Santa Fe Mobius

Santa Fe Mobius Cowl by Annie Lupton

What Is Being Made

The Santa Fe Mobius is a small mobius-style cowl designed by Annie Lupton of Boho Chic Fiber Co. This knitted accessory features a unique topological construction where the provisional cast-on edge is joined to the final round, creating a seamless edge and authentic mobius shape. The finished cowl measures 10 inches wide by 30 inches long (or 15 inches when folded in half), making it a compact, wearable statement piece.

Design Inspiration and Aesthetic

Inspired by the American Southwest, the Santa Fe Mobius incorporates graphic colorwork motifs reminiscent of woven blankets. The warm terra cotta color palette pays homage to the desert landscape. The colorwork design elevates this cowl beyond a simple knit, creating visual interest through the interplay of the main color and contrasting accent colors.

Construction Techniques

This cowl is worked in the round, which creates a seamless construction ideal for colorwork patterns. The defining technique is the use of a provisional cast-on, which allows the knitter to work circularly and then join the cast-on edge to the final round without a visible seam. This method is essential for creating the mobius twist, a mathematical shape with only one continuous surface. The provisional cast-on edge is carefully picked up and grafted or bound off together with the final round, producing a smooth, finished edge and the characteristic mobius geometry.

Stitches Used

The Santa Fe Mobius is primarily worked in stockinette stitch in the round, which creates a smooth, flat fabric ideal for displaying colorwork. The stockinette stitch provides a clean canvas for the graphic motifs inspired by southwestern textile patterns. Colorwork techniques are employed to create the geometric patterns throughout the cowl.

Yarn and Materials

This pattern is designed to be knit in Brooklyn Tweed Peerie yarn, a 100% merino wool fingering weight yarn with approximately 210 yards (192 meters) per 50-gram skein. The yardage requirements are:

• Main Color (MC) in white: 450 yards (415 meters) or 3 skeins
• Contrast Color 1 (CC1) in Mesa (pink): 185 yards (170 meters) or 1 skein

Knitters have endless possibilities to customize the cowl with colors they love, allowing for creative color substitutions while maintaining the same yardage and yarn weight specifications.

Needles and Notions

The pattern requires 2 sets of Size 4 (3.5 mm) circular needles, 16 inches (40 cm) in length, or the size needed to obtain proper gauge. A stitch marker is needed to mark the beginning of rounds.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 24 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch, worked in the round and blocked. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the finished dimensions of 10 inches wide by 30 inches long.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, the Santa Fe Mobius requires knitters to be comfortable with circular needle techniques, colorwork, and the provisional cast-on method. The mobius construction and color pattern work make this an engaging project for knitters with some experience beyond basic techniques.