Willow & Lark Flora Cape Knitting Pattern

Willow & Lark Flora Cape

What is Being Made

The Flora Cape is a fairisle cape designed for children ages 2–9 years, part of the Fledgling Collection. This throw-on cape provides warmth and style for active children who need room to move without catching cold. The garment is worked flat and features a fairisle color pattern inspired by the Flora cardigan design, though with a simplified color palette. The cape is sized to fit chest measurements from 56 cm (22 in) to 71 cm (28 in), with lengths ranging from 25 cm to 34 cm measured to the back neck.

Techniques Used

The Flora Cape employs several intermediate-level knitting techniques:

• Fairisle knitting: A stranded colorwork method where multiple yarn colors are carried across the back of the work to create the patterned design. This technique requires managing multiple colors in a single row while maintaining even tension.
• Worked flat: The cape is constructed using flat knitting on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for seaming at completion.
• Seamed construction: Finished pieces are sewn together using mattress stitch or similar seaming techniques to create the final garment shape.
• Buttonhole: A functional buttonhole is incorporated into the design, requiring careful stitch manipulation to create an opening that accommodates a single button closure.

Stitches Used

While specific stitch abbreviations are referenced in the pattern (including abbreviations for alternate, beginning, centimetres, continue, decrease/decreasing, and following), the primary stitches employed in fairisle knitting are stockinette stitch for the base fabric and the stranded colorwork technique itself. The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations throughout, with a comprehensive abbreviations section provided in the pattern documentation.

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The Flora Cape is designed using Willow & Lark Nest yarn, a DK-weight blend composed of 69% wool, 11% cashmere, and 20% tencel. Each ball weighs 50g (1¾ oz). The main color (M) requires 3–5 balls depending on size, while accent colors (A through G) each require 1 ball. The pattern provides a primary colorway featuring Milk, Garnet, Baby Pink, Seedling Green, Rhubarb Pink, Peashoot Green, and Baby Blue, with alternative colorway suggestions including Night Sky, Heather, Buttercup, Peashoot Green, Rose, Verdigris Green, Owl Grey, and Baby Blue.

Needles and notions: The pattern calls for three pairs of straight knitting needles in sizes 3.25 mm (UK 10, US 3), 4.00 mm (UK 8, US 6), and 4.50 mm (UK 7, US 7), plus one circular needle. A single button completes the closure.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate, suitable for knitters with experience in basic techniques who are ready to tackle fairisle colorwork. The combination of stranded knitting, multiple needle sizes, and seamed construction requires solid foundational skills and comfort managing color changes and tension control.