Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Knit a Pretty Poncho with Lace and Cables

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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.]

Summer Poncho Knitting Patterns

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Have you read?

Add Mushrooms to Your Knits with these Fun Knitting Patterns

A few years ago I wrote a post that was full of patterns for knit mushrooms, but I don’t think I ever did a post that was knitting patterns with mushrooms on them, so today’s the day. 

I love the Fungi Beanie from Jacki Bean, which calls for worsted weight yarn and uses duplicate stitch to add the mushrooms and other details. I think the colors she used for the design are tonal/multicolor so it doesn’t use as many colors as it looks like, but you can use whatever red, green, brown and white yarn you have in your stash for those details. 

How about some mushroom socks? The Magic Toadstool sock form Stone Knits includes a ring of mushrooms around the leg, contrasting heel and toe and a little more colorwork at the toe for extra cuteness. As shown it uses four colors and comes in three sizes. 

Or there’s the Fairy Ring Socks from Katie Green, which have mushrooms of two sizes on the legs, plus a bit of wavy grass. They have a contrasting cuff, heel and toe and some colorwork flecks in the body of the sock as well. This one is available in eight sizes to fit everyone from a baby to an XL adult. 

This trippy cowl from Hunt Hand Knits looks like a lot of fun to knit. The Fungus Among Us Cowl is shown using four colors of DK weight yarn, though you can do it with as few as two if you’d rather. 

Stitch some mushroom mittens with this cute pattern from Holly C Watson. This design uses three colors, and it’s shown with a self-striping yarn on the mushroom caps, which makes the colors change without you having to do any work. The pattern is charted but it’s a pretty easy repeat. The mittens are one size. 

If you don’t feel like knitting mushrooms but still want to give your project a touch of the forest, the Toadstools Cardigan from Julie Taylor may be what you’re looking for. It’s stitched as a plain cardigan worked in DK weight yarn and sized for newborns up to 4 years old. The mushrooms are added with embroidery and the pattern includes the design, which you can trace onto water soluble stabilizer to stitch the mushrooms onto your sweater. Or anything else you want. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.