Headband With Elastic Hair Tie Inset

In this video, Mary Beth Temple shows us how to crochet a headband using an elastic hair tie inset. This headband can easily be customized to any size or style. She explains that this process will work for any stitch pattern and that she will be using the griddle stitch (also called the up and down stitch) in her sample. This stitch pattern alternates single crochets (SC) and double crochets (DC), and requires an even number of stitches.

She begins by working her first row of 10 single crochet stitches right into the hair tie as though it is a magic ring. After making a turning chain, and turning her work, Mary Beth works across making a SC in the next stitch and a DC in the next. She repeats this pattern to the end of the row. Each successive row is the same: it begins with a ch-1 turning chain, then a SC into the DC stitches, and DC into the SC stitches all the way across.

After the headband fabric is long enough, we need to join the ending row to the hair tie to complete the circle. Mary Beth shows us how to connect the last row worked to the opposite side of the hair tie by using a row of SC stitches. This creates a bit of a ridge but it isn’t very noticeable, and it allows you to omit any seaming, and just finish the headband by weaving in the two yarn tails.