Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Feathered Arrow Headband

Feathered Arrow Headband

One of knitting's greatest challenges (in my opinion, at least) is finding a good way to use your yarn scraps. I never have the heart to throw them away, after all, and then I never have quite enough yarn to do anything really spectacular with my leftovers. Luckily, the humble headband can be a great solution to this problem - quick, fun, and gratifying to knit, they're also highly wearable and a great gift. Case in point: the Feathered Arrow Headband, which uses less than 50 yards of yarn and is easy to customize for teens to adults.

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool (100% Pure New Wool; 210 yards [192 meters]/100 grams); #202 (Cream) - one skein
The pattern.
Subtle, but niiiiice.

Needles: straight needles in size US 8, straight needles in size US 10 (for provisional cast-on)

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches

 So let's make a headband! First, then, using your size 10 needles and a provisional cast on, cast on 17 stitches loosely. Then, we'll move straight to our size US 8 needles and our main pattern, which is Expanded Feather Pattern from page 194 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and goes as follows:

Row 1: k3, yo, ssk, k7, k2tog, yo, k3

 Row 2 and all even rows: k2, p13, k2

 Row 3: k3, yo, k1, ssk, k5, k2tog, k1, yo, k3

 Row 5: k3, yo, k2, ssk, k3, k2tog, k2, yo, k3

 Row 7: k3, yo, k3, ssk, k1, k2tog, k3, yo, k3

 Row 9: k3, yo, k4, slip 1-k2tog-psso, k4, yo, k3

Knit rows 1 - 10 until piece measures roughly 19" - 21" along center strip and you've just finished row 9 of the pattern (the garter edging will be bunched up, so don't measure there. Also, you want the finished product to be an inch or two shorter than your head circumference - if you're knitting for someone with a smaller head, aim closer to 19". Make it bigger for a larger head). Block now, if desired, and then finish with the Kitchener stitch. Tuck in ends.
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37 comments:

  1. Mary LynnApril 30, 2015 at 6:25 AM

    I was looking for a quick project to keep in the car when I play chauffeur. Now we can use our straight needles again. Enjoy your weekend. It's going to be a warm one here. 70's.

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    1. Gretchen TracyApril 30, 2015 at 7:10 AM

      Glad I could help! :) We're still in the '60s, but '70s look close (and oh-so-tantalizing!!!!).

      Delete
  2. Mary BlonshineNovember 19, 2015 at 12:59 PM

    I'm a little confused about this pattern...it seems like the even rows have 18 stitches and the odd rows have 17 stitches and I can't make it work out. Can you explain it to me in a little more detail?

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    1. Gretchen TracyNovember 20, 2015 at 9:36 AM

      Oh my goodness, I thought I had posted a response to this question but apparently it didn't work. I apologize! Anyway, you're correct; I wrote my wrong side rows incorrectly. I fixed it above. And please, let me know if you have any other questions! :)

      Delete
  3. Mary BlonshineNovember 20, 2015 at 8:57 PM

    What is kk? I googled it and can't figure it out!

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    1. Gretchen TracyNovember 21, 2015 at 4:31 AM

      Hi again Mary!

      What's funny is that I'm pretty sure this pattern has been knit before but no one noticed the typos. The kk should simply read k3. I apologize for the errors! Obviously I try my best, but sometimes these things happen. :)

      Delete
    2. Mary BlonshineNovember 21, 2015 at 10:05 AM

      haha, that's okay! Thanks for responding!

      Delete
    3. Gretchen TracyNovember 21, 2015 at 10:20 AM

      Hopefully you won't find any more... but let me know if you have any more questions!!!! :)

      Delete
  4. nanaNovember 26, 2015 at 4:05 AM

    what happened to row number 8 the pattern skips from row 7 to row 9.

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    1. Gretchen TracyNovember 26, 2015 at 4:33 AM

      Hi there!

      All of the even rows are the same as row 2 (which is "Row 2 and all even rows: k2, p13, k2"). Let me know if you have any more questions! :)

      Delete
  5. AnonymousDecember 13, 2015 at 11:50 AM

    tried this pattern out and was highly pleased with it. i agree that after working on cardigans, pullovers and even baby items, this item went extremely fast and was gratifying. thank you for the lovely pattern :)

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    1. Gretchen TracyDecember 13, 2015 at 12:43 PM

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Sometimes it's nice to just get something done quickly! :)

      Delete
  6. miguelitoDecember 21, 2015 at 10:30 AM

    HI, we start with 17 then they become 16 stitches... how come??

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    1. Gretchen TracyDecember 21, 2015 at 11:36 AM

      Hi there!

      I have definitely had some typo issues with this pattern. :) Can you tell me which row is giving you trouble?

