Aniene Cape Knitting Pattern

Aniene Cape in Berroco Estiva

What is Being Made

The Aniene is a knitted cape designed by Amy Christoffers, featured in Berroco Booklet #406. This garment is a collar-based cape with a finished length of 23 inches across all sizes, making it a versatile layering piece. The cape features a graduated color effect that extends throughout the entire garment, creating visual interest and depth in the finished piece.

Sizes and Finished Measurements

The Aniene cape is available in three size ranges:

• XS/S: Collar width of 20 inches
• M/L: Collar width of 24½ inches
• 1X/2X: Collar width of 29 inches

All sizes share a consistent length of 23 inches. The garment features considerable stretch, allowing for flexible fit adjustments across the wearer's frame.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Aniene cape employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its finished appearance. The primary construction method uses knit and purl ribbing in the round, which creates the textured, elastic fabric characteristic of this design. The pattern utilizes a gradient yarn technique, where multiple cakes of yarn are alternated every round to maintain continuous color progression throughout the piece. The unused yarns are carried up the beginning and end of each round, ensuring a neat and professional finish without excessive weaving in of ends.

The cape is worked in the round using circular needles, which allows for seamless construction and even stitch distribution. This method is particularly effective for creating a garment with consistent stretch and recovery properties.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern employed in the Aniene cape is k1, p1 ribbing (alternating knit and purl stitches). This fundamental ribbed texture provides both visual interest and functional elasticity to the garment. The ribbing creates vertical lines that elongate the silhouette while the alternating knit and purl stitches naturally draw inward, ensuring the cape sits comfortably at the neckline and drapes elegantly down the body.

The pattern also includes specialized finishing techniques, such as a three-needle bind-off method described in the instructions, which creates a secure and stretchy edge suitable for a garment that requires flexibility at the collar.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

Yarn: The Aniene cape is designed to be worked in Berroco Estiva, a yarn that comes in 150-gram cakes. The pattern calls for 2 cakes for sizes XS/S, and 3 cakes for sizes M/L and 1X/2X. The sample shown was knitted in Berroco Estiva #2620 Fuchsia. To maintain the gradient effect throughout the piece, the same yarn quantity is used consistently across all rounds, with alternating cakes creating the color progression.

Needles and Notions: The pattern requires two sizes of 24-inch circular needles: size 9 (5.50 mm) for the initial cast-on and ribbing, and size 10 (6.00 mm) for the main body of the cape. Four stitch markers are needed to track pattern repeats and the beginning of each round, with one marker in a contrasting color to clearly identify the round start.

Gauge

The recommended gauge for the Aniene cape is 21 stitches and 26 rounds over 4 inches in k1, p1 ribbing on the larger needle in unstretched state. Achieving proper gauge is essential for obtaining accurate finished measurements and ensuring the cape drapes as intended. Knitters are strongly encouraged to knit a gauge swatch before beginning the project to account for individual tension variations.

Skill Level

The Aniene cape is rated as an easy to intermediate knitting project, making it accessible to knitters with basic circular needle experience and familiarity with ribbed stitch patterns. The straightforward construction and repetitive stitch pattern make this an ideal project for building confidence with in-the-round knitting techniques.