Knitted Bandana
From LoveToKnow Crafts
Somehow I inherited a small bag of little balls of leftover yarn. I’m not even sure who it came from; either my great aunt or my grandmother, I think. Inside this bag was a collection of yarns of many different colors: reds, yellows, purples, and lots of neutrals, too.
I decided I wanted to use up the yarn by making a series of blocks that I would then stitch together into an afghan. As I was working on this project, I came across this creamy white yarn and completely fell in love.
I don’t know what it is about this yarn. It’s warm and fluffy, bright and beautiful. It makes me smile every time I touch it. I knitted up one square for my afghan and then decided I wanted to hoard the rest of the yarn for myself
The project
I had about a baseball-sized ball of yarn. I knew I couldn’t do much with it, but I wanted to make something I would use so I could enjoy the yarn frequently.
What I devised was this large triangle that could be used as a bandana, do-rag or small scarf. The best part is it’s incredibly easy to make and can be used by beginners to learn a very useful skill: increasing.
Materials
- One small ball of yarn, any weight you like. The more yarn you have, the bigger the finished product.
- Knitting needles of a size that work with the yarn you have. I used size nine needles for my worsted-weight yarn.
- Crochet hook for weaving in the ends
Instructions
Cast on three stitches. Knit one row, purl one row. On the third row, and every knit row thereafter, increase by one stitch on each side of the piece.
There are many methods for increasing, but the one I use, shown here, is knitting in the front and the back of the stitch.
Keep working in this manner, purling one row and increasing on the knit row, until you are almost out of yarn or until your piece is as big as you want. Cast off.
Uses for this project
I mostly use this piece as a do-rag, to hold my hair out of my face when I am doing chores or working on the computer. I think it would also work well as an under-scarf, that is, tied around the neck and slipped under your shirt.
This idea would make a really cute dog bandana. It could also be used (if a machine washable yarn is used) as a baby bib or a differently shaped washcloth or towel.
A really huge version of this project could make a nice wrap. A lacy version would make a cool head covering for a wedding in place of a traditional veil.
Once you make this project once, you’ll keep coming up with great ways to use it. It’s very simple and knits up quickly but it is a lot of fun to do.
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