These crochet ear savers are cute, and add extra comfort and style when having to wear a face mask for a long time. This one has buttons and can be embroidered with simple flowers, or a design of your choice. Find the free crochet pattern instructions below, or purchase a print-optimized, ad-free PDF by clicking here.
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So, what is an ear saver anyway? Ear savers are bands worn at the back of the head that allow a mask wearer to loop the elastic ear straps on face masks over the buttons so they don’t dig into the backs of the individual’s ears if they need to wear a mask for extended periods of time. They are also useful for people who may have a sensitivity to rubber or latex, but who still need to wear a face mask. In short, ear savers make wearing a mask more comfortable since the elastic won’t dig into the backs of your ears. You may want to pin this one in place with a bobby pin so it doesn’t slide around at the back of your head!
A couple of weeks ago my mom mentioned she needed some ear savers for her trips to town now that she needs to mask up to go out in public. As you know, I don’t usually make simple things, but since it was for my mom: challenge accepted! This ultimately was a labor of love–especially since I did not have much experience with embroidery. The best part: these turned out looking anything but basic! However, I promise they really aren’t that difficult to make–even the middle one with lots of leaves and tiny flowers. Layers of simple stitches are the key. I’ll explain more at the bottom of this post.
Earth-tones are some of my favorite colors so I knew the Brown Rose Marl Paton’s Kroy sock yarn would provide a gorgeous backdrop to work with in creating this special ear saver. The colors change abruptly so it’s easy to separate them out by winding them up and cutting at each color change. The long sections will be enough to crochet the main parts of both styles of ear savers. More on hacking your yarn a little later on.
One important thing I do need to mention is that these ear savers are best for personal use, and not medical professionals. They need to be hand washed in cool water because they are wool, and because the embroidery will not stand up to daily machine washing. These can be reinforced or made sturdier by crocheting a duplicate of whichever style you choose to make and stitching the two sides together after you are done with the embroidery. Sew the buttons onto the ends of the ear saver to finish. I had some wooden buttons laying around so I used those. I don’t know how well they will hold up yet however, so feel free to use plastic buttons if you prefer.
If you love the look of these, but do not want to make them as an ear saver try using them to top a large barrette instead! I recommend you use a smaller hook and make the stitches a bit smaller so it will fit nicely on a 3 1/2″ or 4″ barrette. You can find barrettes for crafting at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, or Walmart. You will need to reinforce or stiffen the back of the ear saver with something sturdy–this could be a piece of thin plastic, leather, or a couple pieces of felt cut into the same shape as the ear saver. Use hot glue to bond the ear saver to the stiffening, then glue the entire piece to the barrette.
Hacking Yarn for Crochet
Hacking yarn involves using your scissors to cut the sections of yarn into pieces where the colors change. You will then recombine those colors in new ways when you crochet the pattern. Easy-peasy!
Step 1: Wind each color stripe up, cut it from the rest of the skein exactly where the color changes and set it aside. Paton’s Kroy Socks Brown Rose Marl yarn has 4 colors so you should end up with at least 4 small cakes of yarn once you are done with this process. There are also short stripes about 2 1/2 feet long between some of the color changes. Cut those out, set them aside and use those pieces for sewing your buttons on.
Step 2: When you begin your ear saver, leave a 2” tail. If you do this you should be able to complete the whole 5” ear saver in Style 1, except for the slip stitching, or the inner part of Styles 1 and 2.
