Confident beginner · free small project

Flat ribbed headband

Knit a narrow ribbed strip and join its short ends into a headband. The example length is a starting point, not a universal fit: measure a stretchy swatch and check the strip around your own head before seaming.

Original Purlgrid recipe · engine-checked counts · diagrams are previews, not photographs of a physically made sample.

Supplies and skills

Comfortable yarn, matching knitting needles, a flexible tape and a blunt yarn needle.

  • Knit and purl
  • Two-by-two rib
  • Sew a short seam

How to make it

  1. Measure a washed ribbed sample in the relaxed state used for this calculator. Choose your desired strip width and length; the default dimensions are only an example.
  2. Cast on the calculated multiple of four. Work knit two, purl two across every row. Keep the yarn between the needle tips when changing stitches.
  3. Work the listed rows, but try the strip around your head before binding off. Pin or hold the short ends together to account for the seam and the stretch of your fabric. Adjust the length and regenerate if needed.
  4. Bind off with enough stretch. Put the short ends together and sew them with a yarn needle, matching the columns. Weave in the ends and place the seam at the back.

The calculator measures the strip before seaming. Seam take-up and stretch determine the worn fit.

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Optional: estimate yarn from a weighed swatch

Use a washed, dry sample in the same yarn and stitch pattern. Fill all five measurements; the estimate includes the reserve you choose.

Stitches across
16
Fabric rows
140
Calculated rectangle
8 × 50 cm
Cast on
16

The target size is 8 × 50 cm. Whole stitches and rows give the calculated size shown above, before finishing.

Gauge used: 20 sts and 28 rows per 10 cm in this fabric.

VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––VV––
Stitch schematic, not a finished-product photograph. V = knit, – = purl, × = single crochet. Preview: first 16 stitches and 24 rows.

Working instructions

Cast on 16 stitches. Turn after every row. Knit and purl abbreviations use the stitch count of the complete row.

  • Rows 1–140: repeat (k2, p2) 4 times (16 sts in every row).

After the listed fabric rows, bind off on the following row. The bind-off edge is outside the calculated fabric-row count.

No yarn quantity is assumed. Add a weighed, measured swatch below for an area-based estimate.

  • ✓ Every row keeps the same stitch count.
  • ✓ The instructions cover every row exactly once.
  • ✓ The optional lettering fits inside the patch.

Questions about this project

Does the default length fit every adult?

No. Head size, stretch, comfort and seam take-up vary. Use a washed swatch, choose your own length and try the strip before finishing.

Why is the width a multiple of four stitches?

The repeating unit contains two knit and two purl stitches. A multiple of four lets this flat strip use the same row instruction consistently.

Terms and next steps

k = knit; p = purl; sc = US single crochet; MC = main colour; CC = contrast colour. A number after a stitch abbreviation is the number of stitches to work. Read repeat instructions as written.

Abbreviation references: Craft Yarn Council knitting terms · Craft Yarn Council crochet terms and US/UK comparison.

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