I started this moebius pencil holder after I returned home from the Magical Moebius Festival. I’d been looking for something a little more knitterly to keep my pens and pencils in at work, and a felted bowl seemed like just the thing. And since I’d just learned to knit moebii, a little one seemed like just the thing

I worked on it a bit on Sunday and Monday, and then finished up the knitting on Tuesday night. Then into the washer it went. Two extra-hot cycles in my front loader were enough to reach the result I desired. It’s felted hard enough to hold its shape, but there is still a tiny bit of stitch definition. While it was still wet, I molded and squooshed it a bit so that the bottom would be flat and the sides would have the shape I wanted. Then I stuffed it with rolled up washcloths and let it sit until dry.

While knitting it, I allowed the handle to curl a little rather than forcing it to be flat because I liked the way that looked. I was aiming for something vaguely organic looking, as though it might have sort of grown on top of my desk. I think I mostly succeeded.

My pens and pencils used to reside a small flowerpot. The flowerpot is now inside the moebius bowl. The flower pot adds strength and a little more rigidity. If I only had a few pens and pencils, probably I would have been OK to leave the flower pot out, but with that many something more than felt is needed. Fortunately the flower pot just fit in perfectly.

The particulars:

• Yarn: Plymouth Tweed (100% virgin lambswool/ 109yds/50g per skein) held doubled — one ball of color 5314 (green) and one of color 5313 (rust)
• Needles: Knitpicks circulars, US#9 (5.5mm)
• Pattern: from Cat Bordhi’s A Treasury of Magical Knitting, with a few minor modifications.
• Techniques used:
  • Moebius cast on.
  • Bowl was knit using magic loop. I still don’t like magic loop, but I only have one US#9 needle apparently, so I was stuck.
  • Applied I-cord edging.