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Difficulty:
Easy
Materials Needed:
2.55mm hook
Approximately 15-20 yards #1 Fingering weight Paton’s Kroy Socks yarn in Brown Rose Marl
2 7/8” buttons
Embroidery floss in colors of your choice (separate out 3 strands of each color to work with)
Embroidery needles, or blunt end cross-stitch needles
Scissors
Yarn Needle
2 7/8″ buttons
Stitches Used:
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
sl st = slip stitch
Special Stitches:
Picot = ch 2, sl st back into first ch
Spike st = with working yarn on hook, insert hook through designated stitch, draw up a loop to height of active round, pull working yarn through both loops
Measurements:
5″, 5 1/2″, or 6″ across depending on size chosen
Gauge:
14 sc sts in 2”
Additional Notes:
-Ch-1 at beginning of round does not count as a stitch
-These ear savers are for personal use, and not medical professionals. The reason being is that the embroidery and wool yarn will not stand up to daily washing. **Hand wash in cool water only**
-If you do not want to create an ear saver, you can turn these into barrettes instead with a couple of slight modifications! Notes on how to do that are above in the main description.
-Embroidery notes are below the individual ear saver styles.
Crochet Ear Savers for Masks (US Terms):
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5” Crochet Ear Saver Pattern – Style 1:
Using 2.55mm steel hook,
Ch 25,
Round 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in final st of row, work around end sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in final st, join with sl st to first sc. (50)
Round 2: ch 1, note: do not work first sc in same st as join for this round only. sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (54)
Round 3: ch 1, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 4 sts, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 4 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (62)
Round 4: ch 1, sc in next 24 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next st, *sk 2 sts, 2 dc in next st, picot, (dc in same st, picot) two times, dc in same st, sk 2 sts sl st in next* repeat * to * 3 times omitting sl st in final repeat, sc in next st, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next st, join with sl st to first sc. (4 picot shells, 47 sc)
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Round 5: join new color, sl st around entire ear saver between rounds 4 and 5.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Sew one button to each end of the ear saver.
6” Crochet Ear Saver Pattern – Style 1:
Ch 31,
Round 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc in next 29 sts, 2 sc in final st of row, work around end sc in next 29 sts, 2 sc in final st, join with sl st to first sc. (62)
Round 2: ch 1, note: do not work first sc in same st as join for this round only. sc in next 29 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 29 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (66)
Round 3: ch 1, sc in next 30 sts, 2 sc in next 4 sts, sc in next 30 sts, 2 sc in next 4 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (76)
Round 4: ch 1, sc in next 31 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, *sk 2 sts, 2 dc in next st, picot, (dc in same st, picot) two times, dc in same st, sk 2 sts sl st in next* repeat * to * 4 times omitting sl st in final repeat, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (5 picot shells, 55 sc)
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Round 5: join new color, sl st around entire ear saver between rounds 4 and 5.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
5 1/2” Crochet Ear Saver Pattern – Style 2:
Ch 25,
Round 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in final st of row, work around end sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in final st, join with sl st to first sc. (50)
Round 2: ch 1, note: do not work first sc in same st as join for this round only. sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (54)
Round 3: ch 1, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 4 sts, sc in next 23 sts, 2 sc in next 4 sts, join with sl st to first sc. (62)
Round 4: ch 1, sc in next 8 sts, sk 2 sts, 3 dc in next st, 3 dc in next st, sk 2 sts, sc in next 9 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 26 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next 2 sts, sc in next st, join with sl st to first sc. (70)
Join contrasting color to round 4
Round 5: sl st evenly around the front of the entire piece. (70)
Join contrasting color to first st of round 4
Round 6: sc in next 7 sts, spike st in first skipped st from round 4, 2 sc in next 6 sts, spike st in 2nd skipped st at far side of shell, sc in next 8 sts, 2 sc in next 3 sts, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next 3 sts, sc in next 27 sts, 2 sc in next 3 sts, sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next 3 sts, sc in next st, join with sl st to first sc. (88)
Fasten off, weave in ends.
Embroider the designs of your choice onto the ear saver. I used 3 out of the 6 strands of floss to achieve the looks you see here.
I’ve listed the stitches I used below, and provided a link to a picture tutorial. The most difficult one to pull off is the bullion stitch, but if you can keep your tension even that will give you the best results. (Since I am pretty inexperienced at this my bullion stitches were very tight to help them look more even.)
