« Brownie Pudding | Main | Jelly-licious »

Stashbuster project extraordinare!

Materials: A leftover skein of cheapo acryllic. Size 8 bamboo needles.

Time: A couple of hours

Cost: $0

I found the basic instructions for knitted head kerchiefs at some now-lost site on the internet, advocating them as the perfect project for leftover oddballs of yarn. The pattern is also really simple -- it's like a basic diagonal dishcloth pattern, just blown up considerably into larger dimentions and left as a triangle. I used stockinette stitch, but you could probably simplify the below instructions and just use plain garter.

Start: cast on 3 stitches, K1, YO, K1 in the middle every other row until you've got 7 stitches, then repeat the following --
K3, YO, knit to last 3, YO, K3
K4, purl to last 4, K4

And just keep going until you've got enough stitches to fit around your head comfortably. Bind off.

This project sat as a completed triangle on our coffee table for a full two months until I got around to figuring the problem of the ties. I was going to make an i-cord, but I'm just no good at them -- I always forget and turn my work, which spoils the tubey-ness, they take forever to finish, and just generally look wonky. I'd rather work a back-and-forth 4-stitch flat cord, or drive some nails into a wooden spool and use that.

Then I finally went online and found basic crochet instructions, which turned out to be the easiest and fastest thing ever. Ten minutes later, my long-finished triangle was replete with ties.

I find the knitted kerchief in many ways superior to a bandana for household cleaning wear, because while it lacks the bandana's sweat-absorbing properties it redeems itself iwith superior hair-grippyness. Still, I'd add a couple of rows of garter stitch to the long edge of future versions, to prevent it from rolling up. I might also try to attach a long crochet cord entirely over that front edge, extending it on either side to form ties. For that matter, I could just make a gigantic triangle to act as an all-purpose hair-and-forehead snood/babushka for future gym trips, but that'd just get weird.

"For that matter, I could just make a gigantic triangle to act as an all-purpose hair-and-forehead snood/babushka for future gym trips, but that'd just get weird."

heh, you make me laugh :) I have been reading your site for a long time now, and this just may be the first time I've commented. so - hello.

On my machine knitted projects I always do at least one or two rows of crochet around the edges. Adds a really nice weight to stop the roll and you can do decorative scallops, etc. Since you've done the decorative knit edging on the two short sides you could just single crochet across the long side - would also be an easy way to attach and reinforce your crocheted ties.

i love your kerchief. i'm currently trying to make one. thanks for the inspiration.

Great Job!! I love it!
Can you tell me specifically which edging you used? I can't figure it out. I went to the crochet site,but didn't find it.
Keep up the good work, and thanks for sharing.
Blessings