Knit an "out-of-this-world" headband

Wear the colours of David Saint-Jacques' mission while exploring the world of knitting!

This is a beginner/intermediate pattern.

What you will need

• Circular knitting needle or 4 double-pointed needles
• DK yarn (four different colour strands, 50 grams, 103 metres)
  • 1 ball of charcoal
  • 1 ball of dark blue
  • 1 ball of green-turquoise
  • 1 ball of light beige
    
• Tapestry needle (to embroider and weave in the ends)

Instructions

Intermediate pattern

1. Provisionally cast on 80 stitches in the base colour (charcoal).
2. Using a stockinette stitch, knit 49 rows (15 plain rows, 19 design area rows, 15 plain rows) or knit 15 rows in stockinette, then the Fair Isle design, then another 15 rows in stockinette.
3. Keep the last row of stitches on the needles and keep a long enough strand after the last stitch (approximately four times the circumference of the piece) to sew the inside of the headband. Set aside.
4. Using the chain stitch, embroider the entire design in the 19-row area in the middle of the headband or embroider only the elements missing from the Fair Isle design.
5. Weave in the ends, except the length to be used for the seam.
6. To make an invisible seam, graft the open edge of the first row with the open edge of the final row in the inside middle of the headband. The headband will be of double thickness without any visible seams.

Beginner pattern

1. Cast on 80 stiches in the base colour (charcoal).
2. Knitting in the round, work three rows in a 2x2 rib pattern (knit 2 stitches, then purl 2 stitches and repeat).
3. Knit 19 rows of the design pattern in the stockinette stitch (knit all stiches).
4. Knit three 2x2 rib rows.
5. Loosely cast off.
6. With a yarn needle, embroider the grid's design in chain stitch in the blank area of the 19 rows of stockinette.
7. Weave the ends in using the yarn needle.

There are two differences between the beginner and intermediate patterns: the beginner pattern is a little taller and is of single thickness. By increasing the number of ribbed rows on either side of the design pattern, or by using a thicker yarn, the pattern could be used as a neck warmer.

Explore further

• Mission activities
• Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques' mission
• Activities and experiments