Mobius Knitting

A Mobius strip is a ring of paper that has only one side and one edge. Don't believe me? Try it out:
1. Cut a strip of paper.
2. Twist one end 180 degrees.
3. Tape the two ends together.
4. Grab a pen and draw a line down the middle of your Mobius strip without picking up your pen.
Cool, isn't it?

I got a ball of fern Bernat Softee Chunky yarn for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I had no idea what to do with it. I decided to go for a one-skein project--a Mobius cowl. All you need for Mobius knitting is Cat Bordhi's Mobius cast-on and a little imagination. Mobius knitting is nice to wear because of that one built-in twist. The Internet has so many other Mobius possibilities.

Basically, you start from the middle of the Mobius strip and knit outwards with each round. Mobius knitting is possible because a Mobius strip has only one edge, and you go around and around it. While it's on your needles, the Mobius strip is folded in half, so your marker passes by underneath your needles once every round.

The confusing thing about Mobius knitting is that halfway through, when you get onto the other side of your cast-on middle, the right side and wrong side seem to flip. To knit a Mobius strip in stockinette, you'd actually have to knit half the round, then purl the other half. As a first-time Mobius knitter, I decided to stick with a garter stitch design--I knit the first round and purled the second. I cast on about ninety stitches and knit with US size #11 needles.

 

Since I was determined to use up all the yarn (and use it all I did), the cowl turned out quite large--perfect for bundling up when the winter comes!