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Whisper Bandana
Soft as a sigh, feather light, and toasty warm, our free Whisper Bandana pattern in our new 100% cashmere Nigh Fine will take your breath away!
The first step is choosing your design: a solid color, a wide stripe, or a narrow stripe. All three versions are equally easy to knit and beautiful to wear, so which one is whispering your name?
To knit the simple square shape, you start at one corner with just a few stitches and, knitting in garter stitch, you increase at both edges until you’re halfway. Then you reverse it and decrease back to a point! Fold it in half to wear with a knot to the front, back, or side, the stripe up the middle or along the fold, over or under your other layers.
Our exceptional 100% Mongolian cashmere Nigh Fine creates an exquisite fabric, full of life and beauty, with a relaxed drape and yet enough body to hold its shape. A delicate halo, characteristic of fine cashmere, floats above the surface of the fabric, irresistibly touchable and absolutely gorgeous.
Marvelously soft, airy, and warm, Nigh Fine is a fingering-weight 2-ply yarn that you can knit at a wide range of gauges thanks to its incredible bloom.
And here’s an important detail… Nigh Fine is a whopping 448 yards per skein! One skein goes far, and you’ll only need 2 or 3 skeins for your Whisper Bandana, depending on which version you make.
Whether as a special treat for yourself or as a gift for someone you treasure, cast on for a lovely Whisper Bandana and experience the gossamer softness of Nigh Fine!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designers, Laura Ferguson and Gaby Bush.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
To make 1 bandana, you’ll need…
- Purl Soho’s Nigh Fine, 100% cashmere yarn. Each skein of this fingering-weight yarn is 448 yards/ 55 grams.
- Solid Version
- Main Color: 2 skeins; approximately 845 yards required. We used the color Pale Orchid.
- Thin Stripe Version
- Main Color: 2 skeins; approximately 790 yards required. We used the color Meadow Mushroom.
- Contrast Color: 1 skein; approximately 55 yards required. We used the color Rosy Red.
- Thick Stripe Version
- Main Color: 1 skein; approximately 440 yards required. We used the color Turquoise Patina.
- Contrast Color: 1 skein; approximately 405 yards required. We used the color Heirloom White.
- Solid Version
You will also need…
- US 3 (3.25 mm), 24-inch circular knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
GAUGE
28 stitches and 56 rows (28 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch
NOTE: Cashmere tends to relax with blocking, so be sure to wet block your swatch.
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 23 x 23 inches square, and 32½ inches from corner to corner
PATTERN
NOTE: You will work this piece from corner to corner, on the bias.
BEGIN + INCREASE
With Main Color (MC), cast on 5 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Do not turn work. Instead, slide stitches to right end of needles, and bringing yarn behind work so you can work the first stitch of the next row…
Row 1 (Increase Row, right side): K2, make 1 left (m1L), knit to last 2 stitches, make 1 right (m1R), k2. [2 stitches increased]
Row 2 (wrong side): P2, knit to last 2 stitches, p2.
SOLID VERSION
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 229 stitches, ending with Row 2. [Piece measures approximately 16 inches from cast-on point to center of live stitches]
Continue to Work Even section, below.
THIN STRIPE VERSION
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 223 stitches, ending with Row 2. [Piece measures approximately 15½ inches from cast-on point to center of live stitches]
Cut MC, and join Contrast Color (CC).
Continuing with CC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 three times. [229 stitches]
Continue to Work Even section, below.
THICK STRIPE VERSION
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 165 stitches, ending with Row 2. [Piece measures approximately 11½ inches from cast-on point to center of live stitches]
Cut MC, and join Contrast Color (CC).
Continuing with CC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until you have 229 stitches, ending with Row 2. [Piece measures approximately 16 inches from cast-on point to center of live stitches]
Continue to Work Even section.
WORK EVEN
Continuing with same yarn…
Row 1 (right side): Knit to end of row.
Row 2 (wrong side): P2, knit to last 2 stitches, p2.
DECREASE
Still with same yarn…
Row 1 (Decrease Row, right side): K1, slip slip knit (ssk), knit to last 3 stitches, knit 2 together (k2tog), k1. [2 stitches decreased]
Row 2 (wrong side): P2, knit to last 2 stitches, p2.
