DIY: Alpaca Merino Queensland Beach Headband

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This is the second Queensland Beach Headband I’ve knit and featured here on Kiku Corner. We sold the red version through our Etsy shop and I was eager to make another one. This time, I wanted to combine two yarns together, which gives the marled effect (the two-tone speckly texture) to this headband.

The gray yarn is Debbie Bliss Aymara in Cloud, which is a 100% alpaca DK. I selected the alpaca for its softness and warmth. However, alpaca is not stretchy and can make knit garments drapey. This is not ideal for a headband, which should be springy and maintain its shape after wearing it. To balance the slipperiness of the alpaca, I added a strand of Manos del Uruguay Marina in Denim. I used this laceweight merino wool in my blue Okinawa Cowl but had extra to add to this project. The pattern calls for worsted weight wool, but my combination of DK and lace together was appropriate for the pattern. I also used 4.5 mm / US 7 needles, the same size suggested by Fiona Alice.

This Alpaca Merino Queensland Beach Headband comes from Fiona Alice’s book called Take Heart published by Pom Pom Press. This lovely book incorporates Fiona’s journey from Nova Scotia to London, all shot on the beach in Wales. There are 11 patterns for accessories in Take Heart, and Meinhilde and I are slowly making our way through the book. 

The Alpaca Merino Queensland Beach Headband starts with a provisional crochet cast on. The simple cable pattern makes a repeating heart pattern. Next comes the completion of the headband’s body, which is an enjoyable repeating cable. Lastly, it finishes with grafting the two ends together. This is the trickiest part of the piece because the grafting stitches must follow the same ribbed pattern as the rest of the body. I had multiple attempts at this and frogged it many times! However, I was eventually happy with the results.

Get the Queensland Beach Headband on Ravelry here.