This chemo turban was inspired by my mother Maureen Cannon, who fought breast cancer with dignity, courage, and grace. The French word "esprit" means liveliness of mind or spirit my mother was the embodiment of this word. She was a beautiful and fashionable woman, and through no fewer than four different courses of chemo which left her without her hair, she kept her spirits high by wearing colorful scarves, tied turban style around her head. At night, she would wear a soft, stretchy cotton cap for comfort.
This turban marries the comfort of a soft, stretchy cotton cap with the fashion and beauty of a turban scarf. It is knit in lively, hugging Esprit cotton/elastic yarn in a reversible 4 x 4 rib pattern, and is as quick and easy to knit as it is uplifting to wear.
Size: Width: Rib stretches from approx. 4" to 10". Length: 20" after folding and grafting.
Materials: - 2 balls of elann.com Esprit. - 5.5 mm (US 9) needles. - Scrap yarn for provisional cast on - 6 mm (US K) crochet hook for provisional cast on.
Gauge: Measured over 4 x 4 rib, off needles and completely relaxed, 24 sts and 15 rows = 2" x 2".
Method: Using scrap yarn and 6 mm (US K) crochet hook, begin with a Provisional Cast On for 50 sts as follows: Crochet a chain of 60 stitches (i.e. 10 stitches more than your knitted piece will be). Tie a knot near the tail end of the crocheted chain, so youll be able to easily unzip it later. Turn the chain over so the bump is on top. Insert the tip of your 5.5mm (US 9) knitting needle through the bump and knit first stitch using Esprit. Continue this knitting on cast-on until you have 50 Esprit stitches on your needle. Begin 4 x 4 rib pattern as follows: Row 1(WS): K1 tbl (selvedge st), k2, *p4, k4* 5 times, p4, k2, sl 1 wyif (selvedge st). Row 2(RS): K1 tbl (selvedge st), p2, *k4, p4* 5 times, k4, p2, sl 1 wyif (selvedge st). Repeat these two rows until piece measures approximately 40" in length. Do not BO instead, leave live stitches on one needle in preparation for grafting 2 ends together to form piece into a loop, as described below.
Finishing: Unzip crocheted chain at beg of piece, one stitch at a time, and PU 50 stitches with your second needle. You are now ready to make the piece into a loop by grafting the 2 ends together using Kitchener Stitch. Maintain rib pattern in grafting by treating each set of knit and purl stitches in the ribbing as a separate unit. i.e. purl stitches should always face purl stitches on inside, with knit stitches facing outward, toward you on the front needle and facing away from you on the back needle, ready to graft. After each set of knit stitches is grafted, and you reach purl stitches, turn the work inside out, so that purl stitches are now on the inside with knit stitches facing toward you on the front needle and facing away from you on the back needle, ready to graft (as pictured, steps 1-4). Repeat to end of row and fasten off.
Fold loop as in diagram below, with right sides together, and sew an 8" seam, as shown below. Be sure that 2 knit sts on either end of RS are facing each other, so that after seam is opened, the seamed RS will show as a unit of 4 knit sts between 2 sets of purled sts see photo below.
To wear, place Fold A at forehead, 8" seam at center back of head, and Fold B at back of head.
Next, twist loop at back of neck.
Then, simply pull loop over head to front, and adjust twists and folds as you wish.
Standard Abbreviations: Approx - approximately, beg - begin(ning), BO - bind off, CC - contrast color, cm - centimeter, cn - cable needle, CO - cast on, cont - continue(ing), dec - decrease, EOR - every other row, ER - every row, es - edge stitch, f&b - front and back, inc - increase, k - knit, L - left, MC - main color, meas - measures, mm - millimeters, P - purl, patt - pattern, pm - place marker, psso - pass slip st over, PU - pick up, rem - remain, rep - repeat, Rev - reverse, R - right, rnd - round, RS^ - right side (row), sc - single crochet, SKP - slip 1, knit 1, psso, s - slip, SSK - slip, slip, knit - slip next two stitches knitwise, one at a time, to right-hand needle. Insert tip of left-hand needle into fronts of these stitches, from left to right. Knit them together. One stitch has been decreased, st st - stocking stitch, st(s) - stitch(es), tbl - through back loop, tog - together, WS^ - wrong side (row), wyib - with yarn in back, wyif - with yarn in front, yb - yarn back, yf - yarn forward, yo - yarn over.
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