This cowl is all the tubes you can fit into a minimalist knit neckwarmer design. It’s tubes on tubes, and then you can add another tube, if you feel like it.

The Toobest Tube is a great chance to use a vibrant yarn you love; it only requires a partial skein (~264 yards at gauge, maybe a little more for safety), and its simplicity allows the yarn to really shine. The lining is another chance to show off a good yarn, and when you knit it with this option, the finished piece is exceptionally reversible.

Ideally, you can approach this as a modular knit with options: knit the basic tube for light warmth, or add a lining to make it warmer and showcase an additional favorite yarn. The knitting is pretty laid-back all through the project; aside from a little bit of setup and finishing that may require more attention, it’s a good takealong project/movie night knit.

Materials:

• About 264 yards or < 1 skein of Malabrigo Yarn Sock, shown in Candombe; for the lining, about 260 yards of Malabrigo Yarn Sock in Ochre.
• 1 16-24” circular knitting needle in US3/3.25mm, or size needed for gauge. Suggested needle sizes are only a starting point! Please use the needles you need to work at the required gauge.
• 2 DPNs in a size up from the circular needle used to get gauge
• 1-4 removable stitch markers, to help keep track of stitch counts and rounds
• Tapestry needle

Gauge:
Gauge is 24 sts and 34 rounds over 4”/10cm of blocked stockinette worked in the round. Please be sure to check your gauge.

Sample Notes:
I used Malabrigo Yarn Sock in Candombe for the outer shell, and Malabrigo Yarn Sock in Ochre for the lining. If you’re pairing a lighter fingering yarn with a sturdier one, it may be necessary to go a needle size up for the lighter yarn. I initially used Juliespins Euro Fingering 820 in Packham Pear to pick up stitches for the lining (love a bright poison green), but opted for a matching yarn (Ochre) after realizing that the weights were a little different.

The first photos show the lined version. The later photos (all dark purple/blue/Candombe colorway) are the unlined version. The ochre lining was added later to the unlined cowl.

(This download also includes a photo tutorial on the cast-on and weaving techniques used in this project. You may not need the extra photos, but they’re there in case you do.)