Malabrigo Williamsburg Cape Knitting Pattern

Malabrigo Williamsburg Cabled Poncho

What Is Being Made

The Malabrigo Williamsburg is a cabled poncho designed by Vanessa Putt. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a sophisticated layering piece with a finished width of 21 inches and length of 31 inches. The poncho features a structured construction with cable detailing and vine chart patterns, making it a statement piece suitable for various occasions and seasons.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several advanced knitting techniques to create its distinctive appearance:

• Bottom-up construction: The poncho is worked from the bottom edge upward, allowing knitters to try on the piece as it progresses and adjust length as needed.
• Worked flat: Rather than working in the round, this design is worked back and forth in rows using a circular needle to accommodate the large stitch count, without joining rounds.
• Cable work: Intricate cable stitches are central to the design, created using a cable needle to cross stitches and form the raised, twisted patterns characteristic of traditional cable knitting.
• Chart-based patterning: The poncho incorporates multiple stitch charts, including a right vine chart, left vine chart, and cable chart that guide the placement and progression of pattern elements across rows.
• Shaping techniques: Strategic increases and decreases, including make-one (M1p) increases and bind-off shaping, create the poncho's silhouette and neck opening.
• Seaming: Shoulder seams are sewn together during finishing to join front and back pieces.
• Ribbed edging: Side ribbing worked in a k2, p2 rib pattern adds structure and elasticity to the side edges.

Stitches Used

The Malabrigo Williamsburg incorporates a variety of essential knitting stitches:

• Knit and purl stitches: Form the foundation of the fabric and create texture contrast within the design.
• Cable stitches: Including 3-stitch right purl cross (3-st RPC), 3-stitch left purl cross (3-st LPC), and 4-stitch right cross (4-st RC), which involve slipping stitches to a cable needle, holding them to front or back, and working stitches in a specific order to create twisted rope-like effects.
• Make-one increases (M1p): Purl-wise increases that add stitches while maintaining pattern continuity.
• Ribbing: K2, p2 rib creates the side edging and provides elasticity.
• Bind-off stitches: Used to shape the neck opening and finish edges.

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The pattern calls for Begcharts Rasta by Malabrigo, a worsted-weight yarn available in 5.25-ounce (150-gram) hanks with approximately 90 yards (83 meters) per hank. The sample shown uses 8 hanks in colorway #120 Lotus, providing ample yardage for the complete poncho.

Needles and notions: Construction requires a size 13 (9mm) circular needle measuring 40 inches (100cm) in length to work the piece flat, accommodating the large stitch count. A set of four size 13 (9mm) double-pointed needles (dpn) is needed for any ribbed sections. A cable needle is essential for executing the cable stitches that define this design. Stitch markers help track pattern repeats and shaping points.

Gauge: The pattern is worked at a gauge of 8 stitches and 10 rows over 4 inches (10cm) in stockinette stitch using size 13 (9mm) needles. Checking gauge before beginning is emphasized as critical to achieving the correct finished measurements.

Pattern Structure and Construction Details

The Malabrigo Williamsburg follows a traditional poncho construction with distinct back and front pieces. The back begins with a foundation cast-on and progresses through increases worked at regular intervals using make-one stitches positioned between chart sections. The pattern incorporates multiple stitch charts that are worked simultaneously: a right vine chart and left vine chart frame a central cable chart, creating a balanced, symmetrical design. After the cable chart is completed through row 56, neck and shoulder shaping begins with bind-offs that create the poncho's neckline opening