Have a Circular Knitting Machine? Make a Twisted Headband!

Over the holidays I started getting into using my circular knitting machine more, and though I would never give up on knitting and crocheting with real needles and hooks, I’ve got to say it’s a lot of fun for quick little projects. I have a Sentro 40 pin (and a 22 pin that I actually haven’t used yet!) and it’s been a lot of fun learning what they can do.

One of the classic early projects that a lot of people do when they first get a machine is to knit a twisted headband. It’s a really quick and easy project, and when you do it on a 40 or 48 pin it’s wide enough that it can double as earwarmers when you need it.

I shared my method for making a twisted headband over at Our Daily Craft, and this project comes in clutch for bad hair days or when you’re growing out your bangs like I (still) am. It’s almost like a messy bun hat.

They’re really quick and easy to make and this would be a great gift to stockpile for the holidays. You can make it on whatever machine you have, using whatever weight 3 or 4 yarn you have lying around. The one pictured here is Berroco Ultra Alpaca, which is great for a winter headband, but you could use an acrylic or a blend with less wool for headbands to wear year round.

Use the same pattern to make one on a 22-pin and it would be great to wear any time regardless of fiber.

Don’t have a knitting machine and you want to make one of these? It’s just a knit tube so you can cast on 22, 40, or any number of stitches you like, knit in the round until it is almost as long as your head is around where you would want to wear it (I did 20 inches/51 cm). Bind off and follow the instructions in the pattern to make the twist.

Grab the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

Next Pattern:

Not too long ago I was seeing a crochet pattern for a glasses holder shaped like a bear all over the Internet. It was super cute, and also useful as a place to put your glasses on your bedside table instead of just throwing them somewhere random.

This project stewed in my brain for a little while and I decided I needed to make a knit version, but I didn’t want to make a bear. If you know anything about me you might know that I’m a cat person, so of course my version had to be a cat.

The base is just a basic little basic worked from the center out to the desired size, then up the sides as long as you want them. Knit some ears and add embellishments to make it whatever kind of animal you want.

The way I figured out to work the base from the center out was to use a crochet cast on, which gives you an easier way to pick up stitches from the back of the cast on than if you worked a more traditional cast on for a knitting project. It’s kind of fun to do things in a different way from time to time.

This little project is adorable if I do say so myself, and even as a plain little basket not made into an animal it’s a cute way to keep your glasses or other little things in one place. I’m tempted to make one for my desk to hold pens or even little little scissors and sewing needles that are always on my desk but somehow always seem to get lost on my desk.

If you need a little holder for your glasses on your table, check out the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]

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