Valley Yarns Greenhouse Cape Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Greenhouse Cape

What Is Being Made

The Greenhouse Cape is a knitted wrap-style cape designed by Kirsten Hipsky for Valley Yarns. This garment is a versatile layering piece with a finished circumference of approximately 74 inches, making it suitable for wearing over shoulders and arms. The cape is constructed as a seamless, bottom-up project, allowing for a continuous knitting experience without the need for seaming.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques to create its sophisticated design:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The cape is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing knitters to try on the garment and adjust length as needed before binding off.
• Seamless, Worked Flat: Despite being seamless, the cape is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, requiring careful attention to pattern repeats and edge stitches.
• Cable Stitches: The pattern incorporates cable techniques including BC1 (back cross 1), BC2 (back cross 2), BC3 (back cross 3), and FC1 (front cross 1), which create textured vertical lines throughout the garment.
• Decreases and Increases: Strategic use of decreases such as CDD (central double decrease) and increases including yarn overs (yo) and inc stitches shape the cape and create lace-like details.
• Bind-Off Technique: The pattern features a decorative B3 (bind 3) technique that combines a yarn over with knit stitches, creating an ornamental edge detail.

Stitches Used

The Greenhouse Cape combines multiple stitch types to achieve its textured appearance:

• Seed Stitch: The gauge is measured over seed stitch (alternating knit and purl stitches), which creates a bumpy, textured fabric that provides structure and visual interest.
• Stockinette Stitch: Smooth knit sections appear throughout the pattern, particularly in the main body panels.
• Reverse Stockinette Stitch: Purl stitches create contrast and definition against the knit sections.
• Cable Stitches: BC1, BC2, BC3, and FC1 stitches form twisted columns that add dimension and sophistication to the design.
• Decorative Decreases: CDD (central double decrease) stitches create elegant shaping and lace-like elements.
• Yarn Overs: Used in both the B3 bind-off technique and throughout the pattern to create openwork details and increase stitches.

Materials

The Greenhouse Cape is designed to be knitted with specific materials that contribute to its drape and wearability:

• Yarn: 8 skeins of Valley Yarns Berkshire, a blend of 80% wool and 20% alpaca, with each skein providing 141 yards at a weight of 100 grams. The yarn is worked in color 33 Olive, a sophisticated neutral tone.
• Needles: US size 8 needles, or the size required to achieve proper gauge. Straight needles are used for the flat, seamless construction.
• Notions: A cable needle (cn) is essential for executing the cable stitches, and stitch markers help track pattern repeats and shaping points throughout the project.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 4 stitches and 6 rows over 1 inch when measured in seed stitch. Achieving this gauge is critical for the cape to reach its intended finished measurements of approximately 74 inches around. The intermediate difficulty level reflects the combination of cable work, decreases, and pattern complexity required to complete this garment successfully.