-1 Degree...Time for a Headwrap!!!

So when I got in the car this morning and discovered the dashboard thermometer read -1 (yes folks, that's a MINUS) I figured it was a good time to finally put up this post about the knitted headwraps that I've discovered!  They are the cutest thing I've ever seen too keep your ears warm!

I was at Bergners shopping after Christmas, and I saw this cute lady who had on a darling scarf/headband thingy.  I asked here where she got it and she pointed me towards the new boutique in Peoria called Apricot Lane.  Me and the Hubs (bless his heart) hurried over there and bought me the cutest navy blue headwrap for $24.  I was pretty proud of myself considering I saw it on a random stranger and not 15 minutes later had one of my very own!  I set to work researching them online to of course find out if I could copy one.  I didn't have any luck coming up with a free pattern, but Etsy never lets me down, and I found a great pattern online that only cost me 5 bucks from this awesome online shop! 

Elisa, the shop owner e-mailed me the pattern really quickly, and I set to work trying to create my first headwrap.  Now keep in mind, I'm a novice knitter at best, but Elisa's pattern and instructions were easy to follow after a couple of quick read-throughs, AND she included a link to a video tutorial explaining a few of the tricky parts (increases and decreases) in the pattern.  I am SO impressed!  Now, instead of one, I have about 5 headwraps!  Love it!!!! 

(I will admit, throughout the process I found another store at Northwoods Mall that sold the exact same headwrap that I bought at Apricot Lane, but this store had them on sale for $14...if you want one but don't want to make one yourself you might give the mall a shot before going to Grand Prairie.  I ended up with a second purchased one because they had one in my favorite yellow) I have to give credit to Sonja for the tip about the mall store.

So, here's the yellow version I bought, along with the taupe/gray version that I've made.  I'm missing my crochet flower in these photos, but you get the idea enough to see that Elisa's version is spot on!  I love these!  They'll make great gifts for Christmas next year!  I'm glad I found them early enough that I'll get a good jump on getting them made!!!  Consider yourself forewarned if you're reading this! ;)

Yummy yellow with sequins...I'm in Heaven!

This is how they fit...I love that the back of your hair doesn't get squished down!

My taupe/gray version looks pretty good compared to the original!



I did make a few alterations after trying Elisa's pattern compared to the headwraps I bought.  I liked that the ones I bought were a little less tightly knitted as well as a little more floppy.  This allowed them to fit just a smidge better.  So, I increased my needle size by one or two sizes, decreased the total number of stitches at the widest part by a few, and used the thinest/softest worsted weight yarn I could find.  The taupe/gray one reflects the original pattern with a bit thicker yarn (Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand).  It looks perfect, but was just a bit too stiff for my tastes because it tends to work up a little thicker than a normal worsted weight.  So far, my favorite yarn for these projects has been the NaturallyCaron Country or the Caron Simply Soft.