Crochet Bow Headband Pattern in 3 Sizes

Good morning one and all! No need to adjust your monitors: I did not cut off 8 inches of hair or give myself bangs over the weekend. These pictures (and the patterns) are two years old. I always intended to post the patterns, but kept remembering and then immediately forgetting about it. I’m happy to finally be scratching this 2-year old to-do item off my list today.

(With projects like this that take me 2 years to post, you can see why reading a book about early-onset Alzheimer’s would give me some concerns about my own memory.)

Like many of my patterns, these are more of a rough guideline than a set-in-stone pattern. Totally easy to adapt to any head size, but they should fit most adults as written. I think these headbands are such a fun, playful accessory—make them in all sorts of colors and sizes to go with any outfit!

We’ll go in size order, from little to big. Scroll on for the patterns. All of the headbands use worsted weight yarn (some of my favorites are Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn, and Vanna’s Choice), and an H hook.

And since they require such a very small amount of yarn, they are a great way to use up little odds and ends that you already have—no need to race out and buy something new (unless, of course, the yarn-shopping urge strikes, as it often does for me).

Little Bow Headband

Note: To adapt this pattern for different head sizes, simply use more or fewer chains in the first step to get the right size loop to fit properly around your head. Visit THIS link for average head sizes based on age, and chain whatever number makes a loop of the right size.

For the headband:

Ch 60, sl st to first ch to make a loop (make sure the chain is not twisted!).

Row 1: Ch 1, sc in each st around. Sl st to first st, fasten off, and weave in ends.

Alternately, for a stretchier headband, simply work foundation single crochet until piece is the proper length to fit your head, slip stitch to the first sc to create a loop, fasten off, and weave in ends.

For the bow:

Ch 22.

Rows 1-4: Ch 1, sc across, turn.

Fasten off, leaving a very long yarn tail. Use this tail to sew the two short ends together to form a loop. Pinch the center of the loop to create a bow shape, and wrap the remaining yarn tail tightly around the center quite a few times. Fasten it securely, then sew the bow to the headband.

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Medium Bow Headband

Note: To adapt this pattern for different head sizes, simply use more or fewer chains in the first step to get the right size loop to fit properly around your head. Visit THIS link for average head sizes based on age, and chain whatever number makes a loop of the right size.

For the headband:

Ch 60, sl st to first ch to form a loop (make sure the chain is not twisted!).

Rows 1-3: Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to join. (Do not turn at the end of each row.)

Fasten off, weave in ends.

For the bow:

Ch 27.

Rows 1-5: Ch 1, sc across, turn.

Fasten off, leaving a very long yarn tail. Use this tail to sew the two short ends together to form a loop. Pinch the center of the loop to create a bow shape, and wrap the remaining yarn tail tightly around the center quite a few times. Fasten it securely, then sew the bow to the headband.

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Big Bow Headband

Note: To adapt this pattern for different head sizes, simply use more or fewer chains in the first step to get the right size loop to fit properly around your head. Visit THIS link for average head sizes based on age, and chain whatever number makes a loop of the right size.

For the headband:

Ch 60, sl st to form loop (make sure chain is not twisted!).

Rows 1-6: Ch 1, sc in each st around, sl st to join. (Do not turn at the end of each row.)

Fasten off, weave in ends.

For the bow:

Ch 33.

Rows 1-8: Ch 1, sc across, turn.

Fasten off, leaving a very long yarn tail. Use this tail to sew the two short ends together to form a loop. Pinch the center of the loop to create a bow shape, and wrap the remaining yarn tail tightly around the center quite a few times. Fasten it securely, then sew the bow to the headband.

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As with all of my crochet patterns and tutorials, feel free to sell your work! I would love a link back to my blog as your pattern source. And I’d love to see pictures of anything you make with my patterns! Share them on my facebook page, or tag me on instagram (I’m @maybematilda).

Find more of my crochet patterns on my Maybe Matilda Crochet pinterest board!

How to Crochet a Curlicue . . . and a Crochet Korker Bow Headband!

Have you ever wondered how people make these little yarn curlicue doodads? They're kind of cute, don't you think?

I was so intimidated by them when I learned to crochet--anything beyond a basic row or rectangle seemed frightening, and something that curled so nicely must certainly be horrific to try and make, right? So when I found out just how simple these guys are to make, I knew I had to pass it on. It's easy to get a bit carried away, since they're so quick and so satisfying to make:

And once you have a little bunch of them, you've got to put them to good use somehow . . . and I thought a crochet version of the good ol' korker bow we all know and love would be a great way to implement these fun little curlicues! (Also, I googled this . . . I think it may actually be an original idea. What what! Something new on the interwebs!)

