Knit a Pretty Poncho with Lace and Cables

I have long considered myself to be not a poncho person. Other than making one for my daughter when she was really young, I don’t think I’ve ever knit one, because I don’t know if it’s a style I would wear.

But if we’re being honest, a poncho can just be a shawl that’s easier to wear, right?

That’s what the Colette pattern from the Berroco design team reminded me of. It is actually just a rectangle with a head hole, so it’s exactly like a shawl that won’t fall off your shoulders.

The design of this one reminds me of a shawl, too. It’s worked in a DK weight yarn with an allover pattern of eyelets and cables. The lace design makes diamond shapes and the cables run up the middle of the diamonds, making for a complex look but it’s still pretty casual and wearable. The yarn called for is a superwash wool, which makes it warm without being too heavy (thanks to the DK weight) and also makes it easier to care for the finished garment.

Because of all that’s going on in this design, it’s rated for experienced knitters. The rows with cable turns often have a couple (and as many as four) different kinds of cables that are worked across the fabric, and the pattern design is charted so you need to be comfortable working from a large and complex chart.

The poncho comes in four sizes so you can decide how much drape or extra fabric you want on the sides. The width ranges from 37 to 50.5 inches, or 94 to 128.5 cm, and the longer the width the more it will cover your arms and become like a wearable blanket. Which is definitely a concept I can get behind.

You can grab this free pattern from Berroco.

[Photo: Berroco.]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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