[227 stitches remain at this point, for all styles]
SOLID VERSION
Go on to Continue section, below.
THIN STRIPE VERSION
Cut CC, and join MC.
Go on to Continue section, below.
THICK STRIPE VERSION
Continuing with CC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 169 stitches remain, ending with Row 2. [Stripe measures approximately 9 inches from bottom to top]
Cut CC, and join MC.
Go on to Continue section.
CONTINUE: ALL VERSIONS
With MC, repeat Rows 1 and 2 until 7 stitches remain, ending with Row 1. [Piece measures approximately 32½ inches from cast-on point to center of live stitches]
Bind Off Row (wrong side): P1, purl 2 together, pass first stitch on right needle over second, k1, pass first stitch on right needle over second, slip slip purl, pass first stitch over second, p1, pass first stitch over second. [1 stitch remains]
Cut yarn and pull through remaining stitch.
Weave in all ends and gently wet block to finished dimensions.
Learn About Nigh Fine + All Our Beautiful Yarns
Our exquisite Nigh Fine makes this project an heirloom to treasure! Soft as can be, unbelievably light, and toasty warm, this 100% Mongolian cashmere is spun into a 2-ply fingering-weight yarn that feels amazing to knit. It blooms into a feather-light fabric that seems to float on air, with a soft halo that is the hallmark of fine cashmere. With 448 yards per 55-gram skein, you won’t need many to create something truly extraordinary!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of Nigh Fine knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-weight yarns (What does fingering-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to fingering-weight yarn will answer your questions and more!)
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial and our Yarn Substitution article for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop cashmere yarn (What makes cashmere so special? Learn all about this amazing fiber in our guide to cashmere yarn!)
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of free knitting patterns) and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Bonjour les artistes,ce modèle est magnifique comme toujours, mais je ne comprends pas le début du travail après le rang de montage, je vais le faire sur des aiguilles droites.
Pourriez-vous m’aider ?
Mamiannie
Hi Mamiannie,
Thank you for reaching out! Since you’re using straight needles, you’ll just need to add in a separate step before starting “Row 1 (Increase Row, right side).” After you cast on the 5 stitches to your righthand needle, do not turn your work. Instead, slip those 5 stitches to your lefthand needle and then proceed to work “Row 1 (Increase Row, right side).” After that, you can proceed to “Row 2 (wrong side)” and continue on with the pattern as written!
I hope this helps, and please feel free to let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Cat
Merci pour votre patience
Pls knitting instructions for cap for adults
Not beanie
Hi Bella,
Thanks for writing in! Here is a link to all of our hat patterns. Please let me know if there’s anything else we can help with!
All the best,
Lili
I love this but I’m having a hard time getting started, specifically with:
“Do not turn work. Instead, slide stitches to right end of needles, and bringing yarn behind work so you can work the first stitch of the next row…”
When I slide them to the right end of my circulars, all my stitches are on the right side/right needle now. Am I expected to knit using my left needle to work stitches on the right needle, like backwards from the normal way? Or am I understanding this wrong?
Thank you for your help! 🙂
Hi Rain,
Thanks for writing in! The first row of this pattern is actually very similar to an i-cord. If you’re unfamiliar with that technique, I’d recommend taking a look at our tutorial on i-cords! All you do is slide the stitches and start knitting as normal, even though the working yarn is coming from the last stitch on your needles, not the first. It might feel weird, but I promise that’s correct!
All the best,
Lili
When I do this it creates a loop at the very bottom of the work that I think is the working yarn reaching across the five stitches, is that correct but I should pull it tighter?
Hi Jo,
Thanks so much for reaching out! Would you mind sharing your inquiry and a photo of your project to [email protected] so we can have a deeper look? We’ll be able to better visualize what’s going on that way!
All the best,
Gavriella
I want to knit the bandana with straight needles. Do I turn the work as I usually do?
I knit with one needle under my arm.
Thank you
Laura
Hi Laura,
Yes! Whether you choose to knit this pattern on straight or circular needles, you will always be turning your work at the end of each row. The only exception is going from the cast-on to Row 1, where you have to slide your work. Since you can’t do that on straight needles, you will need to slip the stitches back to the left needle instead. To do that, just slip them purlwise, one-by-one, form the left needle to the right needle. Then you’ll be ready to work Row 1!
