Chrysanthemum Cowl and fabric notes

As I was finishing the second sample of the Chrysanthemum Cowl I noticed that there might be some confusion about how it looks on the needles and what happens when you bind off. 

With all knitting, especially in the round, needle's circumference limits how much the fabric can stretch, so the fabric will grow substantially when you bind off - assuming you don't bind off too tightly! 

Here is the blue Chrysanthemum Cowl just prior to binding off.  It looks like it might be the size of just a generous turtleneck, doesn't it? 

Then after it's bound off, the fabric can expand into a much larger circumference with terrific drape.  Notice also that the width of the fabric has decreased.  On the needles, it was about 6 inches wide.  Off the needles, it's around 5 or 5 1/2 inches, depending on how much you stretch it in length. 

This length to width stretch aspect is really important to remember when you measure anything you're knitting - from a gauge swatch to a garment in progress.  We'll take a deeper look at what this means for you and your knitting later this week. 

Until then, enjoy your knitting your one-skein Chrysanthemum Cowl!