Lana Grossa 10 Poncho Cape Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa 10 Poncho in Gomitolo Summer Tweed

What is Being Made

This is a knitted poncho design featuring a relaxed, layered silhouette with an open center front slit and finished collar. The poncho is constructed in three size options (36-38, 40-42, and 44-46) and offers a versatile garment suitable for transitional seasons. The design includes shaped shoulders with graduated bind-offs to create a comfortable fit, open armholes for ease of movement, and a ribbed collar to frame the neckline.

Techniques Used

This poncho employs a bottom-up construction method, meaning the garment is knitted starting from the lower edge and progressing upward toward the shoulders and neckline. The piece is worked flat on straight needles for the main body sections, then transitions to working in the round using a circular needle for the collar. The garment is seamed together, with shoulder seams and side seams joining the front and back pieces. The side seams are only partially sewn—3 centimeters up from the bottom edge and 17 centimeters down from the shoulders—intentionally leaving 24 centimeters open to create the armhole openings. This strategic seaming approach allows the poncho to drape naturally while maintaining structural integrity at key points.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the poncho, created by knitting on the right side and purling on the wrong side when working flat, or knitting every round when working in the round. This creates a smooth, classic fabric with a V-shaped texture on the right side.
• Drop Stitch Pattern: A decorative openwork pattern worked over 5 rows. The pattern begins with knit rows, then incorporates yarn overs (yo) on the right side row, which are deliberately dropped and pulled up to elongate the stitches on the following row. This creates a subtle, textured effect with elongated vertical lines that add visual interest and slight transparency to the fabric.
• Single Crochet (sc): Used for finishing edges, including around the collar edge, bottom edge with the center slit, and each armhole edge. This provides a neat, reinforced border that prevents curling and adds a polished appearance.

Materials and Tools

The poncho requires 200 grams of Lana Grossa Gomitolo Summer Tweed yarn, which offers 400 meters per 100 grams. This yarn is composed of 72% cotton, 20% viscose, and 8% polyamide, creating a breathable, lightweight blend ideal for warm-weather layering. The fiber content provides natural drape, moisture-wicking properties from the cotton, and subtle sheen from the viscose component, while the polyamide adds durability and elasticity.

The colorway specified is Khaki/Dark Grey/Olive/Marine/Charcoal (color 10), a multi-tonal tweed that creates visual depth and texture throughout the finished garment.

Knitting needles required include size 4 mm straight needles for the main body and size 4 mm circular needle measuring 40 centimeters long for the collar. A size 3.5 mm crochet hook is used for the finishing single crochet edging. The gauge is established at 20 stitches and 30 rows over 10 centimeters on size 4 mm needles in stockinette stitch, which is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements.

Construction Details

The poncho body begins with a cast-on and increases evenly across the first row to establish the base stitch count: 97 stitches for size 36-38, 105 stitches for size 40-42, and 113 stitches for size 44-46. After working several rows in stockinette stitch, the shoulders are shaped using a series of graduated bind-offs at the beginning of rows. This shaping technique creates a sloped shoulder line that accommodates the neck opening while maintaining the poncho's relaxed aesthetic.

The piece is worked until it measures 59 centimeters (size 36-38), 61 centimeters (size 40-42), or 63 centimeters (size 44-46) from the cast-on edge. The final rows include single-stitch bind-offs at the beginning of both right-side and wrong-side rows to complete the shoulder shaping, leaving 47 stitches to be placed on a holder for the collar