Braided Blossom Ear Warmer

The story:

So this one doesn’t have some fun story, but I had some scrap yarn, and I’ve been on this kick to make ear warmers/headbands for markets this fall and free-handed this. I went to make a second one and realized I should write down what I was doing. Thus, the braided blossom ear warmer was born! I hope you enjoy this pattern. There is a lengthy tips and tricks section that will help you through the pattern! You can also download the free PDF at the links above. Enjoy! 

What you need:

• J (6mm) hook

• Worsted Weight Yarn 125-140 yards total (Color A 60 yards, Color B 75 yards)

• Tapestry Needle

• 1 inch Button (optional)

• Scissors

• Stitch Markers (optional)

Stitches to know:

• sc - single crochet

• ch - chain

• hdc - half double crochet

• sl st - slip stitch

• mc - magic circle. You can find a tutorial from Bella Coco here

• In the third loop - working stitches in the third loop of the stitch from the row before. 

• Puff stitch - yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, and pull through all the loops on your hook. Do not chain after the stitch. You can find out how to use the braided puff technique here. 

• fhdc - foundation half double crochet (optional). You can check out a tutorial from Moogly here. I suggest following this tutorial from Natali's Crochet Designs when it comes time to join it in the round. 

• Invisible join -  Bella Coco has a wonderful video on it here.

Tips and Tricks

• This is a great project to use up scraps with! I have listed the quantities of yarn for both a solid color and a striped version. The color A refers to the striping (rows 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, and 12), whereas color B refers to the puff stitch rows (rows 4, 5, 8, and 9). The yarn quantities listed are for the adult-size ear warmer. You will use less yarn for the other sizes. The yardage is calculated for the flower to be made in color A. You can use whichever color you prefer, though! The flower uses about 8 yards of  yarn, so it’s perfect for scraps! 

• While you can easily just cut and rejoin the colors for striping, I suggest using this technique to practice carrying your colors and using floats or just using this technique here. This will give you a seamless color change and eliminate the need to weave in a million ends. The choice is yours, though! Do what you are comfortable with!

• The invisible join is optional, but it greatly eliminates the seam during the hdc rows. You can easily just join with a sl st. I encourage you to try it, though! You'll never return to using a sl st for those stitches once you get the hang of it. 

• The foundation half double crochet is also optional and I give instructions on how to start the ear warmer without it. If you choose the alternate start, work in the back bumps of the stitch and do your chains loosely. The FHDC will give you a more stretchy fit than a traditional chain start. 

• For the flower, if you can’t do the magic circle, just chain 4, sl st to the first chain, and work in the center of the circle you made. 

• While stitch markers are optional, they are useful in the beginning row. I place one every ten stitches so I don’t lose count of where I am at. Again, this is optional, but it might make your life easier. 

• You will turn in the project four times. These are marked in bold and capital letters in the pattern. These turns are important to create the braided effect. 

Sizing: 

Child (2-10 years old) - 9.5 inches wide

Child/Teen (11-17) - 10.5 inches wide

Adult (average) - 11.5 inches wide

You can change the size of the ear warmer by working multiples of two. 

The chain 1 at the start of each row does not count as a stitch. This is simply to build height within the project. 

Ear Warmer: 

• Row 1: fhdc 58 (62, 66), join with invisible join (58, 62, 66 sts)
  Row 1 (alternate): ch 58 (62, 66), join with sl st. ch 1, hdc in each stitch around. Join with invisible join

• Row 2: ch 1, hdc in the third loop of each stitch around. Join with invisible join (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 3: ch 1, sc in the third loop of each stitch around. Join with a sl st (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 4: Ch 1, *sk st, hdc in next stitch, puff stitch in skipped stitch* Repeat from * to * around, join with a sl st. TURN (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 5: ch 1, sk 2 sts, *hdc in next stitch, puff stitch in closest skipped stitch to the hdc, sk st* Repeat from * to * until you have one repeat left. Work the hdc in the first skipped stitch of the row and puff stitch in the skipped stitch. Join with sl st TURN (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 6: ch 1, hdc in each stitch around. Join with invisible join (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 7: ch 1, sc in the third loop of each stitch around. Join with a sl st (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 8: Ch 1, *sk st, hdc in next stitch, puff stitch in skipped stitch* Repeat from * to * around, join with a sl st. TURN (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 9: ch 1, sk 2 sts, *hdc in next stitch, puff stitch in closest skipped stitch to the hdc, sk st* Repeat from * to * until you have one repeat left. Work the hdc in the first skipped stitch of the row puff stitch in the skipped stitch. Join with sl st TURN (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 10: ch 1, hdc in each stitch around. Join with invisible join (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 11: ch 1, hdc in the third loop of each stitch around. Join with invisible join (58, 62, 66 sts)

• Row 12: ch 1, sc in the third loop of each stitch around. Join with a sl st (58, 62, 66 sts)

Fasten off and weave in your ends!

Flower:

• Row 1: Start with magic circle, ch 1, hdc 12x, join with sl st (12 sts)

• Row 2: *ch 7, sk st, sc next stitch*. Repeat from * to * around. Join to the first ch of the row with a sl st. (6 ch spaces, 6 sc)

• Row 3: ch 1, *sc 10x in ch sp, sl st to sc*. Repeat from * to * around. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (60 sc, 6 sl st)

Fasten off and weave in your ends. 

To attach to the hat, take a length of thread or yarn, place a button over the center of the flower (if using a button), and sew the button and flower onto the hat in your preferred location. I did mine off-center towards the bottom. Weave in your yarn from sewing it on, and you are done with your ear warmer!