869 Touriga - Headband Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Deerfield

Pattern #869 Touriga – Cable Headband Knitting Pattern for Women by Julie Turjoman

The Touriga headband is a beautifully designed knitted head wrap created by designer Julie Turjoman, offered as a downloadable PDF pattern. This accessory is crafted using Valley Yarns Deerfield, a luxurious DK weight yarn blended from 80% Baby Alpaca and 20% Silk, giving the finished piece an exceptionally soft hand, elegant drape, and cozy warmth. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an ideal next step for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore cable work in a manageable, rewarding format.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a fitted cable headband designed to wrap around the head and keep ears and temples warm in style. It is sized to fit a range of adult head circumferences, offered in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large, accommodating head circumferences of 18–19 inches, 20–21 inches, and 22–23 inches respectively. The sample shown in the pattern photography is knitted in Size Medium in the colorway Eggplant.

Construction and Techniques

The Touriga headband is worked flat (bottom-up), meaning the fabric is knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round. This straightforward construction keeps the project approachable while still producing a polished, structured result. Key techniques used in this pattern include:

• Bottom-up construction: The piece begins at one edge and is worked upward row by row, giving the knitter clear directional progress throughout.
• Provisional cast-on: The pattern begins with a provisional cast-on method using a crochet hook (size G-6). This technique uses a temporary foundation of crochet chain stitches to hold live stitches, which are later released and joined to the opposite end of the headband for a seamless, invisible finish — a hallmark of polished accessory knitting.
• Cable knitting without a cable needle: The central design feature of the Touriga is its cable stitch pattern, which Julie Turjoman describes as deceptively simple. Notably, the cables are worked without a cable needle, a technique that speeds up the process once learned and is an excellent skill-building exercise for intermediate knitters looking to gain confidence with cables.
• Worked flat: The headband fabric is knitted back and forth in rows, keeping the structure straightforward and easy to follow.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern throughout the Touriga headband is the cable stitch, worked consistently across the body of the piece. Cable stitches involve crossing groups of stitches over one another to create twisted, rope-like or braided textures on the fabric surface. In this pattern, the cables are designed to be achievable without the use of a separate cable needle, which involves carefully dropping and re-mounting stitches or using a technique of holding stitches to the front or back with the working needle alone. The result is a richly textured surface that looks intricate but is well within reach for an intermediate knitter.

Materials Required

• Yarn: 1 skein of Valley Yarns Deerfield (80% Baby Alpaca / 20% Silk), 50g / 109 yards per skein. The pattern sample uses the colorway Eggplant. This DK weight yarn is prized for its sumptuous softness, natural warmth from the baby alpaca content, and the subtle sheen and elegance contributed by the silk — qualities that make it especially suited to a wearable accessory worn close to the face.
• Needles: US size 5 (3.75 mm) knitting needles, or the size needed to achieve gauge.
• Additional materials: A crochet hook size G-6 for the provisional cast-on, stitch markers, and a tapestry needle for finishing.

Gauge

Achieving the correct gauge is important for a well-fitting headband. The pattern calls for