If you can't decide on just one knit headband for this list, I have a bundle on Ribblr with all 6 patterns. This is a great opportunity to get six different colorwork knitting charts for a discounted price! The bundle is only available on Ribblr. If you haven't heard about Ribblr, it's a pattern shop with many cool interactive features. All of these colorwork charts are available in the interactive colorwork chart program that allows you to mark off which rounds you have already completed!
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My favorite style of knitting is stranded colorwork or Fair Isle knitting. Knitting colorwork has so much potential for unique designs. I love using colorwork to express my creativity. There's just something about drawing up a picture on a chart full of squares and turning that into a beautiful colorwork design. I honestly might have more fun drawing out the designs than actually knitting them sometimes!
Stranded colorwork is anything but boring. Paying close attention to the colorwork chart every round keeps my attention. With colorwork knitting, a color change always holds my attention. Plus, I get so invested in the design as it comes to life that I find myself knitting for longer at a time to try to see how the following rows will look.
My love for stranded colorwork is pretty evident if you've seen my pattern stores. Most of my patterns are stranded colorwork. I just can't stop creating them! Most of my stranded colorwork patterns fall into 6 themes. I made five different patterns (a scrunchy, cup cozy, headband, baby headband, and bow) in six different colorways. The six colorways are leopard print, cow print, simple speckle, spring chevron, summer daisy, and heart print. I also have more colorwork patterns, but these make up the bulk of my store, with 30 patterns to choose from. Many of my colorwork patterns are also free, including some headbands, which I'll highlight below.
My six colorwork themes are so different that there is something for everyone. The cow print and leopard print collections are bold, so they are great for people who like to make a statement with their knit items. On the other hand, the simple speckle collection is great for minimalists. The simple speckle collection is also great for beginners due to the easy repeat. My spring chevron collection is easily the most customizable, with three colors to play around with. The summer daisy collection is fun for a bright pop of color in the summer, or it can be customized to be a year-round collection. And finally, my heart print collection is simply timeless. I love this collection for gifting because the heart symbols scream love!
Today, I want to highlight each of my collections by showing off the headbands in each. The headbands are definitely my favorite patterns in each collection. Because they are the largest item, the colorwork patterns really shine through. Plus, these headbands are thick enough to use as ear warmers in the winter months! Keep scrolling to get a closer look at each of my six stranded colorwork headbands and see where to find the colorwork knitting patterns.
1: Cow Print Headband
This cow print headband is one of my favorite colorwork designs that I've ever created. Cows are my favorite animal, so I just had to make a cow print collection. I might be a bit biased, but I think I nailed the abstract nature of cow print with this headband. I love the simplicity of black and white, but I've also seen this headband made in brown and white, and it's gorgeous!
This headband makes a great gift for any cow lovers in your life. I know that there are a lot of us out there! Cows are just so cute, so how can you not love them? The black and white colors are also great for anyone who wants to make a statement with their headband but might not want the attention that bright colors bring. Black and white go with everything, right?!
The cow print headband doesn't have an "easy repeat" because the cow print is so abstract that the repeat section is a bit longer than some of my other patterns. I don't mind a long repeat section because it keeps my attention for longer than a mindless knit. If you're looking for a good mindless knit pattern, don't worry; some of these headbands are great easy projects, so keep scrolling!
Have I won you over to cow print? If so, you can find the cow print headband everywhere I sell patterns. It's available on Etsy, Ravelry, and Ribblr.
2: Simple Speckle Headband
The next headband is the Simple Speckle Headband. The simple speckle headband lives up to its name. It is very simple. If you're looking for knitting for beginners, then this headband is the perfect pattern. The repeat is straightforward, so it's excellent for beginners who are just learning about stranded colorwork. Stranded colorwork doesn't have to be complicated. There are a lot of colorwork patterns available that are very complicated and create intricate designs. Still, sometimes, having a simple repeat that only requires a little attention is nice.
The simple speckle headband is also a great mindless knit for more experienced knitters. I love to knit while watching TV, which can be very difficult with some patterns. I'll admit that sometimes my mind wanders off, and I realize I've completely messed up my knitting. The simple speckle headband makes it easy to let your mind wander and not miss any color changes. Once you get a feel for the repeat, this headband practically flies off the needles.
I knit the simple speckle headband in red and white. I loved the red yarn's brightness with the subtle white pops throughout. It reminds me a lot of Christmas, and I actually have gifted a simple speckle headband during Christmas. The recipient's favorite color is also red, so it was perfect! What I love about this pattern is you can easily change out the colors. You can change just the red to a different primary color, or you can choose to change both colors to completely customize it to your style.
The best thing about this headband is that it's available for free! The pattern is completely free right here on my blog and on Ribblr. If you prefer a PDF version, then it is also available for purchase on Ravelry and Etsy.
3: Leopard Print Headband
My cow print headband isn't the only animal print collection that I offer. The leopard print is absolutely stunning! This collection has to be my second favorite fair isle collection that I've designed. Can you tell that I love animal prints? It's so fun trying to capture the unique aspects of an animal print while being limited to a certain number of stitches. I love the challenge, and so far, both of my animal print collections have been worth the effort!