(My poor son. He'll have so many things to tell his therapist someday. And he or she will definitely retire in style to the Bahamas, courtesy of me and my many offenses toward my poor baby boy. But lest you think he's too abused, he definitely puts up a good fight during our modeling sessions lately . . . )

 (Gone are the days when he'd just lie there like a cute little lump smiling at me with hats and headbands on his head . . . sometimes--especially when I'm holding a camera--I really miss those days.)

Anyway, I think this headband (and especially those colorful curlicues!) is so sweet . . . wouldn't it be particularly fun on a birthday girl? It kind of makes me think of curled gift ribbons on top of a pretty present:

Want to  make your own little crochet curlicue? They're so easy, and you only need a very basic knowledge of crochet stitches. Here's a little help if you're new to crochet--you just need to know the chain stitch (which you can learn right over here) and the double crochet (click here to learn), and if you need to see them in action, just head to youtube and search for them there; you'll find tons of videos of people demonstrating these stitches.

I used scrap pieces of yarn (you don't need much) and an H hook, but size doesn't matter a whole lot. Start by making a chain that's as long as you want your finished curlicue to be, plus 2. So if you chain 10, for instance, and that looks about the length you want your curlicue to be, just chain 2 more for a total of 12.

Make one double crochet in the 3rd chain away from the hook, the one marked by the needle:

Your work should look like this now:

Now just go down the rest of your chain, working 2 double crochets in each stitch of the chain, like so (so you'll be doing one double crochet in the stitch, then another in the same stitch, before you move on to the next chain--2 double crochets in each.):

 

Now just fasten it off (click here for a how-to). When you get to the end, it might look a little weird--maybe it'll be a bit wavy, but in a pathetic, half-hearted way, or maybe it will just be a little half moon shape, like so:

But if you take one end and start to roll it, it will curl up into a cute little curlicue, just like you wanted it to:

You did it! So easy, right? Now, don't tell anyone how simple it is (let's keep it a little crochet secret, okay? everyone will think we're amazing), whip up a few more, and make a headband! (My curlicues ranged in length from a chain of about 9 to about 15--I wouldn't go much longer than 15, as they started to get a little out of control when I sewed them onto the headband.)

You'll have 2 yarn tails on each curlicue--the piece that you started with, and the tail that was left over when you finished it. Weave in the ending yarn tail (how to here), but keep the starting yarn tail for now. You'll need a headband to attach your curlicues to--I'm not coming up with a new pattern for you today, but I'll help you out . . . I highly recommend this headband pattern (it's the one I used to make the headband pictured here), or you could use the instructions for my knotted crochet headband (just leave out the knot and you're good to go!), or you could even use a store bought stretchy headband, or attach your curlicues to a clip and forego the headband altogether (also, blogger doesn't seem to recognize the word forego . . . it's a real word, blogger, get with the program. I'm not just making words up.).

Just take your starting yarn tail, weave it under a loop or two of the headband, back up into the curlicue, and tie a knot. Weave in the yarn tail like you did at the start and cut off the excess. Keep attaching your curlicues, packing them close together on your headband, and slip it on to somebody cute (preferably a girl, but hey, you've gotta work with what you've got):

Cute, don't you think? My husband literally laughed out loud when he saw these pictures, but I'll assume he was laughing at the idea of our little boy in a headband (nothing new around this house) and not at my korker bow idea. And I'll pretend he didn't elaborate on the reason for his laughter. Which he did. And directed it at the bow. But what does he know?

Also, I'm being featured on Who I Am at Whipperberry today--very exciting! I was pretty shocked that Heather would want to spotlight me there, and found it surprisingly difficult to write a little bio blurb for it. That little paragraph on her blog honestly took me about an hour. Anyway, head over and check it out! So exciting, because I love Whipperberry--it has a certain elegance that a lot of crafty sites don't have (this one most definitely included. I mean, I just crocheted a korker bow and put it on my son. And in the pictures where you can't see his hands, it's because I'm holding them down while I'm taking the picture. Obviously, I'm not going to be getting the Elegance Award anytime soon.). I'm very flattered, and I think I'll be blushing all day.