String Viviana Ruana Cape Knitting Pattern

String Viviana Ruana: Knitted Lace Cape

What Is Being Made

The Viviana Ruana is a sophisticated knitted cape designed by Pam Grushkin. This seamless garment is worked as a single piece from the back hem to the front hems, creating an elegant draped silhouette. The ruana is available in four size options: S, M/L, XL/2XL, and 3XL/4XL, with finished widths ranging from 22½ inches (57 cm) to 32½ inches (82.5 cm) and a consistent length of 27½ inches (70 cm). The design combines practical wearability with refined aesthetic details, making it suitable for layering or wearing as a statement piece.

Techniques Used

The Viviana Ruana employs several advanced knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance and structure:

• Bottom-up construction: The ruana is knitted from the back hem upward, allowing for easy adjustments and a natural progression of the design.
• Seamless knitting: Worked as one continuous piece with no seams to join, the garment is created on a circular needle to accommodate the large stitch count while maintaining a flat fabric.
• Worked flat: Despite using a circular needle, the fabric is worked flat in rows rather than in the round, with the circular needle serving as a tool to hold the stitches rather than for circular construction.
• Lace patterning: Decorative lace motifs are integrated throughout the design using yarn overs and decreases, creating openwork sections that add visual interest and lightness to the fabric.
• Self I-cord edges: Edge stitches are slipped on every right-side row to form neat, finished self I-cord edges that frame the garment and provide a polished appearance.

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in strategic ways to create the overall design:

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch structure, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side, forms the smooth, classic fabric base.
• Yarn overs (yo): Used in combination with decreases to create the lace pattern sections, yarn overs add decorative holes and contribute to the garment's elegant, airy quality.
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease paired with yarn overs to form the lace motifs and maintain stitch count.
• Purl stitches: Used both in stockinette sections and as part of the lace pattern repeats to add textural variation.
• Slipped stitches (sl): Edge stitches are slipped purlwise on right-side rows to create finished selvage edges that form the self I-cord detail.

Materials and Tools

The Viviana Ruana is crafted using premium materials that contribute to its luxurious drape and comfort:

• Yarn: STRING BREEZE, a high-quality blend composed of 60% cotton, 20% cashmere, and 20% silk. This fiber combination creates a fabric with excellent breathability, softness, and subtle sheen. The yarn is supplied in balls of 1.75 ounces (50 grams) with 136 yards (124 meters) per ball. The color used is #201534 plum. Yardage requirements vary by size: 8 balls for size S, 9 balls for M/L, 10 balls for XL/2XL, and 11 balls for 3XL/4XL.
• Needles: One size 7 (4.5 mm) circular needle measuring 32 inches (80 cm) long. The circular needle accommodates the large cast-on and stitch counts required for the ruana's width while allowing the fabric to be worked flat.
• Additional supplies: Waste yarn for provisional cast-on techniques and a yarn needle for weaving in ends during finishing.

Gauge and Finishing

Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit and drape. The pattern specifies a gauge of 19 stitches and 23½ rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in Stockinette Stitch after blocking. Knitters are advised to take time to check gauge before beginning the project. After completing the knitted piece, finishing involves weaving in all ends