Noro Intarsia Capelet Knitting Pattern

Noro Intarsia Capelet

What is Being Made

The Noro Intarsia Capelet is a sophisticated shoulder-covering garment designed as an intermediate-level knitting project. This capelet features finished measurements of 11½ inches (29 centimeters) in width and 41 inches (104 centimeters) in length, making it an elegant layering piece suitable for adding warmth and style to various outfits. The capelet is designed to be fastened with a shawl pin for secure wear.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs three primary knitting techniques to create visual interest and structural integrity:

• Intarsia Knitting: The capelet features intarsia colorwork, a technique where separate bobbins or butterfly wraps of yarn are used for each distinct color section within the design. Rather than carrying yarn across the back of the work, intarsia allows for large blocks of contrasting colors to be incorporated seamlessly. The pattern instructs knitters to wind bobbins or butterflies of individual colors from the skein, using a separate bobbin for each color section. When changing colors, yarns are twisted on the wrong side to prevent holes from forming in the finished fabric.
• Seamless Construction: The capelet is worked flat on straight needles without requiring seaming, creating a unified garment from a single continuous piece of knitting.
• Mixed Stitch Borders: The capelet incorporates multiple border treatments to frame the central intarsia design, adding textural variety and definition to the finished piece.

Stitches Used

The Noro Intarsia Capelet utilizes several fundamental knitting stitches to construct the garment:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch used for the intarsia chart section, worked as knit on right-side rows and purl on wrong-side rows. The chart itself is worked entirely in stockinette stitch, creating a smooth, flat canvas for the colorwork design.
• Garter Stitch: A textured border stitch created by knitting every row, providing a ridged, reversible edge that frames one side of the capelet. The garter stitch border is worked with the existing working yarn throughout the pattern.
• Seed Stitch: An alternating knit and purl stitch that creates a bumpy, textured appearance, used as a contrasting border element. The seed stitch border is worked with a second full skein of yarn, creating visual distinction from the garter stitch edge.

Materials

The Noro Intarsia Capelet requires the following materials to complete the project:

• Yarn: 5 skeins of Noro Kureyon in colorway #329. The pattern notes that as each skein of Noro Kureyon is unique, the chart and accompanying photograph should be used as a guide to create intarsia squares with high contrast, allowing for natural color variation inherent to this yarn.
• Needles: One pair of size 8 (5 millimeter) needles, or the size required to obtain the correct gauge.
• Additional Notions: Bobbins or butterfly wraps for managing the multiple yarn colors used in the intarsia sections, and an optional shawl pin for fastening the capelet securely when worn.

Gauge and Construction Notes

The pattern is designed to be worked at a gauge of 16 stitches and 28 rows equaling 4 inches (10 centimeters) over stockinette stitch using size 8 (5 millimeter) needles. Knitters are advised to take time to check gauge before beginning, as this ensures the finished capelet will meet the specified measurements. The construction method involves working the chart over 36 stitches while maintaining 8-stitch garter stitch and 4-stitch seed stitch borders on either side. The solid body of the capelet and the borders are worked from continuous skeins, while new bobbins are joined for each intarsia color square. The pattern repeats rows 19–36 thirteen times after the initial chart rows, creating the full length of the capelet. After completing the charted sections, additional rows are worked in seed stitch and garter stitch before binding off. Light blocking to finished measurements is recommended to set the stitches and even out the fabric.