OLGAJAZZY

Time to get your needles prepped and ready for a new cowl in town. Meet Moko-Moko! In translation from Japanese Moko-Moko means “fluffy”. That was the first impression my Japanese friend Kumi when she saw me working on it. The dimensional allover texture of this fun cowl looks very intricate, but in fact it’s a beginner project but you still can learn several new techniques by making it!

This pattern is very easy to customize, the most important two aspects when it comes to choosing right yarn is to pick correct fiber content yarns and getting enough yarn for the entire dimensions you are intending. The animal fibers like wool, cashmere, alpaca, camel, bison and their blends are the best since they will help to preserve the usual texture.

And knowing my passion for versatile garments, the cowl is big enough to serve as a capelet or if you work it longer – as a bolero shrug and even a snood.

My yarn choice for Moko-Moko fell on a new-to-me Jones&Vandermeer yarn called Clever Camel, which is 100% camel in aran weight. It’s very airy although it’s plied and very strong. I love how the company site actually gives you description where the fiber for this yarn came from and where it was processed before it finally got into a pretty skein and ended up on your knitting needles.

I am very intrigued by other yarns available from Jones&Vandermeer and I see a sweater in my future made out of Moo Cotton, a heavy-worsted weight yarn of milk fiber and cotton bled which feels amazing in a swatch and reminds me of the discontinued Rowan Calmer only Moo Cotton is without any acrylic in it. Great option for those allergic to wool! And I am still salivating over Minkle (Mink + a bit of Sparkle!) and Real Pearl yarns.

I am currently working on a fingering version of Moko-Moko in Wollemeise Twin on size US 2 needles, but using same cast on instructions as I did for the green one above in Clever Camel. I plan to keep knitting on it till I run out of yarn.
If you are wondering for when you customize a pattern that has a big repeat like Moko-Moko, how would one know if leftover yarn if enough for one more full repeat and not waste time knitting and ending up having only to rip back? My advice is to weigh your first full repeat (take it off the needle or transfer live stitches onto some scrap yarn) and make a note how much 1 repeat weighs. Then when you get close to the end of your skein you weigh the leftover to determine the verdict.

Several test knitters who were kind to give Moko-Moko a try shared with me that the pattern was very addictive and hard to put it down. And as it’s rather a quick knit (even if you to to chunky or even bulky weights) one can certainly whip couple of them in time for more wooly Xmas presents! Pattern, yarn, needles – GO! Happy Knitting!

Moko-Moko Cowl on Ravelry

USD 6.00