1, turn your work, and single crochet in each stitch across (you should still have the same number of stitches as you did in the previous step--5, if you started with a chain of 6, or your starting chain length minus 1).

This is where your own sizing comes in. You will simply repeat that last step until your headband is as long as you want it to be--you could measure your head (or the head of whoever will be wearing your headband) and use your ruler to check your progress, or just wrap it around your head every once in a while to see when you're getting close. I wanted a headband that would fit a 15-inch head, so I worked until my headband was 15 inches long when laid flat:

If you aren't using a ruler, just keep going until the headband fits around your head without too much stretching. You'll have a big long rectangle, like so:

Now, take the end you started with and tie a knot in the first 1/3rd of the rectangle:

Adjust it until you think it's cutesy-pootsy and try it on again--tying the knot will use up a few inches of headband length, which is exactly what you want. The headband will have a good amount of stretch to it, and you want to have to stretch it at least an inch or two to make the ends meet around your head. Remember, you want it snug! If necessary, crochet a few more rows or pull out a few rows to achieve the fit you feel comfortable with. When you've got the length you want, snip your yarn and fasten off the end (click here to learn how to fasten off your work).

Use your tapestry needle to weave in the yarn tail at just the end of your work (not the tail at the start of the headband!) . . . this step isn't anything fancy, you just want to secure the yarn tail in your work and hide it, so just sew it through some loops for an inch or two and cut the tail off close to the headband:

Now use your starting yarn tail to sew the two short ends of your headband together--just sew your ending stitches to your starting stitches, and weave in the tail just like you did on the other end of the headband:

If necessary, adjust the knot to a position that you're happy with, and you're done!

 

Now slip it onto somebody cute (whether it's you, or your daughter . . . or your son . . . ) and bask in the compliments that roll in when you say, "Why yes, I did make it myself!"

Make sure to visit my blog and Etsy shop . . . hope to see you soon!

Thanks for having me share my tutorial, Linda, and enjoy!