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.]

Summer Poncho Knitting Patterns

Knit a Poncho in Colorful Brioche

A Poncho Pattern that Might Actually Make Me Want to Knit a Poncho

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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