Inside-Out (and round and round)

Anyone remember that moldy-oldy disco hit by Diana Ross? I had a 45 single of it as a kid (wow, that really dates me, doesn't it?) Anyway, this song kept playing in my head while I was knitting this reversible cowl. It drove me crazy, but I love the results.

Cowl inside
Inside...

What a satisfying way to use up a lone skein of pretty yarn.

Cowl outside
Out...

My first attempt on 5mm needles yielded a flabby fabric, and I didn't like how messy the knit columns looked in the Mistake Rib stitch pattern. So in my second go, I changed to 4mm needles, and I worked all the knit stitches in the back loop, which created a tidy, reversible fabric.

Inside-out close-up right
And round...

Inside-out close-up wrong
And round...

Here's what I did, in case you'd like to make your own:


INSIDE-OUT COWL
Yarn: Handmaiden Casbah, 325 metres (I used about 2/3 of a skein)
Needles: Addi Turbo 4mm/40cm circs
Gauge: 22 stitches per 10cm (precision is not crucial here, just create a fabric that has a density that you find pleasing)

Pattern:
Cast on 110 stitches (more or less, as long as it's an even number).

Join in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place marker at the beginning of the round.

Row 1: knit
Row 2: purl
(Repeat these two rows twice more)

Row 7: knit in back loop
Row 8: knit 1 in back loop, purl 1, repeat till end
(Repeat rows 7 and 8, working till desired length. Mine is 20 cm long.)

End tube with same garter border as beginning. Cast-off loosely, neatly darning in ends.

By the way, I realize that knitting in the back loop is a bit of a pain. You don't have to be as persnickity as I am, just go ahead and knit the knit stitches the ordinary way. I just have a thing for twisted stitches.

I may try and create a PDF and post it on Ravelry. I just have to figure out how to do it. Anyone have tips?

Happy knitting.