Knitting headband/ear warmers plus the one thing I didn't need to buy this year

Last Thursday, I posted photos of two knit headbands that I've made for my daughters's Christmas stockings (that post is here). And I promised that I would come up with measurements and details of how I made them. So here I am, beginning a third one.I begged some yarn off of my daughter, yesterday. She has some plum acrylic yarn that I thought would be the perfect, go-with-everything-winter-that-I-own yarn.

This one may take me a few days, as I'm, uh, kinda busy this week. (And I bet you are, too!)

To start, I needed to figure my gauge. It's the gauge in width that matters, with the headbands. So, I started with yarn that I doubled, size 9 needles, and I cast on 14 stitches. I knit 6 rows, to get an idea of how wide this would be. The finished headband should be about 3  3/4 to 4 inches wide. It turned out that 14 stitches was just a tad too wide. So I pulled that one out, and cast on 12 stitches. This gave me a band about 3  3/4 inches wide, which I thought would be good for an adult (me!).

This is knit in the garter stitch, which is knit both sides. There's no finishing the edges, the knit won't roll, and it will be a thicker headband than if knit in stockinette stitch.

Once the gauge was established, I began knitting. I'll knit the band until it is about 20 inches long. At that point, I'll try it on my own head by pinning it together (leaving the knitting needle in place on the last row) and slipping it over my head. I'll use the highly technical jump-around-and-shake-my-head-about method of determining if the headband is the right size. If I need another inch, then I'll continue with the garter stitch a few more rows.

When the headband is long enough to go around my head, plus have an extra 1  1/2 inches of overlap, I'll finish the final row, with the traditional bind-off, leaving a yarn tail about 6 inches. After weaving the yarn tail into the edge, I'll stitch the headband together (with needle and matching-color thread), with the edges overlapping.

Now comes the embellishing part. I haven't decided if I'll simply sew on some buttons, or make a knit bow, or gather the headband just off-center from my face.

I'll continue posting photos as I progress. Yesterday afternoon, I spent about 1  1/2 hours knitting/untangling yarn, and got a little over half way done with the band (I've got about 12 inches knit). It will be close, as to whether I have enough yarn or not. I began with about 1/3 of a skein of yarn. (I used the highly precise method of scrunching the yarn up in my hands and guessing if it felt like a thick headband.) I think 1/2 skein would be a safer bet for one of these headbands.

For a girl-sized headband, I would think that 3 inches in width and probably about 16 to 18 inches in length would make the right size headband (you can do a quick measurement with a measuring tape, to get the right length).

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And the one thing I didn't need to buy this year?

Candy canes!

Every time I've stopped at a store, there's been a bucket of mini candy canes, free for the taking (one at a time, not the bucket). Over the course of the holiday season, I amassed about 10 mini candy canes! Woo hoo! Freebies are always nice!


I realize that many of you will be heading off to visit family in the next day or so. I want to wish you a very merry Christmas! (I'll still be here this week. It will be a family-at-home Christmas.)

The gifts that I am REALLY giving to my children this Christmas

If the advertisements on TV are any indicator of how Christmas morning will go in homes across America, many kids will be unwrapping iPhones, iPads, Wii game consoles, and Kindle Fires.

My kids won't be finding any of those under our tree. But they will receive several very nice gifts from their dad and I. As you know, this year is a tight year for us, financially. However, we've never been ones to buy over-the-top luxury gifts for our kids in past years, anyway.

Some of our "biggest" gifts that we gave to our kids in past years, included an easel for one daughter, a musical instrument for the other, and an Erector set for our son. We chose gifts that we felt they could use to continue pursuing their individual interests, and still provide years of enjoyment. It's not because we're cheap. It's because we think about which gifts could foster development in our kids' lives the most, without putting us into a financial hole.

But, you know, the equipment and playthings were really just tokens. The real gifts that we're giving to our kids this year are two parents who won't be stressed out in January when the bills roll in.

We're giving our daughters an education at the university that they chose. By giving them this education, we are also giving our daughters hope for their future careers.

We're giving our son the peace of mind that his parents are saving enough money for retirement, so that he won't have to support us in our later years. This is a gift of freedom, really. Our son won't need to choose the most lucrative career path for our sake, but can choose that which brings him greatest joy.

We're giving the entire family a savings' cushion, so that we can handle any misfortune that may happen in the coming year.

We're giving our children a fully-paid for home with heat, plenty of food, and family harmony.

We're giving all three of our kids living examples of how to be good stewards of their resources. Those are the real gifts our kids will receive at Christmas, and throughout the year.

Will my children be hindered in any way by not receiving iPhones, iPads, Wii consoles or the like? Not one bit. In fact, I think they will be better off, for the more modest gifts that we did choose. We put real thought into each gift. We chose items that filled needs for each child. I'd never send one of my daughters off to university with a new IPhone, but no decent coat to wear, or off in canvas sneakers to tromp through cold, wet grass, instead of good new boots. Gadgety electronic devices are fun, and we certainly like fun, too. But sometimes, I think parents have to be just that, the parents, and choose gifts that meet needs before wants.

Our Christmas morning will be full of the fun and excitement of giving and receiving gifts. I don't even feel sad or guilty that we're not buying more extravagant gifts. I feel like we've chosen some of the most appropriate gifts that our kids could receive, and that is a very satisfying feeling. When you know that you're doing the right thing, you can stand tall and have peace over your choice.