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Colorful knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame from craft book author & designer Heidi Gustad.

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How-to: Nautical Headband

August 20, 2012 Leave a Comment

I’ve had short hair for a longish time now, so I tend to miss out on trying cute braiding or updo ideas I see on Pinterest or other blogs. Lately, I have been getting more and more into headbands, like my bronze laurel headband, when I want to get creative with my hair. Today, I wanted to share how I made my new favorite hair accessory, a nautically-appropriate cord headband. If you enjoy macramé, knot-tying or the metallic belt I shared a couple weeks ago, you’ll be all over this project.

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

Supplies

1 yd navy cord

2 yds each of white and red cord

liquid stitch

ribbon

a few inches of elastic

straight pins

scissors

waxed paper

needle & thread

Directions

Cut your red and white cord into 2, 1-yard pieces each. You’ll have one 1-yard piece of navy cord, 2 1-yard red cord pieces, and 2 1-yard white cord pieces. Line up one red and white piece together, and one red, white and the navy piece together. Fold each set in half. Weave each set as one, following the animation below. If you remember my Olympic belt tutorial from a couple weeks ago, it’s the same basic sailor’s knot, also known as a Carrick Bend, that I used in that project.

How-to: Olympics-Inspired Knotted Metallic Belt | HandsOccupied.com

After your knot is tied, carefully tighten it until it lays evenly. Since one end of the knot has 3 pieces of cord instead of two, this step is important to make it lay just right. Then, braid the strings on each side of the knot. Since there are an even number of strings to braid with, you end up with a nice symmetrical braid with alternating V’s in each color of cord.

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

At the end of each braid, secure the ends in place by hand sewing. Since cord is a little different than fabric, it’s hard to make a knot that doesn’t pull through the cord. You’ll want to use a looped/doubled over piece of thread like this:

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

Here’s what the finished end with the navy cord looks like.

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

To secure the knot and keep it flat, secure each end of the knot similarly to the braid ends. Make sure that any exposed stitching is on the back side of the headband, the same side your braid sewing is on.

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

Adding the elastic

Measure your head circumference and cut an appropriately sized piece of elastic for connecting the ends of the cords together into a headband. Sew the cord to the elastic and trim excess cord length.

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

Cut enough ribbon to wrap around the ends of the cord and cover the end of the elastic. Use Liquid Stitch to glue the ribbon in place, and use straight pins to keep the ribbon and glue lined up as it dries. Set the headband on waxed paper to dry safely.

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

You can add even more Liquid Stitch all over the ends of the cord to keep them from fraying or sticking out of the ribbon.

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

When it’s dry, carefully remove the straight pins, and you’re all set to rock this cute and comfy headband. I’ve worn this thing 2 or 3 times a week since I made it. A great way to add some variety to my limited repertoire of short hairstyles!

How-to: Nautical Headband | HandsOccupied.com

Filed Under: DIY Style, Fourth of July, How-to, Macramé Tagged With: diy, headband, macrame, nautical, patriotic

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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