How To: Crochet a Cable Headband / Ear Warmer

So....my aunt-in-law (is that the title for my husband's aunt?) asked me to make a few Christmas gifts for her to give to her daughters. When she said she wanted a "headband," I thought she meant the simple crochet flower or zipper headbands I make. 

I was wrong. 

She handed me a pattern book and asked me to make two earwarmers. After getting super frustrated with the pattern in this book, I finally figured out a way to adapt it. 

It crochets up pretty quickly - it took me an evening, start to finish. 

Gauge

Width should be 4 inches; height is unimportant. 

Stitches

Cable: Skip next dc, working around from front to back, *insert hook around post of dc in row below, yo and pull up a loop, (yo and pull through two loops).* Around post of skipped stitch, repeat from * to *. 

Back Post Cable (BPCable): Skip next dc, working from back to front, *insert hook around post of dc, yo and pull up a loop, (yo and pull through two loops) twice.* Around the post of the skipped stitch, repeat from * to *. 

Supplies

Worsted weight yarn (I used Bernat satin)

Size I hook, or size necessary for gauge. 

Ch 19. 

Row 1) Dc in fourth ch from hook and in each ch across. 

Row 2) Ch 2 (counts as first hdc, now and throughout); work BPdc around next 2 dc, (work FPdc around next 2 dc, work BPdc around next dc) across to last dc, hdc in last dc. 

Row 3) Ch 2, work Cable, (work BPdc around each of next 2 dc, work Cable) across, hdc in last hdc. 

Row 4) Ch 2, work BP Cable, (work FPdc in next 2 dc, work BP Cable in next 2 dc) across, work hdc in next hdc. 

Repeat Rows 3 & 4 for 20 inches, ending by working Row 3. 

Finish off, leaving long tail. Sew seam, gather up tightly and weave in ends. 

*I write down patterns I make up all the time, but usually it's in a shorthand that no one except for me would understand. This is the first time I've tried to write the pattern correctly. If you try it out and run into problems, or need explanations on the Cable stitches, I'd be happy to help!