Rowan Glow Cape Knitting Pattern

Rowan Glow Knitted Poncho by Georgia Farrell

What is Being Made

The Rowan Glow is a knitted poncho designed for children aged 3-10 years, available in four size options to fit chest measurements ranging from 53-73 cm (21-29 inches). This garment is worked in two separate sections that are seamed together during finishing to create the complete poncho structure.

Knitting Techniques Used

The Rowan Glow poncho is constructed using bottom-up knitting methodology, with both sections worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round. The garment is finished using the seamed construction method, with specific seaming instructions provided for joining the front and back sections. The pattern employs color markers placed at strategic points during knitting to assist with accurate seam alignment during the making-up process.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The poncho features a combination of fundamental knitting stitches. Garter stitch forms the foundation and border elements, worked for 4 rows at the beginning of each section and 5 rows at the completion of the second section to create finished edges. The main body of the garment is worked in a repeating pattern that alternates between knit rows on the right side and a combination of knit and purl stitches on wrong-side rows, creating textural interest. The pattern repeat involves knitting 3 stitches, purling 1 stitch, then repeating a sequence of 7 knit stitches followed by 1 purl stitch across the row.

Materials and Needles

The Rowan Glow is knitted using Rowan Baby Cashsoft Merino yarn, a soft and luxurious fiber blend suitable for children's garments. The pattern requires 5 to 7 balls of 50-gram weight yarn, depending on the size selected, with the photographed sample shown in the colorway Purple 113. All knitting is worked on 3¼mm (US 3) needles. The recommended tension is 24 stitches and 38 rows measured over 10 centimeters using the specified needle size, which is essential for achieving the correct finished garment dimensions.

Pattern Construction Details

The first section begins with casting on between 71 and 103 stitches depending on size, followed by 4 rows of garter stitch to establish a neat edge. The patterned rows then continue until the work measures between 27 and 35 centimeters from the cast-on edge. The second section is worked identically, with cast-on stitch counts matching the first section. During assembly, the side edges of the two sections are carefully matched using the placed markers, joining the first section's side edge to the second section's cast-on edge, and the second section's side edge to the first section's cast-off edge to form the complete poncho shape.