I hope you all enjoyed last week’s post, on five things you can make out of your garter stitch squares. Researching for that post was so much fun and I loved seeing the creative things people make from just a square of plain knitting. I wanted to add another idea to the list: this adorable headband! Isn’t it cute? I’m going to give you a little tutorial on how to make one for yourself. If you find yourself asking “what’s a garter stitch square?”, take a look at last week’s post so you know what I’m talking about.

Let’s call it the Garter Be Kidding Me Bow Headband. Please forgive me for the terrible pun. I couldn’t help myself. This would be an ideal project for any new knitter, and I’m especially thinking about young knitters who might want to make something special for themselves and their friends. And even better, it is a SUPER quick knit.

I’ve been seeing big hair bows around the place a lot lately. I’m usually someone who balks at any big trend with distrust (it took me years to warm to skinny jeans), but who doesn’t love a cute bow? And they’re so easy to make! Let’s get started.

Below is a tutorial for a basic headband, but you can get really creative with these bows. Here are some ideas:

Instead of a attaching the bow to a headband, attach it to a hair elastic
Experiment with contrasting colours and differently-dyed yarn (think self-striping or speckled yarn)
Add embellishments like buttons or beads to the centre of the bow

Garter Be Kidding Me Bow Headband

Download a PDF of these instructions here: Garter Be Kidding Me Bow Headband

Yarn: DK/8ply weight yarn (I used a 100% acrylic yarn). Use a smooth yarn, not a fancy, fringed, or loopy yarn.

Needles: 4mm straight needles

Tension: 22 sts x 30 rows = 10cm² in stocking stitch (but tension is not crucial for this project)

Notions: Craft scissors, tapestry needle, tape measure.

Bow

Cast on 22 sts. Work in garter stitch (knit every stitch) until the piece is square. Cast off and weave in ends.

Fold the square into five pieces, like a paper fan, as shown below. I find it easier to fold the square in half and pinch the centre, then make two equal-sized folds on either side of the centre fold.

Garter square with lines shown for folding — Make your folds evenly spaced

Folded garter stitch square — Fold the square in half first to help you make evenly spaced folds

Folded garter stitch bow — Once you have folded the square into five, pinch it in the middle to make a bow.

Taking a new piece of yarn, wrap it around the centre of the folded square about 20 times. Tie both ends of the yarn together at the back of the bow with a double knot. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail on one end. Hide the other end inside the yarn wrapped around the bow.

Completed garter stitch bow — Completed bow with long tail for sewing to headband.

Headband

First, measure the head circumference of the person the headband is intended for. Measure around the head where the headband is going to sit. If you cannot measure the wearer’s head, look at this sizing guide over at Woolly Wormhead.

Cast on 10 sts. Work in garter stitch until the piece measures about 3″ (7-8cm) shorter than the head circumference you are knitting for (garter stitch is stretchy!). Cast off, leaving a long tail.

Sew both ends of the piece together using mattress stitch.