Sunday, May 25, 2008

Inside-Out (and round and round)

Anyone remember that moldy-oldy disco hit by Diana Ross? I had a 45 single of it as a kid (wow, that really dates me, doesn't it?) Anyway, this song kept playing in my head while I was knitting this reversible cowl. It drove me crazy, but I love the results.

Cowl inside
Inside...

What a satisfying way to use up a lone skein of pretty yarn.

Cowl outside
Out...

My first attempt on 5mm needles yielded a flabby fabric, and I didn't like how messy the knit columns looked in the Mistake Rib stitch pattern. So in my second go, I changed to 4mm needles, and I worked all the knit stitches in the back loop, which created a tidy, reversible fabric.

Inside-out close-up right
And round...

Inside-out close-up wrong
And round...

Here's what I did, in case you'd like to make your own:


INSIDE-OUT COWL
Yarn: Handmaiden Casbah, 325 metres (I used about 2/3 of a skein)
Needles: Addi Turbo 4mm/40cm circs
Gauge: 22 stitches per 10cm (precision is not crucial here, just create a fabric that has a density that you find pleasing)

Pattern:
Cast on 110 stitches (more or less, as long as it's an even number).

Join in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place marker at the beginning of the round.

Row 1: knit
Row 2: purl
(Repeat these two rows twice more)

Row 7: knit in back loop
Row 8: knit 1 in back loop, purl 1, repeat till end
(Repeat rows 7 and 8, working till desired length. Mine is 20 cm long.)

End tube with same garter border as beginning. Cast-off loosely, neatly darning in ends.

By the way, I realize that knitting in the back loop is a bit of a pain. You don't have to be as persnickity as I am, just go ahead and knit the knit stitches the ordinary way. I just have a thing for twisted stitches.

I may try and create a PDF and post it on Ravelry. I just have to figure out how to do it. Anyone have tips?

Happy knitting.

7 comments:

  1. CWangJuly 8, 2010 at 12:44 AM

    In my experience, when you save your document, you can select "Save as .pdf". :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AuroreJanuary 10, 2011 at 6:20 AM

    Thank you for the pattern, the reversible stitch is great. And my boyfriend loves his new cowl!

    ReplyDelete
  3. FoxySeptember 25, 2013 at 4:20 PM

    Thank you for sharing your pattern. I've really enjoyed making it, and plan to make more!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 15, 2019 at 7:23 AM


    Thanks for the pattern.

    Copy and paste onto a word doc. Then download "cute pdf" it's a free, trustworthy program... Then just follow the prompts and you will have a word doc and pdf copy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownFebruary 2, 2021 at 10:35 AM

    Thanks for the pattern! I also follow your podcast - it’s relaxing and informative. I’m learning so much about knitting during this pandemic, and a lot of it from you! Here’s my question: what type of cast on do you favour for this cowl? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. JeanneApril 14, 2021 at 3:50 PM

    Thanks for the pattern
    I find knitting into the back loop so much easier,In fact as a self taught knitter I was knitting into the back loop for 20 years thinking that was the normal way to knit until my grandmother saw me knitting one day and commented on it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dua FreyJuly 5, 2024 at 1:53 AM

    Hello niice post

    ReplyDelete

Merci, my sweeties, for taking the time to leave a comment!