Valley Yarns Tafsut Poncho Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Tafsut Poncho

What Is Being Made

The Tafsut Poncho is a one-piece seamless knit poncho designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This garment features a relaxing garter stitch base accented with simple eyelets that create visual interest throughout. The poncho is worked flat on circular needles and includes a neck opening with button closures for easy wearing. Available in two sizes—S/M (27" wide) and L/XL (32" wide)—this design offers versatility for different body types.

Techniques Used

This advanced beginner knitting project employs several key techniques to create its finished structure:

• Seamless construction: The poncho is worked as a single flat piece, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a unified garment
• Eyelet details: Simple yarn overs and decreases (yo, ssk, k2tog) create decorative eyelets that punctuate the garter stitch fabric in a repeating pattern
• Buttonholes: The pattern includes marked buttonhole locations on the side borders, allowing for functional closures
• Button attachment: Two 1¼" buttons are used to secure the neck opening, providing both function and design detail

Stitches Used

The Tafsut Poncho uses fundamental knitting stitches arranged in a structured stitch pattern:

• Knit (K): The primary stitch forming the garter stitch base
• Purl (P): Used strategically within the pattern rows to create texture variation
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the decorative eyelets throughout the design
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk): A left-leaning decrease used in eyelet formation
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease that balances the yarn overs

The stitch pattern repeats over 16 rows and a multiple of 10 stitches plus 4, creating a consistent rhythm of garter stitch with eyelets that shift position across each repeat.

Materials and Yarn Requirements

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

• Yarn: Valley Yarns Northampton, 100% wool, 100g/247 yards per skein. The S/M size requires 5 skeins, while the L/XL size requires 7 skeins. The pattern shown is knitted in Lake Heather colorway
• Needles: US size 8 (5.00mm) 40" circular needles, or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge
• Gauge: 18 stitches and 32 rows equals 4" in the stitch pattern
• Notions: Two 1¼" buttons for neck closure and a removable stitch marker for marking buttonhole locations

Construction Overview

The poncho begins with a cast-on of 104 stitches for size S/M or 124 stitches for size L/XL. After knitting 3 rows in garter stitch, the main stitch pattern is worked until the piece measures approximately 12" from the cast-on edge, at which point removable stitch markers are placed to indicate future buttonhole locations on the side borders. The stitch pattern continues until the piece reaches approximately 24" in length, ending on a Row 7 or Row 15 to maintain pattern consistency. The neck opening is then created by binding off the center 40 stitches and working the remaining stitches on either side, allowing the poncho to slip over the head and be secured with buttons at the neck edges.