Embroidery Stitches Used (optional):
Bullion Stitch
Woven wheel stitch
Lazy daisy/detached chain stitch
French knot
Backstitch/straight stitch
Fishbone Leaf (loosely based)
A few tips for embroidering on your crochet
Free-handing your embroidery stitching on crochet can be so much fun! If you haven’t done embroidery before though don’t stress over it. The wonderful thing about hand embroidering flowers means they don’t have to be perfect! I had done some very basic embroidery about 5 or 6 years ago, but hadn’t picked up floss and needle since then. If I can do this with my wobbly hands, I’m positive you can have success too! Work in a well-lit room, practice good posture, and put on some relaxing music. You are welcome to try to imitate my flower designs or create your own. Feel free to draw a spray of flowers out on a piece of printer paper if your imagination needs a little direction. This doesn’t have to be perfect. We are creating art here—and having fun!
Embroidering on crochet is a little different than on canvas, but you can still tear it out if you feel like you messed up. Be careful that you don’t grab the yarn of the ear saver itself though if you have to pull something out. If you feel it is necessary, you can practice these basic embroidery stitches on a scrap of cloth before you start stitching on your ear saver. Below are tips I learned that helped me to succeed at embroidery. If you are also a beginner they may help you. If you are a pro send me your tips! I love to learn new things–especially things related to creativity!
-Don’t be afraid to sew your design in the middle of stitches. You don’t have to poke your needle down or up neatly between the crochet stitches. In fact, your work will show up clearer, and be better attached if you work through the center of the yarn strands or stitches. (eg. French knots and Backstitches can get lost in the spaces between crochet stitches/crochet rows.)
-Fold the ear saver in half when you make your first stitch so you start at the center.
-Balance the piece with different elements–For instance, don’t put all your flowers on one side and nothing on the other.
-Layering your stitches provides a luxurious look. The floral spray with pink roses and many tiny flowers and leaves primarily uses French knots and Lazy Daisy (detached chain) stitches.
-Make your vines curve smoothly. Vines in flower arrangements generally loop around in S, C or O shapes.
If you have blunt cross-stitch needles use those for this project. I detest sewing by hand because I am constantly pricking my fingers (It doesn’t mean I don’t sew by hand, but I’m always on edge because of those pokey points!)
-Use shorter strands of embroidery floss and weave in your ends as you use them up. You’ll thank me when you don’t have to spend hours undoing knots because your thread was too long and doubled back over on itself.
-Frequently check the backside of your work. The backs aren’t pretty, but if you need to work on one side of the ear saver and then need to work on the opposite side with the same color, try threading the floss through the stitches (a bit like weaving in ends) until you arrive over at the other side. You can also weave them through the floss that is already there at the back if you’re worried the colors will show through on the front. This helps keep all the strands contained in a more orderly fashion. Regularly checking the back of your work will also help to make sure you didn’t forget to pull your thread all the way through when making a flower–3 flowers ago.
-If you start to feel tense take time to stand up and stretch. (I managed to give myself a migraine that kept me in bed for several days because I was so focused on completing my first ear saver—don’t be like me.)
Here are the DMC floss colors I used for each of the pictured ear savers:
5” Ear Saver – Style 1 (bottom)
778 Antique Mauve VY LT
927 Grey Green LT
936 Avodado Green VY DK
938 Coffee Brown ULT DK
3364 Pine Green
ECRU
6” Ear Saver – Style 1 (top)
778 Antique Mauve VY LT
372 Mustard LT
927 Grey Green LT
3042 Antique Violet LT
3346 Hunter Green
938 Coffee Brown ULT DK
ECRU
5 1/2” Ear Saver – Style 2 (middle)
221 Shell Pink – VY DK
224 Shell Pink VY LT
937 Avocado Green MED
3348 Yellow Green LT
ECRU
“Although the threads of my life have often seemed knotted, I know, by faith, that on the other side of the embroidery there is a crown.” -Corrie Ten Boom
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