Tks headband

by Michaela Stephens September 24, 2026

Tunisian knit stitch headband

tl;dr: free pattern for a simple headband worked in Tks — ad-free!

This headband is crocheted using short rows across the width of the band (not lengthways) and can be made in any size. It starts at the back of the head, works around to the front, then back again, and joins at the back.

The pattern suits any type of yarn, from fine to medium weight — you could even attempt it in bulky.

To achieve the correct size, the pattern adjusts the number of increase/decrease rows along the sides of the head, and the number of full-width rows worked in the forehead section. If necessary, you can also adjust the final length before joining at the back.

Embellish your headband however you like.

Completed examples

Yarn: Ella Rae Marmel, Mystic Quartz. Hook: 6 mm.

Yarn: Porta Craft Crochet Cotton, Emerald & Gobstopper. Hook: 4 mm. Crab stitch edge & appliqué flowers with beads (not included in pattern).

Materials

Your favourite yarn with an appropriately sized hook.

Measuring tape.

Stitch markers, darning needle and scissors/snips.

Abbreviations & stitches

ch: chain stitch; yarn over and pull through the loop on your hook
sl st: slip stitch; insert hook where indicated, yarn over and draw up a loop, pull this loop through the loop on your hook
FwP: Forward Pass; the 1st stage of a Tunisian crochet row — during the forward pass, you collect loops on your hook until you reach the end of the row
Fnd: foundation; during the FwP of a standard Tunisian foundation row the loops are pulled up through the back bumps of a chain
RetP: Return Pass; the 2nd stage of a Tunisian crochet row — during the return pass, you create a chain back through, and interlock the loops, of the forward pass. At the end of the RetP, a single loop remains on your hook
Tco: Tunisian cast on; insert hook where indicated, yarn over, pull up a loop and leave this loop on your hook
Tks: Tunisian knit stitch; insert hook between the front and back vertical bars, and below the RetP, yarn over, pull up a loop and leave on hook
Tfs: Tunisian full stitch; insert hook between two stitches (i.e. pairs of vertical bars), and below the RetP, yarn over, pull up a loop and leave on hook
mTfs: modified Tfs; insert hook between two stitches (as for Tfs) as well as under the upper horizontal bar of the RetP from 2 rows below (this anchors the Tfs and stops it from pulling up and creating a small gap)
Te: Tunisian end stitch; the final stitch of a regular FwP — insert hook behind both vertical bars at edge of row below, yarn over, pull up a loop and leave on hook
ret: return stitch; the standard stitch of a RetP — yarn over and pull through 2 loops (the working loop plus one from the stash on your hook)
feRet: firm edge ret stitch; remove the working loop from hook, pick up edge loop from row below, place working loop back on hook, yarn over and pull through all 3 loops — see an answer to the tks wobbly edge for an in-depth tutorial
ret2tog: return 2 together; a RetP decrease — yarn over and pull through 3 loops (the working loop plus 2 from the stash on your hook) — for this pattern, on the next FwP skip the closer leg of the decrease and work a Tks into the leg further from your hook
slstBO: slip stitch bind off; insert hook where indicated, yarn over and pull up a loop, pull this loop through the loop on your hook

Measurements

Measure around your head where you will wear the headband (let’s call this measurement “C” for circumference). For example: starting on your forehead, measure around to the nape of your neck, then back to your starting point. If you are making a headband for someone else, measure their head circumference :-)

Your target measurement (call this “M”) is half of your head circumference, i.e. M = C ÷ 2.
For example: if C = 52 cm, then M = 52 ÷ 2 = 26 cm.

Important: While working the pattern and taking measurements, stretch your work by the amount it will stretch when you wear it. If you don't, your finished headband will be too loose.

Foundation row

Depending on your yarn weight, use between 4 to 8 chains for your foundation row — it should be roughly 3 cm wide. Adjust your stitch count to suit your yarn and your width preference.

For example, if you are using light weight yarn (e.g. DK or 8-ply, as in the 1st photo above):

Fnd row 6 ch, skip ch nearest hook, 5 Tco in back bumps. {6 loops on hook}
RetP: ch, 5 ret.

Step 1 — first side, increase row length at intervals

Start by working 4 Tks rows with the same stitch count as the foundation. For our example:

Rows 2 to 5 FwP: 4 Tks, Te. {6 loops}
RetP: ch, 4 ret, feRet.

