Honeycomb Headband

I have a habit of buying one skein of yarn at a time. Usually it is an orphan skein from a sale basket at a yarn shop I've happened upon. I like supporting small and independent businesses, and I know how sporadically yarn shops can see customers, so I often end up buying one or two skeins of random yarn. I'm nice that way. Other times I'll buy just one or two skeins because I like the color, or the fiber.


assorted sock yarn. .  .
minus a few rogue skeins

This frequently happens when it comes to sock yarn. I have a stash of sock yarn (also called fingering yarn) that has built up over the years. Mostly purchased because I like the colors - fun colored socks are a must. Plenty of the yarn has indeed gone to making socks - I've perfected the one skein pair of sneaker-socks, and number of the skeins have partners which is nice for making calf-high or knee-high socks. But, I still have quite few skeins right now and have been trying to come up with an alternative use for them. I have no patience for knitting a sweater out of sock yarn. Thousands of stitchs on size 2 needles? No thank you.

Earlier this winter I thought up a way to use a single skein of sock yarn: I decided it was time to bring the headband back into my outerwear wardrobe. I have plenty of winter hats for the colder days, and a pair of Swix ear warmers (from high school and college ski racing!) for the warmer days, but I've wanted something inbetween - for late fall, early spring, and those "extra-blue" days. Usually I just wear my neckwarmer as a headband, but I wanted something a little less bulky. And colorful. With a fun stitch pattern. That could use up some yarn - particularly sock yarn.

Cue the Honeycomb Headband.

The one skein ended up being just enough for the size headband I wanted, with about two stripes-worth of yarn left over. I knit the headband in the round, so the honeycomb pattern appears on just the outside of the headband, and a flat stockinette stitch is the inside "lining" of the headband. The double layer of fabric, along with the lofty honeycomb pattern makes for good regulation of temperature.


honeycomb stitch

The honeycomb pattern is a standard honeycomb stitch, which I took from The Field Guide to Knitting (awesome little guide, with a ton of different patterns - it is even set up like a traditional field guide). Since I knit this in the round, I adjusted the stitch pattern to reflect this - the original has purling on the even rows, but I knit all rows. The pattern is mindless/reptitive enough for me that I could knit while watching a movie, and put it down and pick it up without losing my place.

The yarn, Felici, by Knit Picks, is great for several reasons: it self-stripes, which adds an element of fun to the headband, and it is a blend of merino wool and nylon - stretchy and soft! And, it's washable wool, should I feel so inclined to wash it at somepoint down the road. It took a relatively short amount of time to knit, which is perfect considering March weather can tend towards the warmish, headband-worthy temperatures.

 

It's been on several early-morning dog walks, it had a test-run during my ski today, and this afternoon it was ooh'd and ahh'd over by one of my Biology classes - the students (girls AND boys) were impressed with it, and said I should start a knitting club (as if they have the time for anything other than skiing and school work?).

Now what to do with all the other skeins of random sock yarn. . . or the other yarn that's populating my stash. . .