This time last year I couldn’t knit. Wouldn’t have been able to tell you the first thing about knitting. Now I’m not the most skilled knitter in the world but I’ve come up with this super-easy and quick baby knitting pattern. If you are pregnant or want to make a special, unique baby gift for a friend or relative, this is the pattern for you.

From start to finish this took me 2 hours, I’ve knitted only two other thing before this (a baby blanket that was easy, but slow and repetitive; it took me 5 months, and a cushion cover which I designed myself).

The best part? Once you have the basic pattern going, you can make this bigger or smaller. The one I’ve made will fit 6-12 months depending on head size. My baby is four months old and it’s a bit too big as I didn’t know when I’d finish it.

Tip: Start projects for the size the baby will be 6 months from when you start the knitting project. This allows for work/studies/life/other crafting projects to get in the way. It would be very sad if you worked hard on a knit only for it to be too small by the time the baby gets it.

One issue I have with most patterns is they tell you to buy specific wool that is only available in one country or is no longer being made or is expensive. This pattern can use any wool of the right thickness, it’s very forgiving.

I like it as a beginner project because it’s quicker than a scarf so you get finished results a lot faster, which is encouraging when you’re starting. The five month long baby blanket (which I got from a pattern book) was very monotonous and demotivating for me, and it was only the thought of my baby that kept me going.

The pattern:

Get two balls of double knit wool (any double knit or DK or baby wool will do, I used cheap rainbow stuff from Home Bargains).

Needle size: 6mm

Knitting with two balls simultaneously is easier than it sounds and means your project will knit quicker because you can use bigger needles. If you’re not confident with the idea of two balls, use one ball of aran instead, and follow the same pattern/same size needles. 🙂

The headband:

Tie the two ends of the wool to the needle.

Cast on 5 stitches

Knit 116 rows*

Cast off all 5 stitches and tie off the wool

Fasten one end to the other using a big sewing needle

*To increase the size for an older child, you can check how big it’s going to be by wrapping it around their head and adding more rows as needed.

The bow:

Tie the two ends of the wool to the needle.

Cast on 8 stitches.

Knit 24 rows

Cast off all 8 stitches and tie off the wool.

Weave the loose wool into the edge to neaten it up.

Attach the bow to the headband by wrapping wool around the middle of the bow.

That’s it! Super easy. Look up how to cast on, how to cast off, and how to do knit stitch on Youtube if you get stuck. And don’t get too caught up with keeping count, this pattern is extremely forgiving but an easy way to keep track is to remember each thick line is two rows.

Got any beginner knitting tips? Share them in the comments.