AMANO Copa Topper Cape Knitting Pattern

AMANO Copa Topper

What Is Being Made

The AMANO Copa Topper is a cropped topper and poncho hybrid designed by Martha Wissing for the Fall Winter 16/17 collection. This garment is knit as a single continuous piece, beginning at the lower front, worked upward and over the shoulders, and finishing at the lower back. The design features self-finished edges with no seaming required on the main body, creating a polished, professional appearance.

Sizing and Fit

The pattern is available in four size ranges to accommodate various body types. Directions are provided for women's X-Small/Small (to fit bust 30–34 inches), with adjustments for Medium/Large (bust 38–46 inches) and 1X/2X (bust 50–58 inches). The cropped length and poncho silhouette make this a versatile layering piece suitable for fall and winter wear.

Construction Techniques

This topper employs a sophisticated flat knitting method worked on circular needles, combining two distinct stitch patterns to create the garment's distinctive shape. The construction strategy is intentional: the lower front and back sections are worked in stockinette stitch, while a brioche stitch section forms the central panel. Due to differences in row gauge between these two stitch patterns, the brioche section is naturally shorter than the stockinette sections, which creates the characteristic poncho drape and cropped silhouette without requiring complex shaping decreases.

Neck shaping is accomplished through strategic cast-offs and cast-ons. The front neck opening uses a larger needle for the bind-off to create a relaxed edge, while the back neck is cast on loosely using the backward loop method to maintain consistent elasticity. This technique ensures comfortable wear and a polished neckline finish.

Stitches Used

The pattern features two primary stitch techniques:

• Stockinette Stitch: Forms the foundation of the lower front and back sections, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric base.
• Brioche Stitch: The decorative central panel uses brioche knitting, a reversible, textured stitch that creates dimensional fabric with excellent elasticity. The brioche pattern is worked using the following specialized stitches:
  • BRK (Brioche Knit): Knit the stitch and its yarn-over together, then pass the original stitch over the new stitch.
  • Yf-Sl1-yo (Yarn Forward, Slip 1, Yarn Over): A preparatory stitch that creates the characteristic brioche loops by slipping a stitch with yarn held forward, then creating a yarn-over for the next row.
• Slip Stitch Edging: Slip stitches worked with yarn in front (wyif) or yarn in back (wyib) create neat, finished selvage edges throughout the piece.
• Ribbing: Knit and purl combinations (k1, p1) frame the brioche section and create structural definition at the neckline.

Materials

The pattern is designed to be worked with AMANO yarn, available through amanoyarns.com. Knitting is performed on circular needles, with a larger needle size required specifically for the front neck bind-off to create a relaxed, comfortable edge. The brioche stitch section requires careful attention to yarn tension and stitch manipulation, making this an intermediate to advanced knitting project.

Pattern Structure

The brioche stitch pattern is established with a setup row worked on the wrong side, followed by alternating right-side and wrong-side rows. The pattern repeats rows 1 and 2 four times before transitioning to rows 3 and 4, which continue until the stockinette portion reaches the specified length (17½ inches for X-Small/Small, increasing to 19½ or 21½ inches for larger sizes). This structured approach ensures consistent stitch definition and proper fabric development throughout the brioche panel.