Not-So-Itty-Bitty Bow Pattern

Part 1: Not-So-Itty-Bitty Bow Pattern

There are a lot of knit bow patterns out there but most of them had something about their construction that I didn’t like. I decided to write up how I like to make knit bows. I’m breaking the directions up into two parts to keep it from being overly long and because part 2 should be useful for other things than this pattern. Part 1 would be this, the knitting pattern for bows. Part 2 will be directions for my favorite method of attaching stuff to hair clips.

I’ve included instructions for two different styles of bows. The ribbed bows are narrower and less dramatic. They work well for sets of hair clips and as embellishments. The garter stitch bows are larger and statement pieces. They require a bit more attitude to wear.

kb2

Materials For the Bow:

3.75mm Knitting Needles
DK or Worsted Weight Yarn Scraps – The red bows are Bollicine’s Dolly and the blue is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I’ve also had good results with Berroco Ultra Alpaca

kb1

Ribbed Bow:
CO 10
Work in 1×1 ribbing for 1in or to taste
Row 1: ssk to end
Row 2: Purl to end
Row 3: Knit to end
Row 4: Purl to end
Row 5: kfbl to end
Work in 1×1 ribbing for 1in or to match
BO

kb1

Pick up and Knit four stitches across the center back of the wrong side.
Work in stockinette for 1.5in.
Bind off and attach BO edge near where you picked up the stitches. It should be a bit of a stretch.
Weave in your ends.

DSC_0702DSC_0995

Garter Stitch Bow:

CO 14
Work in garter stitch for 2in or to taste
Row 1: K2tog to end
Row 2-4: Knit
Row 5: kfbl to end
Work in garter stitch for 2in or to match
Bo

Pick up and Knit four stitches across the center back of your least favorite side.
Work in garter stitch for 2.5in stretched.
Bind off and attach BO edge near where you picked up the stitches.
Weave in your ends.

br15lr12

To make either bow wider or narrower, work more or less stitches in increments of two.

Coming Soon:
Part 2: How to Attach Stuff to Hair Clips





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Comments

23 responses to “Not-So-Itty-Bitty Bow Pattern”

  1. Super cute! By the way, I tagged you for a blog award. Visit http://matchamagnolia.blogspot.com/ to see 🙂

  2. cute, I've been telling my mum to knit me some bows for ages, shes so forgetful.

  3. cute! i love the ribbed blue one

  4. hey andi, you commented on my gene kelly post the other day and i really wanted to tell you that me and my daughter sing that song to each other every morning too. i go in and wake her up, she opens her eyes with a huge smile on her face and starts singing straight away, its so so sweet!! i hope she remembers it when she is older like you do x

  5. JEAN MCNAB

    I don’t know what your abbreviations for pattern stitches mean—i am a old knotter but don’t know what you mean by kfbl???or ssk?? I am a clown and can see the possibility of these bows—thanks for your ideas and help

    luv daffodil

    1. Ssk stands for slip, slip, knit the slipped stitches together. It’s a decrease. Kfbl stands for knit front and back loops of a single stitch. It’s an increase. If you google them you can find more detailed descriptions and tutorials.

  6. Wendy

    What does kfbl mean? I’ve never seen this abbrevation before and I’ve searched various knitting websites and it doesn’t show up anywhere. Please help. Thanks!

    1. It stands for “knit front and back loop.” It’s a style of increase.

  7. Kate

    Does 1×1 mean knit 1 purl one for ribbing?

  8. Fiona

    Knitted embellishments are really ‘in’ atm here so I knitted over a hundred of these with some of my leftover stash. Sold them for 50p each on a fundraising stall for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Along with other items such as knitted roses and leaves they raised over £250 for the charity.

    So thank you for the patterns.

  9. Kim Muhle

    I have not tried this beautiful bow pattern as yet but I am going to. If you have any more beautiful patterns I would be interested in seeing them. I love the pattern. Thank you for sharing

  10. Joan Roth

    I prefer stockinette stitch. Doubled the directions to get a puffier bow. I also did a turning row for better definition. Sewed the sides together. Next, I need an easy pattern for a flat flower. These are fun for an “old” knitter like me!

  11. Rose Marie

    I feel this bow will be a great embellishment for my crochet coat hangers. Thank you.

  12. That knitting dude

    AWESOME

  13. Marlene

    I have not tried it but should do so in the near future. Thanks for sharing.

  14. Sophie Gates

    How does 1 pick up the stitches on the ws for the first (ribbed) bow? I’m thinking of knitting some for a charity stall in a few weeks, but I’m a little lost.

    1. Is it the technique or the placement that’s causing you trouble?

  15. Laura Tomat

    I used to do a lot of craft fairs and tried to have an inexpensive item. This would be great for that as it was a great help to pay for my booth. At age 92, I still do a lot of knitting, mostly for charity. I just finished knitting an afgan about 48 x 72 in the Log Cabin Quilt pattern that I found on the internet but don’t know how to thank Staci Perry…..the designer. It was an easy pattern to follow and I love it.

  16. I am thinking of making these to decorate Christmas packages!

    1. That’s a cute idea!

  17. Ellie

    cute bows. thanks for the variations!

  18. Pauline

    Many thanks. Am adding a garter stitch bow to my toddler granddaughter’s garter stitch scarf. So pleased, thank you, granny in Birmingham, UK.

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