I was a little sad when the weather started to warm here this spring. Weird, I know! I really do love the changing of the seasons, but I had been wearing my Fiona Headband almost every day and I knew I was going to miss it! But then I had the idea that maybe I didn’t need to miss my Fiona Headband, it just needed a sister, summer pattern!
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The Inspiration
No surprise then that my inspiration for the Francesca Headband was my Fiona Headband! My Fiona Headband has unique stitches and that are fun to work and give it the ultimate texture, which I absolutely love! Made with Bulky yarn and cozy stitches, it’s not exactly summer friendly!
As I thought about how to summer-ize my favorite headband, I knew I wanted to keep the texture, but go a lot lighter on the yarn. This meant not only going from a bulky weight yarn to a dk weight yarn, but also moving from a wool blend to cotton blends. Now, I firmly believe that wool is a year round fiber – it really does keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but I wanted everything about this headband to say summer! I added a new, more open stitch and I was set!
Customize Your Headband
If you’ve ever worked up or just worn a headband and been disappointed with the fit, you’re in for a treat! The Francesca headband includes instructions for a narrow, 2 ½”, headband and a wide, 3 ½”, headband. It’s also super easy to customize the length of your headband so you can have the perfect fit! With my preference to put it on and forget about it and my small-ish head, I find that a nice snug headband stays put all day.
Use the instruction in the pattern and a tape measure to get the perfect fit. Remember, when you’re measuring your head, measure where you wear your headband. If you like to wear it behind your ears and around the lower part of your head, measure there. If you like it to be a bit lower on your forehead and higher on the back of your head, measure there! Also, if you like a snug headband, pull your tape measure nice and tight, if you prefer your headbands looser, keep your tape measure looser!
Keep the fiber content of your yarn in mind as you make decisions about fit too. Cotton, bamboo and other plant fibers tend to stretch a bit and don’t bounce back. If you’re using a plant fiber you may want to go a little tighter than you’d prefer to accommodate the stretching. Wool and acrylic tend to bounce back a bit more and can be worked a bit more true to size.
A Headband for Everyone
With two widths and instructions for customizing the circumference, you can make a headband for anyone in your life who would appreciate a handmade headband! I encourage you to play with colors, fibers and textures of yarn to make fun and unique headbands! Check out my video on how I modified my Francesca Headband into a flag inspired headband to wear on the 4th of July!
The Yarn
When I first started designing my Francesca Headband I had no intention of making so many, but now that I’ve started, I keep seeing more yarn I want to make into headbands – I’m looking at you olive green tonal! But for now I have three headbands complete!
For my first headband I used Acaci yarn from Hobbii. I had just finished crocheting my Bayla Beach Bag and had fallen totally in love with this yarn. I have to confess when I first saw the light plies, I was a little worried that it would be difficult to work with, but I was so pleasantly surprised! It’s a dream to work with, so smooth and soft it’s perfect for summer makes!
Acacia is 51% acrylic, 49% cotton and each skein has a generous 273yds/100b ball. It comes in some pretty dreamy summer colorways, I used color 12 which is a beautiful teal that reminds me of the ocean. I haven’t washed my bag or my headband, but the label instructions say machine wash cold, and lay flat to dry. Easy care for your headband!
When I searched my stash for another dk weight yarn, I was immediately drawn to the bold color and texture of Tweedle Dee from Lion Brand Yarns. I’m obsessed with the color Zinnia! It’s a really bold berry pink and it’s just gorgeous. Unfortunately, Tweedle Dee has been discontinued, but if you can find some, or if you have some in your stash, it’s fun to work with! The tweed-ish texture of the yarn does muddle the texture of the stitches some, but I think it still made a really beautiful headband!
Tweedle Dee is a 75% acrylic, 25% cotton yarn and each skein has 310yds/150g. If you can find some, it comes in the most saturated, bold colors so definitely snag some! The label says that it is machine washable and tumble dry, making it a great option for a kids headband!
After I had two wide headbands, I decided I needed a narrow, neutral headband too! I grabbed some Uru yarn from KnitCrate and went to town. This yarn was amazing to work with! It’s smooth texture showed the stitches so well even with the color changes. It’s also super cool and comfortable to wear!
Uru is a 100% organic Pima cotton yarn and each skein has 266yds/100g. I used the color Pavement and it shifts between shades of cool gray. The label says that it is machine wash cold and lay flat to dry. I would probably wash this with delicates so that it doesn’t get tangled in other items and get stretched out.
Other Supplies
The rest of the supply list is pretty small. The only other things you really need are a US E-4 3.5mm hook, a tapestry needle (these are my favorites) and scissors (aren’t these beautiful?). Check your hook carefully and look for the milimeters rather than a letter label. There seems to be some discrepancies between companies as to how they label a 7.0mm hook.
I fell in love with and always recommend Furls crochet hooks but my favorites are their wooden hooks and honestly, a wooden hook this small makes me a little nervous!I’m also on the go a lot in the summer so I lilke to take a long an unbreakable hook! For smaller, super sturdy hooks I’ve really been enjoying my Tulip hook set. They’re super smooth, with a really comfortable grip. I usually work with wooden hooks, but find that metal hooks glide really nicely through cotton and other plant fiber yarns. I bought a set of Tulip hooks and am a bit surprised that I’ve used almost all of them. I thought the more narrow handle might cause hand pain, but they gild so easily through the yarn, they’ve been very comfortable to use!
The Pattern
The Francesca Headband pattern is available on Ravelry and Etsy for purchase. If you’re reading this between June 24 th, 2022 and June 29th, 2022 you can use the code FRANNY20 to save 20% on Ravelry or Etsy. If you’d like to get the best discounts on all my new patterns, join my email list here!
The Francesca Headband is a tier 3 pattern. Tier 3 patterns are designed to let your skills shine through patterns with a mix of intermediate stitches! These patterns include a variety os sized projects that combine intermediate stitches and design elements to the new stitches or skills learned in a Tier 1 and 2 patterns. These patterns will help you show off your skills.
Tier 1 and 2 patterns coming soon for the stitches used in the Francesca Headband.
Read more about my tiered pattern system here!
A HUGE ***thank you*** to my amazing testers! They all did such beautiful work! This pattern was tested and tech edited to be as clear as possible. Pattern testers are an important part of the publishing process. I appreciate the time and attention they give! Thank you to my wonderful tech editor Michelle Muskett of Tales of Knots whose attention to detail makes every pattern better!
More Patterns with this stitch combination
Fiona Headband
This cozy headband is easy to throw on or carry with you in those in between seasons when you don’t need a full hat, but still have chilly ears. The dense stitches will keep you nice and cozy.
Fiona Cowl
The only thing better than a beautiful, cozy headband is a matching cowl! Designed to be paired with your Fiona Headband, this will keep you warm and looking great!
All of these links connect to my Ravelry shop, but if you prefer Etsy, you can find a link to my Etsy shop here!
Read more about my tiered pattern system here!
