Whit's Knits: Mobius Cowl
If you ever went to school, you probably at some point were asked to cut a strip of paper, to twist it and to tape the ends together. You were told, "This, class, is a Mobius Strip." I can't honestly remember the significance, but I have never forgotten the shape, a beautifully turning loop with no apparent inside or outside, no beginning and no end.
For this fall we've designed this super snuggly cowl who owes its elegance to the unique twist of the Mobius strip. We used Alchemy's Kozmos yarn which is a gorgeous blend of silk, mohair, wool and cotton. Each fiber absorbs the dye a little differently. The result is a complex play of color and texture, very soft, slightly fluffy and a little bit shiny.
The Materials
- Alchemy's Kozmos, 30% Silk, 26% Mohair, 13% Wool and 31% Cotton.
- To make one cowl, you need 1 skein of the Contrast Color and 2 skeins of the Main Color. To make two cowls in opposite colorways, you need 2 skeins of each color. These colors, from left to right, are Tangerine and Husk.
- A US #10, 16 inch circular needle.
More Color Ideas!
1. Rich Berry and Peppertree
2. Scarlett's Dark Secret and Fieldstone
3. Michelle's Marigold and Fool's Gold
4. Joshua Tree and Clementine
5. Green Plum and Dragon
6. Cornflower Blue and Platinum
You can find all of these colors at this link!
The Pattern
Gauge
3 1/2 stitches = 1 inch in garter stitch
Finished Size
15 1/4 inches high and 23 inches in circumference
Begin
With the Contrast Color, loosely cast on 80 stitches.
Cut the Contrast yarn and, joining the Main Color, knit one row.
Arrange the stitches so that they spin around the needle one time, creating a twist:
Place a marker and join for working in the round.
Purl 1 round.
Knit 1 round. As you begin the knit round, make sure that the twist is still intact. (This is the last time you will have to worry about the twist. From now on it will just take care of itself, moving around the needle as you knit.)
Purl 1 round and knit 1 round, repeating these two rounds until the piece measures 15 inches from the cast on edge. Finish with a purl round.
(If you plan to make a second cowl using this Main Color as the Contrast Color, make sure that you have enough yarn to cast on and bind off for the second cowl, about 6 yards.)
Cut the Main Color yarn and, joining the Contrast Color, bind off in knit stitch VERY loosely (if you have to, use a needle one or two sizes bigger).
Weave in the ends and you're done!
purl bee
Whoops! We can count rows and multiply stitches per inch, but apparently our math skills end there! Many people more informed than we have written to correct our notion of a Mobius Strip. It turns out that while this cowl may have the air of a Mobius Strip, it is not actually one. Instead of a half twist, our cowl has a whole twist in it and therefore lacks the main property of a Mobius Strip which is to have only one edge. If you're more mathematically precise than we are and would like to actually knit a Mobius Cowl, please visit Cat Bordhi's Mobius Cast On at this link.
In light of all this new information, we have decided to rename our cowl and are now calling it the Cowl With a Twist. We are so sorry (and embarrassed!) to have misinformed you all! Forgive us!