Piano Head

Piano Head Knitted Headwear by Lily Knits & Crochets

Project Overview

Piano Head is a beginner-friendly knitted headwear design featuring a funky keyboard motif created by designer Lily Langman of La Tricoteuse Designs. This downloadable PDF pattern offers instructions for crafting a stylish headband or cowl with a playful piano key design, making it an ideal project for knitters new to colorwork techniques.

What Is Being Made

The Piano Head pattern produces a fitted headband or adjustable cowl that wraps around the head. The design showcases a distinctive keyboard pattern across the fabric, combining black and white piano keys with a contrast color accent. Knitters can choose between a snug headband that sits across the forehead or a taller cowl style, with sizing customized to individual head measurements.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Colorwork knitting – The pattern incorporates multiple colors to create the piano key design across the fabric
• Provisional cast on – Used to begin the project with spare yarn for a seamless construction method
• Gauge-based sizing – Precise stitch and row counts ensure proper fit and pattern accuracy
• Customizable length adjustment – Knitters measure their head circumference and adjust the pattern length accordingly for headband or cowl styles

Stitches and Construction

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches appropriate for beginner crafters. The abbreviation "k" indicates knit stitches, which form the foundation of this straightforward colorwork project. The gauge is established at 24 stitches by 40 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters), providing the structural basis for accurate pattern repeat and sizing.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Piano Head pattern calls for DK weight yarn (also referred to as Sport weight in the pattern), with the original design using Bamboulène by Cheval Blanc, a blend of 50% wool and 50% rayon from bamboo. This fiber combination offers softness and breathability, ideal for headwear worn close to the face.

• Needle size: 3.5 mm needles (US size 5)
• Total yardage: Approximately 110 metres per 50 grams
• Color requirements: Black, white, and a contrast color (pattern specifies yellow in the example)
• Yarn quantities for sample: 40 metres black, 66 metres white, and 9 metres contrast color
• Additional tools: Darning needle for finishing and scissors

The pattern notes that Double Knitting or Worsted weight yarns with similar gauges and matching needle sizes serve as good alternatives to the suggested Bamboulène yarn, offering knitters flexibility in fiber selection while maintaining pattern integrity.

Sizing and Customization

The finished headband measures 18 by 5.5 inches (46 by 14 centimeters). To achieve a proper fit, knitters measure around the head from the base of the crown across the forehead and subtract 4 inches (10 centimeters) for a snug headband fit. For a cowl variation, the full head measurement is used, with the option to adjust the height while maintaining the keyboard pattern repeat throughout the design.