Mr Yak really likes to stay warm year round, and this little neck-warmer/cowl does just the trick. The handy buttonholes around the edge let you choose how snug or loose you’d like to secure it, as well as giving you a place to show off some of your favorite fiber bling. It’s also easy to make longer or wider once you’ve got the idea! The “Chinese Waitress” cast on provides a nice elastic edge, looks great on both sides, and gives you a tidy start to your knitting.

This is a great way to learn and practice the “Chinese Waitress” cast on, and as I was in fact doing the very same thing, I was also looking for a matching bind off. It didn’t seem to exist (that I could find :) ), so I fiddled around and I came up with a bind off that I think looks pretty nifty and pretty symmetrical to the cast on! The instructions for both are detailed and easy to follow.

The skills needed are the knit stitch and yarnover. The cast on and cast off are described in detail, and are written with beginning, or rusty knitter in mind. There is also a separate (free) tutorial that is included with purchase that contains the same instructions with the addition of some step-by-step photos.

In this pattern you will also use 1” buttons to create ‘Cufflinks’ that will allow you to use any two buttonholes to secure your neck wrap any way you’d like.

The materials needed are:

• a worsted or heavy worsted yarn that produces a gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch
• US10 1⁄2 -11 (6.5 - 7mm) knitting needles
• Crochet hook similar in size to your knitting needle, but not larger
• 3 Stitch markers – one of them safety pin style, or otherwise removable
• 4 - 1” buttons and 1 yard of yarn or cord
• a Tapestry needle that will fit through your button’s holes
• Optional: 1-5 yards of your favorite fiber bling or art yarn, for example; corespun, lockspun, shiny beady thing, wild handspun etc.

--This will produce a finished neck wrap that is approximately 10” x 31” unblocked.