The Wheel

The Wheel of the Year encompasses the eight festivals of the Celtic and Pagan year. It begins with Samhain, the celebration of the ancestors in October/November, and ends with Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox or Harvest Home in the Northern Hemisphere. The year is a circle and also an infinite loop, and so for this my last celebratory pattern I have chosen the Möbius loop as a vehicle for a contemplative design and an adaptable accessory. This design lends itself to three separate items of the same basic pattern: a **headband**, a **cowl** (either single- or double-wrap), and a shoulder-warming **wrap** in three sizes. To determine tension, I recommend making the headband in your desired yarn as your gauge swatch, before making the cowl or wrap; I found the Möbius shape to be stretchy and accommodating to many sizes, so the medium size headband actually fits a large adult head (snugly) as well as a child/teen, and uses surprisingly little yarn. The pattern is a memorable sequence of stitches, rhythmic and contemplative. It can be knit in any weight of yarn; this pattern gives calculations for light fingering/sock, 4ply/fingering, DK, worsted, aran, and chunky weights. It uses Cat Bordhi’s Möbius cast on as its basis, and I strongly recommend watching her video for the technique. Cat Bordhi’s Möbius cast on video tutorial: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4][1] See the tables shown at the end of the photographs for approximate yarn requirements and the circumferences achieved for each yarn weight. **Finished sizes:** Headband: medium (large), unstretched sizes 42 - 53 cm / 16 ¾” – 21 ¼” (54 - 65 cm / 21 ½ – 26”); measured around the head, just above the ears. Depth is your choice; the figures in the table are for a depth of 10 cm / 4”. Cowl: single-wrap (double-wrap), unstretched circumference 58 - 72 cm / 23 ¼ – 28 ¾” x 25 cm / 10” deep (107 - 117 cm / 42 ¾ – 46 ¾” x 20 cm / 8” deep ). Measured around the head plus 10 cm / 4” for positive ease. Wrap: narrow (medium, wide), unstretched shoulder circumference 90 - 105 cm / 36 - 42” (105 – 125 cm / 42 - 50”, 116 – 132 cm / 46 ½ – 52 ¾”) . Measured around the shoulders then 10 cm / 4” subtracted for negative ease. The wrap is very stretchy and will fit a wide range of sizes. This design requires a circular needle; 120 cm / 48” long is ideal, but 100 cm / 40” long can be used at a pinch for the headband, and 150 cm / 60” could be used for the wrap. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4