Malabrigo Columbia Waterfront Cape Knitting Pattern

Malabrigo Columbia Waterfront Turtleneck Capelet

What is Being Made

The Columbia Waterfront is a turtleneck capelet designed by Sandi Prosser, featured in Malabrigo Book 7: Rasta in Brooklyn. This garment is a sophisticated layering piece that combines a fitted capelet with an extended turtleneck collar. Available in two sizes—Small/Medium and Large/Extra Large—the capelet features a lower edge circumference of 48 inches (Small/Medium) or 51.5 inches (Large/Extra Large), with a total length of 13 to 14.25 inches excluding the collar. The turtleneck collar extends an additional 7 inches, creating a cozy, versatile accessory suitable for cool weather styling.

Techniques Used

This capelet is constructed using several key knitting techniques that create both visual interest and structural integrity:

• Seamless construction: The garment is worked in the round using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, continuous fabric.
• Bottom-up construction: The capelet is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing for easy length adjustments and intuitive sizing.
• Cable work: Decorative cable stitches are integrated throughout the pattern, adding textural depth and visual dimension to the piece.
• Shaping through decreases: Strategic decreases are worked at marked intervals to create the fitted silhouette as the capelet transitions from the wider lower edge to the narrower neckline.

Stitches Used

The Columbia Waterfront employs a limited but effective stitch palette. The primary pattern stitch alternates between knit and purl rounds combined with cable crosses. Two-stitch right cable (2-st RC) and two-stitch left cable (2-st LC) crosses are the signature stitch elements, created by slipping one stitch to a cable needle, holding it to the back or front as appropriate, knitting the next stitch, then knitting the stitch from the cable needle. These cable crosses are arranged in a repeating pattern that creates visual movement around the capelet. The collar is finished with a classic knit-one, purl-one (k1, p1) ribbing, which provides elasticity and a refined edge.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The pattern calls for Rasta by Malabrigo, a worsted-weight yarn offered in 5.25-ounce (150-gram) hanks with approximately 90 yards (83 meters) per hank. The main color (MC) requires 3 hanks in shade #247 Whales Road, while the contrast color (CC) for the turtleneck collar requires 1 hank in shade #30 Purple Mystery. This color combination creates a striking visual contrast between the body of the capelet and the collar.

Needles required include Size 15 (10mm) circular needles in two lengths: 16 inches (40 centimeters) and 32 inches (80 centimeters). The longer needle is used for the initial cast-on and early rounds when working the wider lower edge, while the shorter needle is substituted as necessary once the stitch count decreases during the shaping phase. The pattern specifies using the size needed to obtain the correct gauge. Additional notions include removable stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping points, and a cable needle for executing the cable crosses.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked at a gauge of 9 stitches and 12 rounds over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in pattern stitch using Size 15 (10mm) needles. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished capelet achieves the intended dimensions and drape. The pattern accommodates two finished sizes with distinct stitch counts at cast-on and shaping intervals, allowing knitters to customize the fit.