Legend holds that the Isle of Mann was named for Manannán, a king who could turn his cloak into a veil of mist that he drew around the island to protect it from invaders. Our Manx Cloak is a little piece of knitterly magic in that same tradition: a warm cowl that can be drawn up into a charming and spritely hat or, should the mood strike, tied off half way between to become a messy bun hat or a ponytail hat.

Manx Cloak is unisex and graded in five sizes (child through adult xl). It is a beautiful canvas for handspun or hand dyed yarns of any stripe, and it is equally suited for solid, tonal, and highly variegated yarns. The Manx Cloak can even accommodate your lovely remnants from other projects. It includes fully written instructions for both one-color and three-color versions, but the design easily adapts to whatever odds and ends of yarn you have on hand.

The Manx Cloak is a fast and charming knit and a versatile piece for any wardrobe.

Sizes: 14(16, 19, 21, 24) inches around by 8(8.5, 9, 9.5, 10) inches deep, easily adjustable

Yarn and Yardage: Approximately 120(130, 150, 175, 200) yards of Why Knot Fibers Steady; in Patina for the one-color version, or in Patina, Robin’s Egg, and Peacock for the three-color version. But, as discussed below, the design is well suited to accommodate the lovely odds and ends of your stash, including yarns finer than worsted weight.

Techniques: Knit (k), purl (p), knit two together (k2tog), yarn over (yo), and knitting in the round.

Reservations: Reserve approximately 3 yards of yarn (or 1 yard each of three different colors!) to twist or braid into cord.

Extras: A tapestry needle to weave in ends; basic braiding or twisting skill to make the cord that will draw through the eyelets.

Odds and Ends: The simple and effective design of the Manx Cloak makes it well suited to accommodate the odds and ends of yarn in your stash. This is a great opportunity to hold together several strands of finer weight yarn that, together, are the equivalent of worsted weight; for example, a DK and a light fingering or lace, or a sport and a sport or fingering. The three-color version pictured here is made of complementary odds and ends.

As Modeled: The Manx Cloak pictured here is the three-color version. The first band is worked in Why Knot Fibers’ Steady, a worsted-weight yarn, in Patina; the second band is Why Knot Fibers’ Selky, a DK yarn, in Atlantis, held together with Why Knot Fibers’ Seduction, a fingering-weight yarn, in Robin’s Egg; and the third band is Why Knot Fibers’ Selky in Atlantis alone.