The leopard print is bold and neutral at the same time, making it the perfect accessory for anyone! Much like the cow collection, the print is bold, but the colors are neutral. The tan and black of the leopard print works with any outfit. You can also be more adventurous and change out the colors for anything you want! A snow leopard theme with white and black would be stunning, or even a bolder choice, like two shades of pink, would be fun!
Like the cow print headband, the colorwork repeat is longer than some other designs. To capture the unique nature of leopard print, I had to make the repeat section a bit longer. It's still a super easy chart to read; it just takes some extra attention for each round.
Is leopard print your favorite headband so far? The pattern is available in all of my pattern stores: Etsy, Ravelry, and Ribblr.
4: Spring Chevron Headband
The next headband is the Spring Chevron headband. As the name suggests, I made this headband with spring colors in mind. I used pastel pink, blue, and green to capture the spring flower vibes. Even though I used spring colors, this headband is a great pattern to incorporate your own style. This is the most customizable headband that I have available. With three colors to select, you can make this headband truly unique to you.
You can select your three favorite colors to customize your headband to your style. If you're gifting this headband to someone it's a great way of incorporating their favorite colors into a unique piece for them. I also love the idea of a different season themed headband. A Christmas one would be stunning with red, white, and green yarn. Or a Halloween one with orange, purple, and black yarn. It's easily customizable and will look great year-round with different color choices. The possibilities are endless with the spring chevron headband.
The repeat chart on this one is shorter than the animal print. It's much easier to understand for beginners. Once you get the hang of the colorwork chart this headband works up very quickly! For more experienced knitters, this is an excellent project for last-minute gift cramming. Or, if you're just learning how to knit stranded colorwork, this is a great beginner project for you.
Best of all, the Spring Chevron headband is available for free! Like the Simple Speckle headband, it's available for free right here on my blog and on Ribblr. If you prefer a PDF version, then this headband is also available for purchase on Ravelry and Ribblr.
5: Heart Headband
Next up is the heart headband. The heart headband is simple, but it's still one of my favorites. I love this pattern for gifting because the heart print is perfect for showing someone you love them. I also love the heart print for kid items because what kid doesn't love hearts on their clothes? Although the heart print headband is great year-round, it's especially great for Valentine's Day. It makes a great Valentine's gift for anyone in your life!
Although I chose to use off-white yarn with pink hearts, you can customize it to any colors you want. I've seen this headband be worked with a fun variegated rainbow yarn for the hearts, and it was stunning. Whatever colors you choose for this headband, it will look amazing!
One of the great things about the heart print headband is its simplicity. This is another great pattern for beginners. It's easy to see where the color changes will be once you get a feel for the pattern. With an easy repeat chart, this is great for beginners or experienced knitters looking for an easy project. The headband works up quickly, making it a great last-minute gift idea!
The rest of the heart print collection is just as great for gifting! If you're looking for gift ideas, the collection also includes a scrunchy baby headband, cup cozy, and bow that make beautiful gifts year-round.
If you've fallen in love with the heart headband like I have, you can find the pattern on Etsy, Ravelry, and Ribblr.
6: Summer Daisy Headband
Last but certainly not least is the summer daisy headband. This knit headband pattern features white flowers against a yellow background. I designed it with summer in mind, but like the spring chevron headband, it can be easily customized to any season. The simple flower design adds a whimsical touch to this headband without being overpowering.
I love how this headband looks in yellow and white for summer, but you can easily customize the colors like any of the other headbands. This headband could easily turn into a Christmas project by changing the colors to red and green. It can also easily be made more muted by choosing colors like brown or black to make it more subtle. If you are gifting this headband to someone, it's a great opportunity to switch out the colors for their favorite colors. A customized handmade gift is always appreciated!
This color chart is great for adventurous beginners or intermediate knitters. It's not as complex of a design as the cow print, but it's also not as easy as the simple speckle design. It's a good middle ground of difficulty. The colorwork chart is easy to understand, but it does have more color changes than the simple speckle design. With a bit of focus, this is easily a beginner-friendly pattern.
If the summer daisy headband has won you over, it's available everywhere my patterns are sold: Etsy, Ravelry, and Ribblr.
Looking for more colorwork knit headband patterns?
With six completely different colorwork headbands highlighted above, I'm sure you found something that sparked your interest. If you did, make sure to check out the rest of the collections on my Ravelry, Etsy, and Ribblr stores. Each headband mentioned above has a matching scrunchy, baby headband, cup cozy, and bow. You can make a complete set or mix and match different designs.
Don't forget, I offer a bundle on Ribblr where you can get all six of these headbands for a discounted price! It's a great way to get a variety of different knit colorwork charts all in one bundle.
Shop the whole collection of your favorite designs, or check out some of my other colorwork patterns, including a scrappy scrunchy and cactus cowl. I'm sure you'll find something you love in my pattern store!