Juniper Moon Farm Rue de Rivoli Cape Knitting Pattern

Juniper Moon Farm Rue de Rivoli Cape

What Is Being Made

The Rue de Rivoli cape is a stylish raglan-construction cape from the Gamine Collection, designed by Kathleen Dames. This garment features an elegant collar that measures 22 inches (56 centimeters) and expands to a generous 48-inch (123-centimeter) hem, making it a dramatic layering piece suitable for transitional seasons. The cape is worked seamlessly from the top down using circular needles, creating a garment that drapes beautifully with minimal finishing required.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques that create both visual interest and structural integrity. The top-down construction method allows knitters to try on the cape as they work and easily adjust the length to their preference. The raglan shaping technique uses strategic increases placed at marked intervals to create the characteristic diagonal lines that slope from the neckline to the underarm, providing a flattering fit across the shoulders and chest.

The cape is worked flat on circular needles, meaning knitters work back and forth in rows rather than in the round, which simplifies cable work and pattern management. Cable techniques form the primary decorative element, with undulating cables creating a sophisticated texture throughout the garment. The pattern includes various increase methods—m1 (make one), m1L (make one left-leaning), and m1R (make one right-leaning)—which are strategically placed to maintain pattern continuity while shaping the garment. Additionally, the pattern incorporates i-cord edging, a tubular knitted cord created by working stitches on double-pointed needles and sliding them back to create a continuous loop, adding a refined finish to the cape's edges.

Stitches Used

The Rue de Rivoli cape utilizes a focused selection of fundamental and decorative stitches. The knit stitch and purl stitch form the foundation, with the collar worked in k3p3 ribbing—an alternating pattern of three knit stitches followed by three purl stitches that creates elasticity and helps the collar maintain its shape. The primary visual feature is the Rue de Rivoli cable pattern, which uses a cable needle to cross groups of stitches over one another, creating the undulating cable effect that gives the cape its distinctive appearance. The pattern also employs knit two together (k2tog) and knit three together (k3tog) decreases, though these appear to be minimal in the cape's construction, with the primary shaping achieved through strategic increases rather than decreases.

Materials

The Rue de Rivoli cape is designed to be worked in Juniper Moon Farm Fourteen yarn, specifically 6 balls of 50 grams each in color number 02 Dreamscape, providing approximately 300 grams of yarn for the completed garment. Fourteen is a fingering-weight yarn that knits to a gauge of 30 stitches and 28 rows per 4.5 inches (11.5 centimeters) by 4 inches (10 centimeters) in the Rue de Rivoli cable pattern.

The required needles include a size US 8 (5-millimeter) circular needle measuring 40 inches (100 centimeters) for the main cape construction and a pair of size US 8 (5-millimeter) double-pointed needles for the i-cord edging. Additional notions include a cable needle for manipulating cable stitches, stitch markers to denote pattern repeats and increase points, a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and any finishing seams, and one large button for closure at the neckline.