How would this work for the raglan pullover or the daily pullover? I love fingering weight and I love cashmere.
Hi Maggie,
Thanks for writing in! Since those patterns are designed for a fingering weight yarn, then Nigh Fine would work great! As always, we recommend knitting a gauge swatch before casting on your project, especially when you are substituting yarns. You may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge!
All the best,
Lili
Hello!
I am doing the wide-stripe version, but trying to make it as big as possible, and use all of the main color—can you tell me, in your sample, how much of the blue yarn you had leftover?
I thought I might use half of my main color for the first section, but not sure how narrow of a ‘wide stripe’ that would make. Thank you!
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for writing in! The Thick Stripe Version requires 440 yards of the MC and 405 yards of the CC. That leaves 8 yards of the MC left over and 43 yards of the CC left over!
All the best,
Lili
PS: Looking for an answer in grams, not yardage!! TY
Hi Margaret,
Based on the weight and yardage of Nigh Fine, you can multiply the leftover yardage by 55g and then divide by 448yd to figure out the weight of the leftover yarn!
All the best,
Lili
Super helpful! Thank you.
Do I have to do the no turn method? Will the bandage turn out differently if I don’t use it?
Thanks,
Hi Bobbie,
Thanks for writing in! I would recommend sliding your work for the first row. If you turn your work instead, you’ll get a row of purl bumps showing on the front which will not blend with the rest of the border. If you’d like to see the slide technique demonstrated, I’d recommend checking out our Turn + Slide tutorial!
All the best,
Lili
The color I would choose for this scarf is Meadow Mushroom, which is out of stock. Can you give me an idea of when you will replenish that shade? And if not, can you recommend another of your yarns with a similar weight and halo? Thanks.
Hi Lizze,
We are planning to have a small restock of this yarn around June 9th so I’d suggest keeping and eye on our newsletters for the sale at that time. If you’d like an alternative yarn though, I’d recommend Line Weight in Reed Gray!
I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
I would like to modify the width of the center stripe. Can you tell me what size they currently are? Im shooting for a 4 1/2 inch center stripe
Hi Abigail,
Thank you for writing in! Our thick stripe measures about 4.5 inches so you can follow the pattern as is if you’d like. Just in case you want to know how to further alter it though, you can calculate that but referencing your row gauge! Since the row gauge is about 14 rows per inch, you will want to multiply that number by your desired thickness and that will let you know how many rows exactly you will need to work. I hope this helps!
Happy knitting!
Gavriella
I am working on this scarf, a somewhat new knitter, and have two issues. One, on the make one left stitch, I am creating a lace edge (there is a consistent hole on that side). Two, my edges look a bit loose and not like the picture. Any suggestions on how to neaten the edges? Thank you
Hello!
We’re so glad that you have found us and are happy to help! It looks like there are two issues at play here. For the m1L, most commonly, people are picking up the bar the wrong way or knitting through the wrong side. I recommend checking out our tutorial on m1L and m1R to make sure you’ve got it down. I like to keep a post-it next to me with the instructions for m1l and m1r so I can easily reference it as I am working, but here’s a quick reference in case that’s helpful!
M1L: Front to back, knit through the back loop
M1R: Back to front, knit
As for the other issue, we think it’s coming down to tension… Since edge stitches only have one neighboring stitch to hang onto rather than one of each side like stitches in the middle of your work, it is a common place for tension issues. I recommend taking a second after knitting the first stitch or two of each row to give your working yarn a gentle tug to help snug up the edge stitches.
In order to be sure, we’re happy to take a look over email! You can send us a photo at [email protected] and we’ll be able to provide more feedback. I hope this helps!
Kindly,
Andrea
Hello !
I’m interested by the Whisper bandana with the small stripe. May I knit this pattern with a yarn that is soft, made of cotton, silk, or linen. If so, please give me the substitute references and the material I would need.
Thank you so much in advance
Viv
Hi Viviane,
You can definitely knit this pattern in a plant based yarn! I’d recommend Oleander, Santolina or Cattail Silk! Please let us know if there is anything else we can answer for you!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank so very much Gavriella for your quick answer.