When you step outside into the winter weather the first thing that typically gets cold are your ears. When the wind is howling and the freezing rain or snow is coming down my ears can be half frozen within minutes. Most of the girls in our family wear ear warmers and headbands throughout the winter season to keep their ears warm.
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Two months ago I was going through my scrap bag of leftover yarn and decided that I need to use some of it up. The first thing that came to my mind was ear warmer headbands but I didn’t have a pattern to make them. That’s when I got busy (trial and error) and came up with a simple way to crochet them for all of the girls in my family.
The first thing that I did was use a tape measure to get an accurate measurement of an adult female’s head and that of my 11 year old great granddaughter’s head. Acrylic yarn naturally has stretchy-ness to it so just measure the exact circumference of the head and deduct 2″ from your measurement. That will be the length or circumference of your band.
You’ll next need to decide how wide you want your band to be. For adults I decided that the ones that I was crocheting needed to be 4″ wide. For a child you may want to make them 3″ in width.
The entire pattern is really simple and great for newbies to try. You’ll need to make your chain stitch (ch), single crochet (sc) and double crochet stitches (dc). I used size F and G crochet hooks.
Depending on the size of crochet hook you use and the ply of the yarn (I used 4-ply acrylic yarn) you’ll need to make 12-14 chains. Turn and then double crochet or single crochet in each chain until you get to the other side. Chain 2, turn and double crochet or single crochet across. You’ll continue this until you reach your desired length. Once I achieved my desired length I singled crocheted the two ends together (tightly) and then fastened my yarn off.
You want the band to fit snug but not tight onto the head. Acrylic yarn naturally has give to it so you can easily pull it over the head to cover up the ears. The bands are machine wash (gentle cycle) and tumbler dry low. If you wanted to dress them up a bit you could add appliques to them. You can use solid color yarn or ombre, entirely up to you.
We often misplace our ear warmers and headbands so I recommend making several using the yarn from your scrap bag so that you’ll always have a few on hand. I made extra ear warmer headbands and donated to them to the local homeless shelter where they were appreciated.
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These look very comfortable and warm. However, I prefer a knit cap.
This looks great. I don’t know how to crochet but I do have all the beginner materials ready to learn. I just have all these projects that keep getting in the way.
That’s a really practical use of the leftover yarn. And we all need something pretty to cover our cold ears!!
That’s a great use for leftover yarn. I know my ears are the first thing to get cold.
What a creative way to use your left over yarn. Nice to have several of them handy for the cold weather and so nice of you to donate extras.
I love this! Thanks for sharing your idea and your easily adaptable pattern. It seems like it would work up quickly, too. What a nice way to use up leftover yarn, making something that’s sure to be used. (Nicely modeled, too! You look great in your new headband. The sizing looks perfect for you.)
I wish I knew how to crochet. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of watching my Grandmother crochet lightweight blankets and scarves. Love the crochet ear warmer headband; practical and fashionable.