How to Knit an Ear Warmer With a Twist Front

Steps

1. 1. Cast On 15 Ear Warmer Stitches With a Long Tail and Doubled Yarn

   Hold two strands of worsted yarn together as if they were one. Make a slip knot and put it on your needle.

   Tip: If your cast on comes out tight, work it over two needles held together and pull one out.

   

2. 2. Knit One Purl One Rib for the Ear Warmer Band

   Knit the first stitch, purl the next, and keep going knit one, purl one to the end of the row. With 15 stitches you end on a knit.

   Tip: Lay the piece flat to measure it. Stretching it gives you a false reading.

   

3. 3. Knit Two Stitches Together at the Center of the Rib

   Work in rib across the first six stitches. Now knit stitches seven and eight together.

   Tip: Count both needles before you go on. Seven and seven means you are on track.

   

4. 4. Move Seven Ear Warmer Stitches to a Locking Stitch Holder

   Put the seven stitches still on your left needle on hold. Slide a locking stitch holder through them, close it, and slip the needle out.

   Tip: Slip the holder in from the same side the needle goes in, so the stitches stay facing the right way.

   

5. 5. Knit the First Narrow Strip of the Twist to 4 Inches

   Turn your work and keep going in rib on those seven stitches. Your last row decides where to start.

   Tip: Mark the split row with a scrap of yarn so you measure from the same spot each time.

   

6. 6. Slip the Held Stitches Back on the Needle for the Second Strip

   Slide the seven held stitches off the holder and onto your free needle. Then put the stitches from the strip you finished on the holder instead.

   Tip: Lay the two strips next to each other to check they match before you cross them.

   

7. 7. Cross the Two Narrow Strips to Form the Ear Warmer Twist

   This is the twist. Point your needle toward the outside of the work.

   Tip: If the yarn ends up on the outside of the cross, uncross the strips and lay them the other way over.

   

8. 8. Knit Front and Back to Rejoin the Twisted Strips

   You need one stitch back to make 15 again. Knit into the next stitch as normal but leave it on the left needle.

   Tip: The first stitch after the join can look loose. Snug it up when you weave in that end.

   

9. 9. Knit the Second Half of the Ear Warmer to 6.5 Inches and Bind Off

   Keep working knit one, purl one across all 15 stitches. Measure from the center of the cross to your needle.

   Tip: Leave a tail about 12 inches long so you have plenty to seam with.

   

10. 10. Whip Stitch the Ear Warmer Ends Together With a Tapestry Needle

    Thread the long tail on a tapestry needle. Hold the cast on edge and the bind off edge together, with the twist facing out.

    Tip: Either side can be the right side. Michelle likes the purl edge facing out.