About this design
This neck warmer was designed to be the perfect partner for my One Step Ahead Beanie. The One Step Ahead Beanie was inspired by some experimentation with a blue and aqua-toned Magic Ball and two interesting slipstitch patterns that I found in my stitch dictionaries. I really liked the way that the garter stitch sections accommodated the knots in my Magic Ball and also allowed the colour changes to really pop against the contrasting colour that I had chosen. After knitting five (yep, count ‘em!) beanies I realised that I needed to step up this design and incorporate it into a matching accessory … the One Step Ahead Neck Warmer was born.

Like its beanie buddy, this pattern has so much going for it—the two different slipstitch patterns are easy to memorise, it’s a great stash-buster project, you can experiment with colour and it is quick to knit. Plus there is the added bonus of creating a one-off Magic Ball that will make this neck warmer totally unique. I hope you fall in love with this pattern as much as I have.

This is a Magic Ball Friendly Pattern. My FREE 18-page Magic Ball Musings information sheet is included with your pattern and includes information on:

• Yarn weight
• Yarn composition
• Yarn colour
• Yarn lengths
• Yarn joining options
• Sourcing your yarns
• Creating and using your magic ball

If you can’t be bothered making a magic ball, or you’ve got some multi-dyed yarn or bits and bobs of stash yarn, then this pattern will fit the bill for using up leftovers to make a bright, colourful and very warm winter accessory for yourself or someone you care about.

Please visit the capitalKNITS Ravelry store to check out my other Magic Ball Friendly Patterns.

Size
Finished dimensions: 19 cm/7.5 ins tall and 54.5 cm/21.5” circumference

Tension
21 stitches x 40 rows in the Stairs Pattern knitted in the round on 4.5 mm (US size 7, UK size 7) needles on a 10 cm (4 in) blocked swatch. A reasonable match for tension is important for this pattern to ensure a good fit. If your gauge is significantly different, move up or down a needle size and swatch one more time. Also, you may find that you use more or less yarn if your gauge is significantly different.

Yarn
Any double knit/8 ply yarn that knits to the tension gauge. Two contrasting colours are required, one of which (the contrast colour) could be a Magic Ball.

Main Colour approx 95 m/104 yds (this is approximately a 50g ball of yarn)
Contrast Colour approx 75 m/82 yds (this is approximately 2/3 of a 50g ball of yarn)

Needles
4.00 mm (US size 6, UK size 8) double pointed needles or one 40 cm/6 ins circular needles or two 61 cm/24 ins circular needles or one 80 cm/32 ins or 100 cm/40 ins circular needle or a combination of these needles.

4.5 mm (US size 7, UK size 7) double pointed needles or one 40 cm/16 in circular needles or two 60 cm/24 ins circular needles or one 80 cm/32 ins or 100 cm/40 ins circular needle or a combination of these needles.

Notions
Stitch Marker
Tapestry/darning needle

The Pattern
This pattern includes written and charted instructions as well as links to video tutorials for most of the techniques used in the design.

Technical Editing in 2021 by Kathie Popadin, www.shakeyourbooties.net

Questions?
Please send all questions to capitalKNITS@icloud.com.