[COSPLAY] Spirited Away - Chihiro's Friendship Hairband

As shared on G+ and FB a couple of days ago (and now that I feel confident enough in my status as a Beginning Seamstress to attempt something outside-the-sewing-room wear-worthy), "Haku" and "Chihiro/Sen" from Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" will be my first official cosplay challenge.

I found a set of DA pages that provides a breakdown of pieces for each outfit and, from there, found a company in Asheville NC that sells a pattern for the hippari and monpei. After evaluating the crafting materials I have on hand, I realized that Chihiro's purple hairband is the first piece I can create for this couple's cosplay without having to make a run to my local Joann Etc.  I created two versions of this hairband - one crocheted and one knit, both using Caron Simply Soft Party in "Purple Sparkle" as this yarn matches the screen imagery perfectly.

We know from the character "Zeniba" that the canon method for crafting this "friendship hairband" is "knit one, purl two" (K1.P2), so I'll use the knit version I created until I can create a decent cord using only 2-3 K1.P2 rows.

CROCHET VERSION: started with a large hairband elastic and covered it with single crochet. After the elastic was covered, do one single chain (SC) as for a new row, then do half double crochet (HDC) in the space between each SC of starting row. Weave end to finish.  Overall, I like the way this piece looks, but its crafting method doesn't match the canon description so I can't justify using it for this cosplay.

KNIT VERSION: as for I-cord knitting w/ 2 double-point needles (size H), until 1.5x longer than length of needed elastic string. Then, thread elastic string through interior of cord, knot the ends together, and cover the knot with knit stitches.

 

ALSO: many thanks to +Nixie Shimo for modeling the hairband so I could take pictures of the finished piece.