Recipe / Tutorial – Baby Hairband

One of my more popular items in the shop is the Baby Hairband, a one-size-fits-most-up-to-one-year soft band of knitted cotton adorned with a flower and vintage buttons. It is my design, based on a jumble of a few different patterns that I found online. I thought you may find the basic instructions useful in case you wanted to run up something similar yourself.

If not, the band is available for the bargainous £5 in the shop, including postage, and though it is currently only shown in a rich creamy off-white, I’m happy to mix and match any colours that you may request to coordinate your little one to her outfits and wardrobe. This is important stuff, after all.

 

My desire for the band came from wanting to adorn Tilly’s little head without clips (she had not much hair) or superglue (I’m pretty sure it’s not allowed…) and the bandanas, Alice bands and scrunchies that I found just didn’t fit the bill. This is soft, stretchy, will not dig into their precious little noggins and, if knit with a loose guage, will have the stretch to accommodate them up to one year. Of course, for a larger head, just cast on more stitches…

And so, the recipe is thus:

Baby Hairband – to fit up to 12months (or thereabouts)

• 4mm / UK size 8 straight needles
• DK-weight yarn. I have used King Cole Bamboo Cotton and also Sirdar Luxury Soft Cotton yarn with success. Smooth wool ones (such as Debbie Bliss Cashmerino) is likely to be fine too!
• 4mm Crochet hook
• Buttons (optional)
• Tapestry needle

Cast on 70 stitches LOOSELY.

Knit three rows.

Cast off LOOSELY.

Join the length together with the tapestry needle and neaten ends.

Use whichever patterns you like to create little adornments: I use Attic24’s pattern for the Teeny Tiny Flower (here) to make the central flower but anything would work here. What about leaves? Acorns? Little red circles to make ladybirds? Felt flowers?

Finally, scatter buttons/beads/sequins etc to the band and secure carefully and fully – you do not want the inevitable chewing to successfully gnaw them off!

 

Finale: Adorn your baby and wait for either a) the coos and ah’s from the surrounding crowds or b) your little minx to whip if off in half a second flat.

You have been warned.