At the centre of the next row (and every 6th row after), use a mTfs to increase your stitch count by 1. If your loop count is odd (e.g. every 2nd increase), make your mTfs directly after the centre of the row. For our example:

Row 6 FwP: 2 Tks, mTfs, 2 Tks, Te. {7 loops}
RetP: ch, 5 ret, feRet.
Rows 7–11 FwP: 5 Tks, Te. {7 loops}
RetP: ch, 5 ret, feRet.
Row 12 FwP: 3 Tks, mTfs, 2 Tks, Te. {8 loops}
RetP: ch, 6 ret, feRet.
Rows 13–17 FwP: 6 Tks, Te. {8 loops}
RetP: ch, 6 ret, feRet.
Row 18 FwP: 3 Tks, mTfs, 3 Tks, Te. {9 loops}
RetP: ch, 7 ret, feRet.
Rows 19–23 FwP: 7 Tks, Te. {9 loops}
RetP: ch, 7 ret, feRet.
Row 24 FwP: 4 Tks, mTfs, 3 Tks, Te. {10 loops}
RetP: ch, 8 ret, feRet.

Continue in this manner until the length of your work (from the foundation row to your most recent increase row) is approx. 2/3 to 3/4 “M” (i.e. from the back of your neck to near your temple).

Place a stitch marker in your final increase row. For our example:

Row 42 FwP: 5 Tks, mTfs, 5 Tks, Te. {13 loops}
RetP: ch, 11 ret, feRet. Place a stitch marker in this row.

Step 2 — front, maintain row length

Continue to work Tks rows with your current stitch count. For our example:

Single row rep FwP: 11 Tks, Te. {13 loops}
RetP: ch, 11 ret, feRet.

Repeat until the length of your work measures “M” (from back of neck to centre of forehead).

Count the number of rows you worked after the stitch marker and work the same number of rows again (to reach your other temple).

If you have lost count (or can't be bothered counting), fold your work back to the stitch marker and check that the length to the fold is “M”.

Step 3 — second side, decrease row length at intervals

At the centre of the next row (and every 6th row after), use a ret2tog to decrease your stitch count by 1. If your loop count is odd, make your decrease just before the centre of the RetP.

Remember: in each FwP that follows a ret2tog, skip 1 leg of the decrease.

For our example:

Row 60 FwP: 11 Tks, Te. {13 loops}
RetP: ch, 4 ret, ret2tog, 5 ret, feRet.
Rows 61–65 FwP: 10 Tks, Te. {12 loops}
RetP: ch, 10 ret, feRet.
Row 66 FwP: 10 Tks, Te. {12 loops}
RetP: ch, 4 ret, ret2tog, 4 ret, feRet.
Rows 67–71 FwP: 9 Tks, Te. {11 loops}
RetP: ch, 9 ret, feRet.
Row 72 FwP: 9 Tks, Te. {11 loops}
RetP: ch, 3 ret, ret2tog, 4 ret, feRet.
Rows 73–77 FwP: 8 Tks, Te. {10 loops}
RetP: ch, 8 ret, feRet.
Row 78 FwP: 8 Tks, Te. {10 loops}
RetP: ch, 3 ret, ret2tog, 3 ret, feRet.
Rows 79–83 FwP: 7 Tks, Te. {9 loops}
RetP: ch, 7 ret, feRet.

Continue in this manner until you have worked the same number of decreases as you made increases in step 1. Your stitch count will match the foundation row. For our example:

Row 96 FwP: 5 Tks, Te. {7 loops}
RetP: ch, ret, ret2tog, 2 ret, feRet.
Rows 97–101 FwP: 4 Tks, Te. {6 loops}
RetP: ch, 4 ret, feRet.

Your headband should now fit nicely around your head. If it is a little too short, add a couple of extra rows. If it is too long, frog a few rows.

Use a slstBO to finish the final row. For our example:

Row 102 4 slstBO (inserting hook as for Tks), slstBO (inserting hook as for Te), ch.

Step 4 — join at the back

Leaving a tail about 20 cm long, cut yarn and pull through the final chain to secure. Use your favourite joining method to connect the two ends of the headband. For my headband, I used a short row of cross stitches.

Secure all loose ends. Wear. Enjoy.