Delphine Poncho Cape Knitting Pattern

Delphine Poncho in Rowan Summerlite 4ply

What is Being Made

The Delphine Poncho is a lightweight, draped garment designed to fit bust sizes ranging from 71–97 cm to 132–147 cm. This knitted poncho features a generous lower edge width of 58–73 cm and creates an elegant layering piece suitable for warm weather wear. The design includes a shaped neck opening and is constructed as a single piece that is folded and seamed during finishing.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques to achieve its finished structure. The poncho begins with a cast-on edge and progresses through charted colorwork or textural patterning, repeated multiple times to build length and dimension. The pattern incorporates garter stitch borders along the edges for stability and definition. Shaping is achieved through strategic decreases worked within the main pattern repeat. The finishing process involves pressing, folding the completed piece in half to align cast-on and cast-off edges, and slip stitching the side seams together. A neck opening is created by leaving a specific measurement unsewn at the fold point, allowing the poncho to sit comfortably around the shoulders.

Stitches Used

• Knit (K) – worked on right-side rows
• Purl (P) – worked on wrong-side rows
• Garter stitch (g st) – formed by knitting every row, used for the 5-stitch borders on each side
• Yarn over (YO) – creates openwork or lace elements within the pattern
• K2tog – knit two stitches together for right-leaning decreases
• Slip 1, K1, psso (sl 1, K1, psso) – slip one stitch, knit one, pass slipped stitch over for left-leaning decreases
• K3tog – knit three stitches together for double decreases

Materials and Specifications

The Delphine Poncho is designed to be worked in Rowan Summerlite 4ply, a lightweight four-ply yarn available in the colorway Duck Egg. The yardage requirement is 419 meters (approximately 7–9 balls of 50-gram skeins, depending on size). The project is worked on 3 mm (US 3) needles, which are sized to achieve the specified tension of 26 stitches and 41 rows over 10 centimeters when measured over the pattern stitch.

Pattern Structure and Sizing

The pattern is available in three sizes with the following measurements:

• Size 1: To fit bust 71–97 cm (28–38 in); lower edge width 58 cm (23 in); finished length approximately 70 cm
• Size 2: To fit bust 102–127 cm (40–50 in); lower edge width 65 cm (25.5 in); finished length approximately 75 cm
• Size 3: To fit bust 132–147 cm (52–62 in); lower edge width 73 cm (29 in); finished length approximately 80 cm

The pattern repeat consists of 20 stitches and 20 rows, repeated across and vertically to build the full poncho. The neck opening measures 28–32 cm depending on size, providing comfortable fit around the neckline.