      Delete
  7. Barbara LowellAugust 8, 2016 at 8:10 AM

    Lovely, can't wait to try. Can you tell me how you did the first st in every row to get such a nice edge?

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    1. Gretchen TracyAugust 8, 2016 at 9:37 AM

      Hi Barbara! Glad you like the pattern. :) And I didn't do anything special with the edging... Just what the directions say!

      Delete
  8. UnknownJanuary 5, 2017 at 8:46 PM

    Beautiful pattern can't wait to knit it .Thanks for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Gretchen TracyJanuary 5, 2017 at 8:51 PM

      Glad you like it! Let me know if you have any questions. :)

      Delete
  9. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2017 at 11:27 AM

    I think the math for the rows might be off.... I tried this project 2x and I run out of stitches while in a row, especially in the odd rows. Could you double check for me?

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  10. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2017 at 11:28 AM

    Also, we should be starting off with 17 stitches right?

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    1. Gretchen TracyFebruary 21, 2017 at 1:09 AM

      Hi!

      Yes, the cast-on is 17 stitches and I looked back through the pattern and everything looks right to me, since all of the decreases (ssk and k2tog) are matched by an increase (the yo), which maintains the count. Is there any chance you're missing your yarn overs?

      Delete
  11. UnknownFebruary 21, 2017 at 9:10 PM

    This is very confusing how can you just cast on 17 stitches? This is a head band right 17 stitches is way way to small

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    1. Gretchen TracyFebruary 22, 2017 at 12:35 AM

      Hi! The headband isn't knit bottom to top but end to end, and then seamed or grafted. At a gauge of 18 stitches = 4 inches, that means that this headband is just slightly under 4" wide, and of course as long as it needs to be. :)

      Delete
  12. UnknownMarch 31, 2017 at 1:06 PM

    Hi! Beautiful. And a new challenge for me: provisional cast on! �� When you do a "provisional cast on," do you 1) knit a row of plain knit stitch onto the scrap yarn loops/crochet chain, etc. This seems like it might make a wierd flat place when you later join a circular pattern like this one? Or do you compensate for that in the pattern? Or 2) do you start working your pattern directly onto the scrap wool crochet chain, which seems potentially awkward/difficult.

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    1. UnknownMarch 31, 2017 at 1:53 PM

      Actually, I hope I'm reading it more clearly now, as I look at your sentence structure, that I cast on the 17 stitches in my working yarn, THEN begin the main pattern. Appreciating the clarity of your writing again & sorry for cluttering your thread! Thank you.

      Delete
    2. Gretchen TracyMarch 31, 2017 at 7:42 PM

      Hi! Yes, you do the provisional cast on, at which point you'll have 17 stitches held on your scrap yarn and 17 on your needles, and then you begin the pattern. :) Let me know if you have any other questions!!!

      Delete
  13. soosanOctober 2, 2018 at 6:42 PM

    Hi Gretchen I just found this pattern and it is beautiful. You mentioned 10 rows but the pattern says 9 rows. For the 10th row do I knit row 2 again? thanks Soosan

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    1. Gretchen TracyOctober 2, 2018 at 8:19 PM

      Hi Soosan! Yes, Row 10 is the same as Row 2. :) Let me know if you have any other questions!

      Delete
  14. UnknownJanuary 1, 2020 at 9:34 AM

    stitches don't match directions.

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    1. Gretchen TracyJanuary 1, 2020 at 7:35 PM

      They certainly should! But you're going to have to give me more details about your problem if you'd like help with this... :)

      Delete
  15. CJohnsonDecember 18, 2021 at 9:35 PM

    What is the purpose of the provisional cast on? I’ve googled it, but still not sure! What a lovely pattern! Thanks for sharing and for commenting!

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    1. Gretchen TracyDecember 18, 2021 at 10:09 PM

      Hi! The provisional cast on creates live stitches going in both directions so you can graft it shut instead of seaming it at the end, for a slightly more elegant finish. You can of course also just use a regular cast on and seam it shut! :)

      Delete
  16. CJohnsonDecember 19, 2021 at 8:26 AM

    Thanks so much! One more question if I don’t do provisional on - when I cast off should I knit row 2 first or end with 9 as in instructions?

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    1. Gretchen TracyDecember 19, 2021 at 9:16 AM

      I would go ahead and knit through row 10. :)

      Delete
    2. CJohnsonDecember 19, 2021 at 10:46 AM

      Thanks so much! Truly grateful for your time!

      Delete
  17. JanineJanuary 6, 2022 at 7:15 AM

    I apologize. I read through your directions again and I noticed that the even rows are all the same. Please disregard my comment. Hopefully the other things will make sense. Thanks again

    ReplyDelete

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