The Unsensational Earwarmer

A quick knit, shaped with simple increases and decreases and a matching set of short rows, this earwarmer naturally curves over the ears and around the head while sitting neatly both on the neck and off the forehead. Regular earwarmers often have to sit far over the forehead and onto the neck in order to cover most of the ears, and even then tend to get pushed back up off the ears by the curve of your neck. These were specifically designed for those who wish to keep their ears warm but who become overstimulated by having material on their forehead, or who want some mitigation to getting cold ears whenever they tilt their head back. The purchase includes two PDFs: one PDF for a 'base' pattern for the earwarmer, and one PDF with a ‘choose your own’ pattern for the earwarmer, with 2 options and guided alterations for each step of the pattern (the latter is good for knitters who enjoy working modifications). Difficulty-wise, the 'base' pattern should be appropriate for most adventurous beginner knitters willing to try their hand at short-rows. The 'choose your own' pattern is largely the same difficulty level but has a couple different and possibly more difficult options; it may be best suited for a very confident adventurer or intermediate knitter. (If the options of the 'choose your own' pattern look intimidating but interesting, try knitting the 'base' pattern first to learn the mechanics.) **Yarn:** - 50 - 65 yards / 45 - 60 meters light worsted weight yarn For a warmer and more wind-proof earwarmer, use a thicker yarn (an aran or a light, looser-plied bulky) at the listed gauge to get a dense fabric. For my samples I used Premier Yarns Deborah Norville Everyday (blue variegated), Jojoland Fantasia (rainbow; yarn discontinued but Jojoland Rhythm Superwash is similar), and Caron Simply Soft Party (gray). **Needles:** - US size 7 / 4.5 mm (or size for correct gauge), for flat knitting **Gauge and Size:** - 18 stitches by 25 rows in 4 in / 10 cm in stockinette With this gauge, the finished earwarmer will measure approximately 20 in / 50 cm long and 4 in / 10 cm wide at the front. Recommended 1 - 3 in / 2.5 - 7.5 cm negative ease. If your gauge yields a tight (less stretchy) fabric, I recommend going for less negative ease. I also recommend less, or even no, negative ease for those who wear glasses and are bothered by interference in how the glasses sit. As written, the pattern is designed to fit a head measuring 23 in / 58 cm along the path of the earwarmer (base of skull at back of neck, to ears, and back around). There are notes in both versions of the pattern guiding fit and size alteration. **Notions:** - Yarn needle - Button or other fastener (optional) - Sewing thread (optional; for attaching fastener) - Row counter (optional) **PDF Formatting:** The written pattern is black text on a white page, in size 11 sans serif font (Noto Sans, similar in size to Arial and larger than Calibri or Times New Roman), with no italics. Images have alt text, but feedback on these would be appreciated. The Choose Your Own version has two options per section of the headband (back, ears, etc.)--the options are side by side in two columns on the page, with a black divider line between. The purchase consists of the following: Base Version - Page 1: Pattern description and glossary of abbreviations - Page 2: Before You Begin pattern notes - Pages 2 - 5: Written pattern Choose Your Own Version - Page 1: Pattern description and glossary of abbreviations - Page 2: Before You Begin pattern notes - Pages 3 - 7: Written pattern Thank you to my pattern testers and all who gave me feedback in the editing stage for helping me polish this pattern before release! I will continue watching for feedback that I may incorporate into future revisions. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have regarding the pattern. This pattern is for personal use only. Do not redistribute, share, or copy any part of it, including inputting it into an LLM (AI). Items made from the pattern are your own, and you may sell them in small quantities. If you can, please add to your item’s tag the name of the pattern and my Ravelry designer name--thank you!