Form Follows Function Cowl

I just published my latest pattern - Form Follows Function Cowl:

This cowl pattern is influenced by one of the most well known architectural principles. 

The pattern used three different stitch patterns to create sections of different elasticity and texture. The different sections serve different functional purposes

• The mid section is knit in k1/p1 rib to provide optimum stretchiness so that the cowl hugs the neck closely. 
• The upper/outer section is knit in half-brioche which draws in less than the ribbed section and therefore fits nicely over it without having to change the stitch count. 
• The yoke section is raglan-shaped and knit in stockinette stitch to fit smoothly underneath any jacket.

 The pattern comes in three sizes (child, small adult, large adult) and suits males and females alike.

Another Reversible Moebius Cowl

I love cowls and I love Moebius!
This time I tried knitting the Reversible Cable Moebius Cowl in a DK yarn to see what the fit would be if I followed the pattern without modifications .
I chose some lovely Malabrigo Silky Merino I had in my stash, and here is the result:

The cowl hugs my neck a little closer than the Aran/worsted weight version - just what I wanted. Using this exceptionally soft yarn was the perfect choice.
Since my 42" needle cable is used in a different project I tried a 47" cable. I was quite wary whether this would work, adding a Magic Loop into the double circle Moebius mix, but it turned out to work just fine!

Now I am wondering whether I can knit a much smaller Moebius using magic Loop. I will keep you posted.

Reversible knitting

Cowls, cowls, cowls....

I recently made my first Moebius cowl following Cat Bordhi's Moebius Cast-On instructions on Youtube.
What a genius technique!

The pattern for this cowl was Sivia Harding's Harmonia's Rings Cowl, a beautiful cowl pattern using the Moebius Cast-on method.

I used some worsted weight yarn, which I had handspun from handpainted Targhee top.




Even though the pattern is absolutely wonderful, I did want to make a few changes to the fit.

So I cast on for another Moebius cowl, shaping it slightly differently and trying out different stitch patters.
Since these cowls show the 'right' and the 'wrong' side of the knitted piece a reversible pattern is required.

Unfortunately I do not own any of the Reversible Knitting books available, for example Lynne Barr's Reversible Knitting - which would have sped up choosing stitch patterns, I guess - but I still came up with a few stitch patterns that work well.

If you want to try this too, my tip is to use ribs; ribs in many shapes or formats. The cowls in the picture at the top all look quite different but the patterns are all based on ribs - alternating knit and purl stitches or rows.

From left to right:
1: 1x1 rib, broken up by a few garter stitch rows
2: simple 2x2 rib
3: horizontal ribs by alternating a few rows of stockinette stitch with a few rows reverse stockinette stitch
4: simple 1x1 rib in chunky yarn
5: 2 rows of 2x2 rib, 1 purl row, 1 knit row
6: simple 1x1 rib in worsted yarn
7: reversible cables combined with 1x1 rib


My latest one is a more refined reversible cable pattern - in progress here:

I now have far too many cowls for me to wear, so some of them are available in my Etsy shop :-)