December 19, 2012
Christmas gifts made easy when people special request something that you make. And this is exactly what happened with my mom and making her a knit flower ear warmer. Indeed she saw the ear warmers I had been making and asked me to make her one as well. In fact, she even gave me her color preferences, flower choice and everything. As a result it made gift giving that year super easy. Granted it takes a little more time to give handmade, but I prefer that over shopping any day!
*This post may include affiliate links that I can earn a small commission from if you shop through them at no additional cost to you. Think of it as another way to help support my small business. ☺️ Please see my full disclosure for more information.*
Pattern Information:
The pattern that I used to base this project off of was:
A Simple Headband/Ear-warmer by Devin Lynch. However, this project is stitched considerably different than that pattern instructs. Initially I was inspired by this pattern, though, so I want to give credit to where the idea was originally sourced from. I also crocheted the flower for my ear warmer and did not knit it. I used my Free Crochet Flower pattern in two colors that you can find on my website. Or you could find a flower pattern from the book 200 Crochet Flowers, Embellishments & Trims. Click the link below to take you to it on Amazon:
Free Patterns on my website
As previously stated, I pretty much redesigned this ear warmer. Whereas the original was worked in the round, my version had a tapered edge and closed with a button. Even though I never actually created a pattern for this particular project, I do offer others. In fact I have two that are available for free on this website: Simple Seed Stitch Dishcloth Pattern and my Moss Stitch Dishcloth pattern. Not to mention, if you scroll to the end of either of those links you will see an option to download the PDF file.
What yarn was used for Mom’s Knit Flower Ear Warmer?
Before I specifically state what I used, I will say that this Knit Flower Ear Warmer could be made using any worsted weight yarn. For this reason I am going to include several links of my recommendations. Keep in mind I am only sharing worsted weight yarns as that is the size the pattern calls for. However you can substitute to your own preferences. You need to love your finished work.
Now to resume with what I used. To be honest Lion Brand is one of my favorite yarn companies. Wool Ease and Vanna’s Choice are two of my favorite worsted weight yarns to use. Mom requested a black ear warmer with a little sparkle gray flower in the center of the larger black flower. For this reason I chose Lion Brands Wool Ease in Black for the ear warmer. I don’t remember which sparkle grey yarn I chose and I didn’t write it down. You could use Vanna’s Choice in Silver Grey , it would just lack the sparkle. In fact, if you’ve been following along, that would have matched my dad’s requested hat perfectly.😊
Other good yarn choices I would recommend to use to make this would be Lion Brands Pound of Love, Caron simply soft and Red Heart Soft. Places to yarn shop for these brands would be Amazon , Lion Brand and Create For Less websites.
Knit Picks Yarn Options Below
What needles and tools did I use?
In addition to having great yarn, Knit Picks also carries my favorite needles. Initially I started knitting in 2012. Not only had I never knit myself, I didn’t know anyone who did either. I had no idea where to start. Therefore I decided to research extensively which were the best needles to buy at that time. Knit Picks topped the chart in so many categories that I decided to give them a try. In all honesty, I haven’t regretted it yet. As a matter of fact, I would buy them again today if given the choice.
If you are unsure of what you should purchase, I definitely recommend doing your own research and read the reviews. Keep in mind that you are making an investment in your craft. For this reason you want to be sure you’ll be happy with them for a long time to come. So check out the link below to see what the Knit Picks needles are all about. I highly recommend them being included in your research.
In addition to this, I’m also including a few links to Amazon for some interchangeable sets that come with excellent reviews. To tell the truth, I believe interchangeable is one of the most economical ways to get started in knitting. These sets are versatile and can be used for just about any knitting project. In fact, you can even use them to knit in the round if you learn the magic loop!!
What other supplies will you need?
On the condition that you choose to do this Knit Flower Ear Warmer Pattern like I did, you many also need buttons. Even if you choose to do it as the original pattern is written, you may still need buttons for the center of the flower. Therefore, I wanted to include a link to find those easily as well.
Black Buttons – $6.99
from: Annie’s
Additional Tools for when your wrists and/or hands ache
If you are like me and you knit and crochet a lot, something that I have found is useful at times is a pair of stress relief gloves. I own a few different kinds, but I do think any of them is better than not using anything at all if your hands and wrists are bothering you. I’ll include a few links for you to check out.
Need a little more help?
That should be about all you need if you want to try this one out. If you feel like you might need a little extra assistance and want online classes to help you, check out the link below for Annie’s and Crafty websites. I take online classes often to improve and advance my skills. You can always learn something new!
I taught myself to knit and crochet through kits that I found at my local craft store, so there is always that option as well. I’ll share links to kits similar to what I used that you can also find on Amazon if you can’t find at your local craft store or can’t get to one soon.
If you have any questions about the information in this post please just leave me a comment.
Happy Stitching!
🧶💖
~Mindy~
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