This is a free crochet pattern showing how to crochet the Buffalo Plaid Shay Earwarmer, a single crochet earwarmer perfect for Christmas shopping or a night out looking at Christmas lights. 4 sizes included so you can make one for everybody in the family.
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Find the free crochet pattern instructions below, or purchase a printer-friendly, ad-free PDF on Ravelry by clicking here.
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Our 4th Christmas in July project is here! This fun Buffalo Plaid Shay Earwarmer is great for using up scraps, and perfect for Christmas shopping or a night out looking at Christmas lights. 4 sizes included so you can make one for everybody in the family.
Our 1st project was the Gia Ornament.
2nd was the Santa Cosmetic Bag or Hook Pouch.
3rd was the C2C Santa Coaster.
Shay is an easy crochet line that features simple single crochets. I do want to mention though that this crochet pattern is more advanced because of carrying the yarns, but definitely something a confident beginner could do!
Find more Shay accessory and home decor crochet patterns on EyeLoveKnots, and Shay accessory and wearables crochet patterns here on Cre8tion Crochet.
Looking for an easy single crochet scarf to go with the earwarmer? Try out the Shay Scarf!
What is the best yarn to use to crochet an earwarmer?
I’ve used Red Heart Super Saver for my earwarmer, but you can use any worsted weight yarn from your stash – pick your favorite! Check your gauge to ensure the finished earwarmer will fit correctly.
I picked Red Heart Super Saver because I wanted to use yarn that I had in my stash already, and after the first wash, it gets softer and cozier. Some of my other favorite worsted weight yarns for earwarmers, especially against the wind, are Lion Brand Wool Ease (wool and acrylic blend) and WeCrochet Swish (100% superwash merino wool). They’re soft, squishy, warm and hold up so well to wear and tear and machine washing and drying.
Do I have to work in a buffalo plaid pattern?
This crochet pattern is written to work in a buffalo plaid pattern, but you could also work it in one solid color, or stripes. The height will finish smaller without having yarn carried throughout, and it may even be a little stretchier – you’ll want the earwarmer to finish about 2″ smaller than the given head circumference.
How do I make the Buffalo Plaid Shay Earwarmer Taller?
I do typically like the child and adult size earwarmers to be 4″ in height. I originally figured I would work four color sections, but then I realized that it would end with a section that had black boxes against the black border, and I wanted to keep it in the center with just burgundy and red boxes next to the border.
Since I was almost finished with the earwarmer, I finished as is. 3 1/4″ tall does comfortably cover the ears for an adult so it’s just a shorter earwarmer, but still cozy and warm.
To make an earwarmer for child and adult small that’s around 4″ tall, I would work 5 stitches wide by 4 rounds tall, and the same 3 color sequences resulting in 12 rounds plus 1 black to start and end.
For an adult large size, it would require going up to 90 stitches to work out evenly, but I believe this would produce an earwarmer that is a bit too big finishing at just 1″ smaller than the head circumference instead of 2″, so I would recommend trying the 80 stitches worked in an I9/5.5mm crochet hook (one size up from the original pattern). This is untested so I can’t say for certain.
Make a pair of Penguin Earrings with plastic canvas to complete the look.
If you would like to grab a free copy of the PDF for this pattern, make sure to check out the Pattern Notes section below.
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What Supplies Do I Need to Crochet a Single Crochet Earwarmer?
- 115 (125) Yards of Worsted Weight Yarn – I used Red Heart Super Saver in the Burgundy, Black and Cherry Red colorways; Respectively, it’s (45, 35, 35) and (50, 40, 35) Yards
- H8/5mm Crochet Hook – I love my ergonomic hooks from SiennasBowtique on Etsy
- Tapestry Needle
- Soft Tape Measure (gauge is essential)
Material Notes:
Similar Yarns: Bernat’s Super Value, Premier Yarns Everyday Soft, Lion Brand’s Heartland, WeCrochet Brava
Cozier Yarns (Wool Blends): Lion Brand Wool Ease, Berroco Vintage, Emma’s Washable Worsted, WeCrochet Swish
If you have concerns about using Red Heart Super Saver and similar because of the roughness and stiffness of the fabric, I have a couple tips!
- If the yarn is too rough for your hands to crochet with, remove the skein wrapper, place the skein into a mesh lingerie bag (I bought mine at JoAnn’s), then machine wash it by itself on the gentle cycle in cold water with a mild detergent. Once it’s finished, toss it into the dryer on low heat – you may need to run it through 2 – 3 times to get the center dry.
- To add softness and better drape to the finished piece, crochet in it’s entirety and weave in the ends, then wash and dry in the same manner (with or without the lingerie bag) or simply dry once with a dryer sheet.
How Long Does it Take to Crochet a Single Crochet Earwarmer?
About an hour and a half for the smaller earwarmer.
