That's MISTER Moebius to you, darlin'

Don't let the ants freak you out. They're just goin' round and round up and down on this figure eight graphic to illustrate yet another CRAFT project.

Last night in knitting class, we learned how to cast on in Moebius knitting.
I suppose you could call Moebius the twisted side of needle art.

It's mathematical (aaaaiiiiieeeee!!!!).
It's magical.
It's pretty darn awesome.

It's a tad difficult to wrap your thinking around (pun intended: Moebius is all about appearing wrapped around in continuous loops) when first learning this technique.

This certainly was true in class last night ~
you could almost see the smoke coming off the top of every knitter's head as the brain cells worked overtime whilst attempting the tricky cast-on with big circular needles and yarn.
The cast-on as well as the first row don't look anything like a typical cast-on or knitting stitches.
Whaaaaaaaa?

Someone asked' "Who made up this crazy technique?!?".
The answer to that is "Mobius". (The name gets spelled at least two ways.)
August Ferdinand Mobius ~ mathematician, topologist.
Credit for the design is sometimes also given to Johann Benedict Listing.
As it is in all too many instances where brilliant ideas are conceptualized, credit is not always accurately attributed to the individuals, groups or cultures of origin. Granted, the lines are oftentimes blurred as to who did what and when...

But that's nit-picking with historical content and context, with perhaps a bit of politics tossed into the mix.
We need not go there today for we're talking crafting fun.
Let's just go with the flow. Mister Moebius it is.

To add to the confusion, Moebius projects don't get knitted from the bottom up or the top down. They are knitted from the center out - both sides simultaneously.
Huh?

I'm hard-pressed to learn the new knitting tricks associated with Moebius, I don't get the math and topology hurts my brain, but dagnabbit - I am going to learn how to do this.
In the long run, knitting in this style promises to be a good time ~ y'all know how I love my good times wracked with a fair amount of frustration.

As the beautiful projects emerge from those extra long 47" - 60" circulars (kept coiled round in two parallel lines with only one crossing, like a train switching track!), I feel confident that someday soon, I too will be a yarn magician!!!

In the meantime, all other projects are ON HOLD,
or progressing at snail's pace...




Wish me luck with all of the above.
I'll need it.