Buttoned Headband in Plymouth Essex - F553

Buttoned Headband in Plymouth Essex – Pattern F553

This free knitting pattern from Plymouth Yarn Design Studio (pattern number F553) produces a stylish, textured buttoned headband designed to fit most adult heads. The finished piece measures approximately 20 inches in diameter and 4 inches in height, making it a practical and fashionable accessory for cooler weather. Because it is a one-size design worked in a relatively bulky gauge, this headband knits up quickly and is an excellent project for knitters looking for a satisfying, fast make.

What Is Being Made

The pattern creates a knitted headband that wraps around the head and fastens with a single large button. The button closure adds a classic, polished detail that elevates this accessory beyond a simple tube or band. The headband features a richly textured central panel flanked by ribbed sections at each end, giving it both visual interest and a comfortable, stretchy fit.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Essex, 1 ball (100g) in color #5000. Essex is a Plymouth Yarn offering worked at a chunky gauge, making it ideal for quick accessories.
• Needles: US size 11 (8mm) straight needles, or the size needed to obtain gauge.
• Notions: 1 large button, matching thread and sewing needle, and a tapestry needle for finishing.

Gauge

Achieving the correct gauge is important for this pattern to ensure the headband fits as intended. The target gauge is 12 stitches and 16 rows over 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch on US size 11 (8mm) needles. Knitters should swatch and adjust needle size as necessary before casting on.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• K1/P1 Rib: The headband begins and ends with sections of knit 1, purl 1 ribbing. Ribbing is a classic knitting technique that creates a stretchy, elastic fabric by alternating knit and purl stitches within the same row. It is used here to provide a neat, fitted edge at both ends of the headband.
• Plait Stitch Pattern: The main body of the headband is worked in a distinctive Plait Stitch, which gives the fabric a braided, woven appearance. This two-row repeat stitch pattern involves skipping the first stitch on the needle, knitting the second stitch, then passing it over the first stitch before knitting the first stitch — a technique that creates a subtle crossing or plaiting effect across the fabric. On wrong-side rows, the pattern alternates purl and knit stitches to maintain the texture.
• kfb (Knit Front and Back) Increase: After the initial ribbed section, stitches are doubled using a knit front and back increase worked into every stitch. This simple increase method adds a stitch to each existing stitch, expanding the fabric from 10 stitches to 20 stitches to accommodate the wider Plait Stitch panel.
• p2tog (Purl Two Together) Decrease: At the opposite end of the Plait Stitch section, stitches are reduced back to 10 by purling two stitches together across the row, neatly tapering the fabric before the final ribbed band.
• Buttonhole Construction: A simple two-stitch bound-off buttonhole is worked within the final ribbed section. Stitches are bound off over two center stitches, and on the following row, a cable cast-on replaces those stitches, forming a neat, stable buttonhole opening sized to accommodate a large button.
• Cable Cast-On: Used specifically to reinstate stitches over the buttonhole gap, the cable cast-on is a firm, structured cast-on method worked mid-row that creates a tidy edge around the buttonhole.

Construction Overview

The headband is worked flat in a single piece from one end to the other. The knitter begins by casting on 10 stitches and working 2 inches of K1/P1 rib. Stitches are then doubled to 20 using kfb increases, and the