Moebius 2.0

I frogged the Moebius I knit yesterday (1.0) and re-started it with an 8mm needle and 132 sts. I wanted to eliminate the ridge of purl bumps that were in the previous attempt. Instead of doing one round of knit stitches after casting on, I started right in with 1 x 1 ribbing and knit the rest of it that way.

As the pattern is the same round after round (K1, P1 - knitting the knits and purling the purls), one can start casting off at any point but I needed to know how much yarn the cast-off would take. To ensure the bind-off wouldn't be too tight, I used a needle one size larger (9mm). Remembering the trick I learned at my Rowan workshop , I wound the tail end of the yarn around 132 times. I then put a slip knot at that spot. I knew I could knit to there and I'd have enough yarn.I started casting off and before even getting around to the halfway point, I encountered the slip knot. Rats! I wasn't going to have enough yarn!

I quickly realized that I needed to allot enough yarn for 2 times 132 stitches because there really are two 132 stitch edges. So I had to tink back all the way. When I doubled the yarn, I realized I still didn't have enough left so I had to tink back about 20 more stitches to free up enough yarn. I then started the bind-off and finished with about 80cm to spare. Here it is, showing the one twist.

 

And when doubled, it made a cozy neck warmer.

Here is what it looks like with my coat on.

It will keep me stylishly warm this winter.

Another one-night project. C'est fini!

To summarize, here's the pattern I devised for Geri's Ribbed Moebius 2.0.

Finished size: 46" (117cm) in circumference, 4" (10cm) wide.
Materials:
- 100m chunky yarn like Berroco Borealis
- 8mm and 9mm circular needles at least 47" long (I think mine was 60")
- 1 stitch marker

Wind the yarn from the outside of the ball around the larger knitting needle 264 times to determine how much yarn will be needed for the bind off and make a slip knot. Or wind off 132 stitches worth and double the yarn and make a slip knot to mark this spot where you will need to begin your bind off.

Starting with the other end of the yarn, cast on 132* sts using Cat Bordhi's Moebius cast on. Place a stitch marker on the needle and begin K1, P1 ribbing. You will have completed one round when you encounter the stitch marker on the left needle (halfway around the stitch marker will be on the cable, not the left needle). Continue knitting the knits and purling the purls until you encounter your slip knot indicating the spot where you should start the bind off.

Bind off the knits knitwise and the purls purlwise.

Model the scarf for everyone in your household.

Enjoy!

This is a great pattern for any weight or texture of yarn**, for using up odd yarns, or any handspun yarns you don't have a lot of. Remembering you're knitting out from the centre, you can experiment with a variety of stitch patterns. Try (k2tog, yo) for a round to create some eyelets or a round of knits, alternating with a round of purls or the ribbing like I did. Whatever 'floats your boat'.

* cast on more sts for a longer Moebius or fewer sts for a shorter one. With this yarn and 8mm needles my gauge was about 2.8 sts per inch in 1 x 1 ribbing.
** you will need to work out your gauge for different weights of yarn to determine the number of sts you need to cast on.

Have fun!