Woolly Waffle Balaclava

*Choose one color of DK weight wool and knit a cozy balaclava. The pattern begins with 1x1 ribbing for the neck followed by a squishy waffle stitch pattern. Decrease slightly taper the head fabric for smooth transition from the neck into the hooded section. The hood is shaped seamless as you knit towards the top of the head. A final edging is knitted by picking up stitches around the face and working a stockinette stitch folded hem. Use a soft wool like West Wool Tandem or dive into your stash to knit this cozy winter accessory.* **Finished Measurements** 14″ / 36cm neck circumference (ribbing unstretched), 17″ / 43cm around face from edge to edge. Measurements taken after blocking. The 1x1 ribbed neck stretches comfortably up to 22″ / 56cm. **Yarn** DK weight **Yardage** 240yds / 219m **Shown in** West Wool Tandem (100% South American Merino Wool; 254yds / 233m per 100g skein) Colorway - Tiger **Needles** US 5 / 3.75mm circular in 40″ / 100cm length or one size smaller than larger needle US 6 / 4mm circular in 40″ / 100cm length or size needed to obtain gauge Magic Loop method is used for knitting in the round. Watch this Westknits video to assist with the Magic Loop technique. [https://youtu.be/hpFHbHmrCcc][1] **Notions** 1 stitch marker, tapestry needle **Gauge** 22 sts & 36 rows = 4″ / 10cm in waffle stitch after blocking **Westknits Workshops** Venture into the world of Westknits with my series of online workshops. Westknits Workshops can be watched as many times as you like and at your own pace as you learn new knitting skills. Sign up here! [https://www.westknits.com/collections/workshops][2] **Westknits Kits** We have dozens of colorful kits to knit my patterns at Stephen & Penelope. We ship worldwide! [https://www.stephenandpenelope.com/pages/westknits-kits][3] [1]: https://youtu.be/hpFHbHmrCcc [2]: https://www.westknits.com/collections/workshops [3]: https://www.stephenandpenelope.com/pages/westknits-kits