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Pretty Ponchos to Knit

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I hate to admit that I’m not a huge fan of ponchos. Every time they come back I cringe a little. If you’re cold, why not just knit a sweater?

But there are some poncho designs that I see and think, well, you know, maybe I could actually knit and wear that.

Looking for more poncho patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

Like the Newsprint Poncho from Lion Brand Yarn. I love the color combination (it’s actually a self-striping yarn!), the stitch pattern, the ease of wearing, the allusion to newspapers. I would knit that, and wear it, too.

The Hayfield poncho from Love Knitting combines classic Aran style with a poncho shape. It’s sized for kids and adults and can be knit with a shawl collar or a turtleneck. And if you use the yarn required, any size takes only one ball of yarn!

Another pretty one from Love Knitting is the Rico poncho, which uses a self-striping yarn and an easy repeating stitch pattern on two panels that are sewn together.

The Welty poncho by Lisa Hoffman for Tahki Yarns (PDF) is a dramatic project with a bold stitch pattern. Worked in two rectangles that are sewn together, stitches are then picked up to knit a circular yoke. Very cool.

And because sometimes its hard to tell where cowl ends and poncho begins, I also submit the Bobble Capelet from Tahki Yarns. This one is a bit of knitting that wraps around the shoulders, sort of like a mini poncho.

Which brings up a good question: how do you define a poncho? Do you like the look? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for more poncho patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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Knit a Stunning Shawl That Wears Like a Collar

I’m honestly not totally sure what to say about the Sun King shawl pattern from Ursa Major Knits other than isn’t this cool? You should probably make one. 

This modular design is worked in two parts, the “waxing” and “waning” sections. Both pieces are asymmetrical and use the same yarns in different ways to mix up the colors and make it even more interesting. 

You can choose to use two contrasting solid yarns, a solid and a gradient or two complimentary gradients for your yarns. And you can use any weight of yarn and whatever gauge you like to make shawls of different sizes. There are also a bunch of different size options (seven, in fact) that take the project from a little collar like design to something more like a scarf to a large shawl that wraps around the neck to keep you warm. 

The sample projects use fingering/lace weight yarn, but you can use whatever you have on hand to make your own beautiful version of this shawl. Using lace weight, you’ll need twice as much of one color as the other.

There are lots of yarn suggestions on the pattern page on Ravelry, and I love the color choices the designer made so much I’d definitely be tempted to use the same colors they did (there are a couple of different versions on the pattern page if you want to see how it looks in different sizes and different colors). 

I love the little diamond shapes a the edges of the pieces, which add a little more drama to the project, as if it needed more. 

I’m still not sure this boils down to anything beyond this project looks really cool and you should probably knit it, but that’s pretty much how I pick all the projects I share, so I guess that’s fine. You can check it out for yourself and grab a copy of the pattern on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Ursa Major Knits]

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