Measurements:
- Toddler, Child & Adult Small: 3 1/4″ Tall by 9 3/4″ Wide or 19 1/2″ in Circumference
- Adult Large: 3 1/4″ Tall by 10 5/8″ Wide or 21 1/2″ in Circumference
Gauge (Essential & In Pattern):
11 SC by 11 Rounds = 3″ Wide by 3 1/4″ Tall
*If you don’t want to work a small sample to check gauge, I recommend at least measuring the width of the earwarmer after 4 rounds to ensure it follows the Measurement width provided above so it will fit correctly.
Abbreviations (US Terms):
- SC – Single Crochet (Photo Tutorial)
- YO – Yarn Over
- FSC – Foundation Single Crochet
- How to FSC: Chain 2. Insert hook into the first chain, yo, pull through, yo, pull through first loop (to create foundation chain), yo, pull through two loops on hook. First chain and SC created. Looking at the stitch in your hand, you should see the top of the SC to the right, and parallel on the left side, it should look like the opposite side of the beginning foundation chain. You will be working in these stitches on the left. To create the next stitch and each stitch after, insert hook under both loops of the foundation chain (left side) yo, and pull through, yo, pull through first loop, yo, pull through 2 remaining loops.
Pattern Notes:
A foundation single crochet (or FSC) is recommended for beginning as a beginning chain can limit the amount of stretch on a finished project, and here we don’t want that earwarmer to feel too tight or restrictive. Alternatively, you can use one size larger crochet hook, and work a beginning chain of the number of stitches, then slip stitch join. Switch to correct crochet hook, and work a round of single crochet (the larger hook is to add more flexibility).
Beginning chain 1 does not count as a stitch.
The chain/stitch multiple is 8 so if you are looking for a smaller or larger piece, I recommend going down or up a hook size to alter.
To match the color block evenly, work the first stitch into the second stitch. You’ll find the four stitches line up perfectly.
To change yarn colors, work up to the last yarn over of the previous stitch, then yarn over with the new color and pull through. When changing colors from the Wrong Side, bring old color strand to the Wrong Side/front to crochet over.
As you work, single crochet over the unused strand held to the back from the Right Side (odd numbered rows), and held to the front from the Wrong Side (even numbered rows) to carry it across.
When working from the Right Side, if you find the color carried to pop through, SC just below normal (but still within the stitch) to include the carried strand to cover it up.
To prevent any large floats across the back, keep the burgundy strand attached throughout, but fasten off the other colors after completing each section block (at the end of the last round). This does result in quite a few ends to weave in (10 in total), so alternatively you can carry up as you go.
If you would like to go with a black, gray and white color sequence, replace burgundy with light gray, red with white and keep the black as is.
Through 07/30/23 at 11:59pm EST, you can grab a free copy of the PDF for the Buffalo Plaid Shay Earwarmer on Ravelry using code FREECROCHET202315. I earn my income from the number of pageviews my blog sees, so please do not share the code, but instead share the link to this post so others can find it. Thank you!
Buffalo Plaid Shay Earwarmer, Video Tutorial:
Buffalo Plaid Shay Earwarmer, Written Crochet Pattern:
R1 Option 1: With Black, chain 2, then FSC 80 (88). Join. [80 (88) SC]
R1 Option 2: With Black and an I9/5.5mm crochet hook, chain 80 (88). Slip stitch join to the first chain. Switch back down to the H8/5mm crochet hook, then SC into the back hump of the chain of each chain all the way around. Join with Red, and fasten off Black. [80 (88) SC]
R2: Chain 1, turn. (4 Red SC, 4 Burgundy SC) 10x (11x). Join. [80 (88) SC]
R3: Chain 1, turn. (4 Burgundy SC, 4 Red SC) 10x (11x). Join.
R4: Chain 1, turn. (4 Red SC, 4 Burgundy SC) 10x (11x). Join with Black, and fasten off Red.
R5: Chain 1, turn. (4 Black SC, 4 Burgundy SC) 10x (11x). Join.
R6: Chain 1, turn. (4 Burgundy SC, 4 Black SC) 10x (11x). Join.
R7: Chain 1, turn. (4 Black SC, 4 Burgundy SC) 10x (11x). Join with Red, and fasten off Black.
R8: Chain 1, turn. (4 Red SC, 4 Burgundy SC) 10x (11x). Join.
R9: Chain 1, turn. (4 Burgundy SC, 4 Red SC) 10x (11x). Join.
R10: Chain 1, turn. (4 Red SC, 4 Burgundy SC) 10x (11x). Join with Black, and fasten off Red and Burgundy.
R11: Chain 1, turn. SC into each stitch around. Join. [80 (88) SC]
Fasten off, and weave ends in. If you’ve started with a foundation single crochet, stitch the two chain ends together before weaving in the tail end.
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