Rowan Cloudberry Cape Knitting Pattern

Rowan Cloudberry Knitted Poncho

What is Being Made

The Rowan Cloudberry is a seamless knitted poncho designed by Martin Storey. This garment is worked in one piece from the bottom up and features a decorative lace pattern throughout the body, with a ribbed collar that is picked up and knitted around the neck opening after the main poncho is complete. The poncho is available in three sizes to fit bust measurements of 81–97 cm, 102–107 cm, and 112–127 cm, making it a versatile layering piece suitable for various body types.

Techniques Used

The Cloudberry employs several key knitting techniques that contribute to both its structure and aesthetic appeal:

• Bottom-up construction: The poncho is knitted from the lower edge upward, allowing the knitter to try on the garment as it progresses and adjust the fit if needed.
• Seamless, worked flat: Although the garment is seamless in its final form, it is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round. The shoulder and overarm seam is created by folding the poncho in half and joining the cast-on and cast-off edges together, with a specific opening left at the folded edge to form the neck opening.
• Lace patterning: A repeating four-row lace pattern forms the main decorative element of the poncho body. This pattern incorporates yarn forwards (yfwd) and knit two together (K2tog) decreases to create openwork throughout the fabric.
• Picked-up collar: After the main poncho body is complete and seamed, stitches are picked up evenly around the entire neck opening edge using a circular needle. The collar is then knitted in the round in a ribbed pattern with strategic increases to create a flared, comfortable neckline.

Stitches Used

The Cloudberry utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined to create texture and openwork:

• Knit (K) and Purl (P) stitches: These form the foundation of both the lace pattern in the poncho body and the ribbed collar.
• Yarn forward (yfwd): This stitch creates the openwork characteristic of the lace pattern by adding extra loops that are then decreased to maintain stitch count.
• Knit two together (K2tog): A right-leaning decrease used in the lace pattern to balance the yarn forwards and create the openwork design.
• Knit into front and back (K into front and back): An increase stitch used in the collar rounds to expand the stitches and create the flared collar shape.
• Purl into front and back (P into front and back): Another increase variation used strategically in the collar to distribute shaping evenly.
• Rib stitch (K1, P1 and K2, P2 variations): Used for the collar to create elasticity and a neat, finished edge around the neck opening.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Rowan Cloudberry is designed to be knitted with specific materials that ensure proper drape and finished dimensions:

• Yarn: Rowan Moordale yarn in the Ash 010 colorway (as photographed). Six, six, or seven 100-gram balls are required depending on the size being made, with larger sizes requiring more yardage.
• Needles: The pattern calls for both straight needles and circular needles in two different sizes. Straight 3¾mm (US 5) needles are used to cast on and work the initial poncho body. Straight 4mm (US 6) needles are used to continue the poncho body after the initial rows. For the collar, a 3¾mm (US 5) circular needle no longer than 50 cm is used initially, with a second longer circular needle (also 3¾mm / US 5, no longer than 100 cm) introduced as stitches increase during collar shaping.

Tension and Finished Dimensions

The pattern specifies a tension of 23 stitches and 30 rows to 10 centimeters measured over stockinette stitch using 4mm (US 6) needles. Achieving the correct tension is essential for the poncho to fit properly and for the lace pattern to have the intended openness and drape. The pattern includes specific stitch counts for each size at various stages, allowing knitters to verify their progress and