A step-by-step guide to knitting the Heather Bandana
THE HEATHER BANDANA WILL BE YOUR NEW GO-TO ACCESSORY. THIS ISN’T JUST ANY BANDANA—IT’S THE ULTIMATE BLEND OF STYLE, SASS, AND DIY FLAIR. PERFECT FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ADD A TOUCH OF HANDMADE CHARM TO THEIR WARDROBE WITHOUT SACRIFICING AN OUNCE OF COOL.
Even if you've never knitted before, we'll take you from zero to hero in no time 🦸♀️
When it comes to knitting, practice makes perfect
Before we get started on the pattern we suggest you spend a bit of time learning the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your scarf.
The Heather Bandana uses just two stitch types - the queen of the knitting world, the knit stitch, and her friend the purl stitch. We put these two stitches together to create a stitch pattern called stockinette stitch.
You'll want to be confident with both the knit and purl stitches before you start 🧶 You'll also want to get a hang of tying a slip knot and casting on your stitches which is the first step in any knitting project.
You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. Once you've got these mastered you'll find the pattern a cinch!
Total beginner? 👩🏫
For a more comprehensive lesson on the basics of knitting visit our LEARN TO KNIT Page.
📏 Test your tension
While we're practising and before you start your project, you'll want to make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your knitting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by making a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like Goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.
GAUGE: IF DONE CORRECTLY, YOUR 10X10CM KNITTED SWATCH SHOULD BE 14 STITCHES WIDE AND 16 ROWS HIGH WHEN KNITTED IN stockinette STITCH ON YOUR 6MM NEEDLES.
TO TEST THIS, JUMP ON YOUR NEEDLES and CAST ON 16-18 STITCHES, THEN KNIT IN stockinette STITCH (KNIT ALL STITCHES IN one row, then purl all stitches in the new) FOR 18-20 ROWS. THEN MEASURE A 10X10CM SQUARE AND COUNT YOUR STITCHES AND ROWS WITHIN THAT SPACE TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE KNITTING AT THE CORRECT TENSION.
IF YOU'VE GOT MORE STITCHES OR ROWS THAN THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY YOU SHOULD HAVE, YOUR KNITTING IS A LITTLE TOO TIGHT, AND IF YOU'VE GOT LESS YOUR KNITTING IS TOO LOOSE. ADJUST YOUR TENSION BY HOLDING THE YARN A LITTLE MORE TIGHTLY/LOOSELY AS YOU KNIT.
TIME TO SWITCH OFF. STITCH ON. AND WHIP UP YOUR COSY BANDANA.
⚡️What you'll need
Your kit comes with everything you'll need to make your masterpiece. In your kit you'll find;
- 6mm needles
- 1 ball of Cardigang Alpaca Yarn
- Stitch marker
- A darning needle
- Made by me tag
You also want to have a pair of scissors handy.
💪 Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!
STEP 1
First thing first, cast on your stitches. Make a slip knot to get started and then cast on 3 stitches.
💭 Casting on, like many things in knitting, can be done in a number of ways so if you don't like the technique we suggested, you can pick any that’s right for you.
STEP 2
Let's get straight into it with the increases. An increase is where we turn one stitch into two (or more) stitches, thereby increasing the width of our piece.
Our pattern tells us to increase the first 2 stitches on your needle by 2 - turning 1 stitch into 3. At the end of this row you'll have 7 stitches.
STEP 3
Do another row of increases.
STEP 4
Okay, time to introduce our stitch marker into the mix. Your stitch marker is used to mark the middle stitch and we move it each row. Just undo the marker and clip it around the base of the stitch.
STEP 5 & 6
We will make the rest of our bandana in stockinette stitch which is created when you alternate knit and purl rows. So row 4 is made with knit stitches, and row 5 is made with purl stitches. By continuing the knit stitch at the beginning of our purl rows we create a garter stitch boarder.
STEP 7
Repeat the sequence as instructed. Use the circles in your pattern to mark off each row you've completed.
Just keep knitting… DID SOMEBODY SAY WINE TIME?! 🍷
STEP 8
Here we're going to cast on stitches to create the first tie. Then we knit back along the cast on stitches and all the way to the other end.
STEP 9
You're almost done! Now that we're at the other side, let's cast on another 30 stitches to create the second tie. As you knit back, you'll increase 2 stitches at the middle point and then knit to the end of the row.
STEP 10
Knit one more row.
STEP 11
✔️ Time to cast all your stitches off your needle.
When you cast off the second last stitch you'll be left with one stitch on your right needle. Cut your yarn from the ball (give yourself about a 25cm tail) and thread the tail back through the last stitch to secure it.
Use your darning needle to weave in the loose ends. You're just threading them back through the work to conceal them. Then trim any long ends with your scissors.
D.O.N.E! You've finished your bandana, well done! Epic work 🤩 If this was your first-ever knitting project or one of many, we hope you had a blast click-clacking and making your masterpiece💥❤️
Can't get enough Cardi?
Join the Cardigang Click on Facebook and connect with other knitters, ask questions and share your masterpiece.
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.