2013 Maiwa Textile Symposium

Knitted Möbius and the Mysterious Stitch Mirror

Sivia Harding

The knitted Möbius has beauty and grace. When worn and handled, its unusual form provokes an endless fascination.

Möbius knitting is easy, accessible, and soothing, just like knitting in the round. The real fun is in seeing what happens to various stitch patterns when worked in this half-twisted, one-edged form. 

In this class, students learn what stitches do as they interact with the Möbius structure. Amazingly, patterns appear to be mirrored and reversed on either side of the cast-on round. What stitches will reliably produce symmetry? The class will provide some guidelines but will also show ways to bend the rules and make many stitch patterns work once you understand the structure. Not all will result in symmetry, but all are interesting and beautiful.

In this workshop students will cast on and work a sampler cowl in worsted-weight yarn. Sivia guarantees that students will have many “aha” moments as they see simple stitch patterns develop in amazing and sometimes unpredictable ways! Many Möbius garments will be on hand to examine and use as inspiration.

Skills needed: Basic knitting and purling, basic increasing and decreasing, experience knitting in the round on a circular needle.

Instructor Bio

Sivia Harding says knitted lace is her first and enduring love. As a teacher, Sivia appeals to the creative spirit, and few can remain untouched by her verve and passion for her subjects. In her classes, technique, though important, is a means to an end, which is always the delight of following the joyful knitting muse wherever it may lead.

Sivia’s classes and workshops are often built around making a particular project, but only as a jumping off place for discussions on all sorts of related knitterly things. Students will often find themselves inspired to experiment outside the realm of the original project, sometimes coming up with highly original designs of their own as a result.