Effortless Cowl
Do you need a quick-knit cowl to give your outfit a pop of color and glitz? Are you looking for an easy pattern to make fast and lovely gifts for family and friends? Here's a suggestion for you. Litoral Sparkle or Litoral from AslanTrends Yarns is a beautiful blend of texture and color and a perfect choice for this effortless moebius or infinity scarfor cowl. Two patterns are included for your enjoyment: one is a moebius and the other an infinity scarf. Knitting just one hank of Litoral Sparkle or Litoral will result in a scarf that is 3 1/2"x 48"in circumference. The scarf may be worn in a long loop, or twisted and doubled at the neck, which fashions into a tiered cowl.
Effortless Cowl Moebius Pattern
The Moebius version has a 180-degree twist, which is created at the special cast on, and join. Rounds of knitting grow from the center of the work to the outsides. This pattern is only 11 rounds of moebius knitting.
Materials:
One hank of AslanTrends Yarns, Litoral Sparkle. The color shown is #1318, Red, 110 yards Size 10.5 circular needles in a 47" inch length. Stitch marker. Yarn needle.
Directions:
Mco(Moebius cast oir peT lonowg mstr uctons) 1oo stitcnes, F LACE MCO (Moebius cast on per following instructions) 1o0 stitches, PLACE MARKER, join. Tighten the join as much as possible. MARRLR, Jom: Mgnnten the jomr as T Round 1: Knit Round 2: Purl Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 four more times for Rounds 3-10 Round 11: Knit Bind off loosely using the following method to achieve more elasticity:
Moebius Bind Off
P2, \*Slip both stitches back to the left needle, Knit them TOG through the back, P1, repeat from \*
Moebius Cast On Information
There are a number of ways to learn the moebius cast on. Illustrated step-by-step instructions are included in Cat Bordhi's books, A Treasury of Magical Knitting and A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. Both contain a wealth of information about and patterns for Moebius knitting. (She has graciously given permission to reference her ingenious Moebius cast-on technique.) Here is the link to her U-Tube Moebius cast on video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4
More information is available on her website http://www.catbordhi.com/ These are step-by-step instructions for the moebius cast on: 1. Make a slip knot and slip it to the center of the 47" cable. Hold the knot on your cable with your left hand, allowing the needles to dangle. 2. With your right hand, take the LEFT needle and bring it towards you and up to make the cable into a loop. Allow the other needle to hang down. We won't need it until all the stitches are cast on. 3. Hold the slipknot, needle and looped cable in your right hand. Hold the needle half way to the tapered tip. 4. Tension the working yarn above the cable in your left hand. Think of the cable as a stationary object you will be wrapping the yarn around. You will be holding it in both hands to begin the cast on, which is a wrapping sequence. 5. Point the needle towards you and bring it under the cable, over the working yarn, and back up above the cable. Do a yarn over. 6. Repeat this sequence to cast on the appropriate amount of stitches. Each time you perform this “under the cable, yarn over” sequence, you are generating 2 stitches. Count only the stitches on the top of your needle. 7. Once you have the appropriate number of stitches cast on, spread the stitches around the needle and cables and up onto the other needle, so they form a circle. 8. Position the needles and stitches around them so that you can knit the stitches. This will take some adjusting. 9. Set the work down on a table top and, starting with the left side, position the needle above the cable, follow the path around the cables, making sure they are parallel all the way around until you get near the right needle. 10. At this point the needle should be over the cable or the cable will be over the needle. Either way is ok. This should occur only once and will indicate the 180-degree twist. 11. PLACE MARKER. Knit into the slipknot to join the work. Pullthe stitches together at the join to close gaps. Knit into the “triangle" stitches or V's as they come to you. These are very different looking stitches made by the wrapping we did to cast on. The marker is crucial in moebius knitting. On the first round, it will let you know that you have done the twist correctly as you knit and it travels the path of the stitches onto the looped cable below your needle tips. When you see the marker on the cable below the needles, this is one half of the first round of moebius knitting. Once you see the marker at this point, keep knitting until you can slip the marker from the left to right needle. This willbe one complete round of moebius knitting.
Effortless Cowl Infinity Pattern
The Infinity version is knit in the round WITHoUT a twist.
Materials:
One hank of AslanTrends Yarns, Litoral Sparkle. The color shown is #1318, Red, 110 yards Size 10.5 circular needles in a 24" inch length. Stitch marker. Yarn needle.
Directions:
Using the long tail method, cast on 100 stitches, PLACE MARKER, join in the round, being careful NOT to twist. (Note: Cast on holding BOTH needles together. Pull one needle out and join your work. This creates a looser cast on edge.)
Blocking
Blocking is not necessary. Ifyou choose to blockyour scarf, soakit forfifteen minutes in tepid water with a small amount of non-rinsing wool wash. Squeeze out excess water. Allow drying flat. Thank you for your purchase. Please feel free to contact me with any questions: dianelaugustin@mac.com Designed and knit by Diane L. Augustin Copyright 2012.All Rights Reserved. Yarn Happy \* Bead Happy www.yarnhappybeadhappy.etsy.com http://www.ravelry.com/designers/diane-l-augustin
