Knit a Cozy Poncho with a Pretty Lace Panel

I’m not really a fan of what we would traditionally call a poncho, that big triangular fabric with a hole at the tops that’s straight out of the 1970s. They never seen to fit well or look flattering and it feels like a lot of work for a project I’d probably never wear. I made one for my daughter when she was a toddler and it was super cute on her, but I added more shaping than is traditionally done on a poncho, too.

The good news is there are more refined versions of garments we might still call a poncho but that don’t really look like their ’70s sisters.

Like Ashmont. This free pattern from Berroco is a rectangular poncho (maybe slightly more accurately called a ruana, but they call it a poncho so let’s go with it) with a pretty lace panel running down the front and back. And instead of that big hole at the top commonly found on a poncho, this one has a turtleneck, which helps it to stay on the body.

The project calls for Berroco Mercado, a bulky Peruvian wool, but any bulky yarn with good stitch definition would do.

Designed by Åsa Buchta, this pattern comes in four sizes, ranging in width (across the front) from 28 to 40 inches (that’s about 71 to 101.6 cm) so you can choose the amount of ease you would like in the garment.

The armhole edges are worked in ribbing and left open, though you could sew them together, leaving an armhole opening, if you’d like this more as a vest or sweater style than a poncho. The pretty lace pattern is both written and charted in the pattern, but it’s pretty easy to knit either way. And if you’ve never knit lace in a bulky yarn before, that difference in scale is a lot of fun.

Learn more about the pattern and grab a free copy if you want to make it from Berroco.

[Photo: Berroco]

I don’t often share knitting patterns for pets, mostly because I don’t think of it. I don’t have a dog, and I’ve never knit for my cats except a knit couch and a little cat bed I made on a knitting machine, both of which were pretty much ignored.

I have shared some pet bed knitting patterns, and both hats and sweaters for dogs.

But I don’t think I’ve shared a pattern for a cat sweater, until now.

This one is the Bunny sweater by Sarah Zhou, so named because her cat is named Bunny, of course.

It’s a made to measure pattern because cats come in all shapes and sizes, and you can also use any yarn you like and whatever gauge you are getting with that yarn.

The design is knit from the bottom up, that is, from the tail side up toward the head. Pairs of decreases shape the body as you work toward the armholes, which are made by binding off a few stitches. Then the belly and the back are worked flat, then joined and worked in the round for the chest part.

There are some design options in the pattern, from the look of the photos they include using a contrasting color for the edging, working a scalloped edging, maybe a foldover collar? But of course you can add your own embellishments, stripes, make it in team colors or for a Halloween costume. I’m sure they’re quick to knit so you can make a bunch if you have a cat who is willing to submit to such torture.

Bunny looks like a very good and mostly tolerant girl; I don’t think either of my cats would be willing to wear a sweater. But if you make one (the pattern is available on Ravelry) and successfully get your cat to wear it I would love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah Zhou]

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