The Chai Earwarmer was designed with some of the stitches used in two of my other designs, the Spiced Chai Cowl and Spiced Chai Beanie. The original inspiration for this textured design was the gorgeous blend of colors in a skein of Malabrigo Rios Piedras. The colors reminded me of the many flavors of chai tea, so I chose a variety of stitches to represent the mix of spices. The Chai Earwarmer is a quick project that uses only a small amount of yarn, perfect for stashbusting or last-minute holiday gift knitting. It has a forgiving fit and instructions for customizing the length to fit a variety of head sizes.

The earwarmer begins with a provisional cast on and stockinette stitch setup. The body of the earwarmer is worked flat, with patterning on the right- and wrong-side both. A chart and line-by-line directions are both provided. The earwarmer can be worked to any length (suggestions are given for toddler - adult sizes) and then another stockinette stitch section finishes the earwarmer. I joined my ear warmer with a 3-needle bind of, but it could be joined by Kitchener stitch or bound off and seamed together. Knitters will need to know how to work cables and knit/purl tbl; a full page of step-by-step instructions with photos is provided for working the star stitch.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS - AFTER BLOCKING

Circumference: 18 inches
Width: 3.25 inches

MATERIALS

Malabrigo Yarn Rios 100% superwash merino wool; 210 yd/192 m per 100g skein; RIO121 Marte, 1 skein (used 32g, or approx. 67 yds.)

1 US #8 / 5 mm needle, I used a 16-inch circular and then an extra DPN for bind off. Straight needles also can be used.

Notions - tapestry needle, cable needle, waste yarn (for provisional cast on), stitch markers, if desired.

Sizes Given:

Toddler (1-3 years) 16” - 18”
Child (3-10 years) 18” - 20”
Teen/Small Adult 19” - 21”
Adult 21” - 24”