Valley Yarns Touriga Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Touriga Head Wrap

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Touriga is a luxurious head wrap accessory designed by Julie Turjoman. This cozy knitted wrap is crafted from a sumptuous blend of baby alpaca and silk, offering both elegance and warmth with a beautiful soft hand. The finished head wrap is available in three sizes to fit head circumferences of 18-19 inches (Size S), 20-21 inches (Size M), or 22-23 inches (Size L), making it an adaptable accessory for various wearers.

Techniques Used

The Touriga employs several key knitting techniques that make it an excellent intermediate-level project. The pattern features a bottom-up construction, meaning the piece is worked from the lower edge upward. The wrap is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for straightforward shaping and pattern work. A provisional cast-on method using a crochet hook is used to begin the project, which allows the knitter to later pick up live stitches for seamless finishing. The pattern incorporates cable techniques, specifically featuring cables that can be worked without a traditional cable needle, making this an ideal project for knitters looking to practice cabling in a more accessible way. The construction includes ribbed edging worked in a K1/P1 rib pattern to frame the main cable design.

Stitches Used

The Touriga utilizes a focused selection of fundamental and intermediate knitting stitches. The primary stitch pattern is a cable stitch that forms the decorative centerpiece of the wrap. Supporting stitches include:

• Knit (K) and purl (P) stitches as the foundation
• Purl through the back loop (P1tbl) for textured detail
• K1/P1 rib for the edging sections
• Cable crosses including 2/2 LC (left cross), 2/2 RC (right cross), 2/2 LPC (left purl cross), and 2/2 RPC (right purl cross) for the decorative cable pattern
• Knit 2 together (K2tog) and purl 2 together (P2tog) for decreasing
• Yarn overs (YO) and knit front and back (Kfb) for increasing
• Slip stitches (Sl) for shaping and pattern work

Materials and Gauge

The Touriga requires one 50-gram skein of Valley Yarns Deerfield yarn, which contains 109 yards and is composed of 80% baby alpaca and 20% silk. This luxurious fiber blend provides the wrap with its characteristic softness and elegant drape. The project calls for US size 5 (3.75 mm) knitting needles, or the size needed to achieve proper gauge. Additional materials include a crochet hook size G-6 for executing the provisional cast-on, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, and a tapestry needle for finishing and weaving in ends. The pattern specifies a gauge of 22 stitches and 24 rows over 3½ inches when worked in the cable stitch pattern on US size 5 needles and lightly blocked, ensuring proper fit and drape of the finished accessory.