Mountain Capelet
Our new Gentle Giant yarn makes us think of all things dramatic, like immense stitches and voluminous folds of fabric. Last week we shared our Mountain Cowl, named after nature’s idea of high drama, and this week we welcome its sister, our Mountain Capelet!
There’s nothing fancy or fussy about knitting this Capelet, but luckily, there’s also no rule that requires a prolonged battle with your knitting needles in order to make something beautiful and special. Have some fun!
Once you’ve whipped it up, throw your Mountain Capelet on over a sweater in the fall or a coat in the winter. Dramatic? Definitely! -Whitney
Update: New Yarn + Weight
February 2017
This new version is in our brand new, super gorgeous Shepherdess Alpaca. We slightly adjusted the pattern to include more sizes and to have a more structured cowl neck, but it’s just as easy and just as cozy as the original.
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoMountainCapelet, and #PurlSohoGentleGiant. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 4 skeins of Purl Soho’s Gentle Giant, 100% merino wool. Each skein is 48 yards/ 125 grams; approximately 192 yards required. We used the color White Peppercorn.
- US 19 (15 mm), 24- and 32-inch circular needles
- 2 unique jumbo stitch markers (or scrap yarn)
Gauge
6 ¼ stitches = 4 inches
Size
One size fits many!
- Finished circumference around bottom: Approximately 45 inches
- Finished circumference around cowl: Approximately 24 inches
- Finished height from bottom edge to bottom of cowl: 12 inches
- Finished height from bottom edge to top of cowl: 20 inches
Note
Gentle Giant is the perfect yarn for wet splicing, aka spit splicing. If you’ve never given this technique a try, please visit our tutorial on the subject. You may find that it’s your new best friend!
Pattern
Cast 70 stitches onto the longer circular needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place a marker and join to work in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Purl 3 rounds.
Knit every round until piece measures 9 inches from the beginning rolled edge.
Next Round: K1, k2tog, k29, ssk, k1, place marker, k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, ssk, k1. [66 stitches]
Next Round: K1, k2tog, knit to 3 stitches before next marker, ssk, k1, slip marker, k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, ssk, k1. [4 stitches decreased]
Switching to the shorter circular needles when you need to…
Repeat the last round 6 more times, removing the second stitch marker as you knit the final round. [38 stitches]
Knit every round until piece measures 6 inches from the last decrease.
Purl 3 rounds.
Bind off loosely in purl stitch.
Weave in any remaining ends and block if desired.
I knitted this today and it’s amazing. One question, the arms were a little baggy at the decreases. Should I have knitted them tighter to prevent that? I will make this again for a gift so I’m trying to troubleshoot first. Thanks!
Hi Jillian,
So glad you love it! I’m not clear on what you mean by the arms being baggy at the decreases. Does this mean the shoulders were too wide? Let me know.
-Adam
Yes, the shoulders turned out too wide, but I could also see when I shaped the arms they don’t look as tight as the picture, so maybe I’ll try again and beware of knitting too loosely.
The same thing happened to me. The shoulders are a bit loose. Still a pretty knit though!
Hi,
Love the white peppercorn color…will you be getting that back in so it can be ordered?
Kim
Hi Kim,
Thanks for writing in! We currently have White Peppercorn in stock!
Best,
Cassy
I love this pattern and am excited to make it up! I am wondering what the best method for casting on is for this pattern using the Gentle Giant yarn. Do I use the long tail purlwise cast on?
Thanks so much!
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for writing in! For this, and most of our projects, we like to use the long tail cast on. We think that it creates a neat and flexible cast on. You are certainly welcome to try the long tail purlwise cast on here. Please let us know how it turns out if you do!
Best,
Cassy
Thank you, Cassy!
I tried both ways. The regular long tail cast on looks better but I couldn’t figure out how to join in the round until the second row so that the cast on would show purl side out. For that to work, I purled back in the other direction but of course could not join in the round until I reached the end of that second row. (Perhaps I’m missing something! If so please do make a suggestion!) I’ve decided to fix the “missing link” on the first row when I’m weaving in the ends.
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for writing back! I am glad to hear that you were able to find a solution! When working with the long tail cast on, you will join in the round as you would with any other cast on. Sometimes, one can get a little mixed up given that the tail is coming from the same edge as the working yarn. In these cases, I like to place the needle on a flat surface, make sure that my stitches are oriented correctly, and pick up the circular needles so that the working yarn is coming from the right and join in the round at that point. If you are still having difficulty, I know that there are a variety of videos on YouTube that could be helpful for getting a visual on how to join the long tail cast on in the round.
I hope that this helps and happy knitting!
Cassy
Thank you again, Cassy.
I figured out a solution but your reply has helped as well. I made two capelets, one for my mom for her 85th birthday. She LOVES it. The Gentle Giant yarn does not make us itch which is often a deterrent for me for using wool.
Rebecca
Hi, Is it absolutely necessarry to buy both lengths in the circular needle, given they are the same size? Can this garment be knitted al the way in the longer length circular needle?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for writing in. It’s better if you buy both lengths of the circular needle because as you decrease for the shoulders you won’t be able to stretch your stitches around the cord. If you don’t want to buy both lengths, you might be able to get away with using the magic loop method using the longer cord. Hope this helps!
-Adam
Thank you Adam, I understand now, that does make sense!
Hi! I want to make this capelet in Baby Alpace Grande (wool allergies) and have figured out the math to make it work. My question is about the cast on. My favorite is the cable cast on, but I notice that this leaves a weird knit row when I start to purl the first 3 rows. Is there a different cast on that I should use? Thank you.
Hi Maria,
Thanks for writing in! For this pattern and for most of our patterns, we use the long tail cast on. We think that it provides a smart looking edge that has a nice amount of stretch. It works well here to create the lovely rolled edge!
Best,
Cassy
Hi,
If I wanted to make this longer (more cape than capelet), how would you suggest changing the pattern? Thank you!
Best,
Liza
Hi Liza,
Thanks for writing in! There are a couple of things you could try depending on the look you want to achieve. You could make add rows in the beginning to make the body longer. I would try casting on more stitches and adding more decreases to create a little more room for arm movement depending on how much longer you would like to make it. You could also just add slits on either side to free up your arms. I hope this all makes sense. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Warmly,
Marilla
Marilla,
I am thinking of adding “slits” for armholes as I am making this a little longer as well. Problem is I have NO idea how to make “slits”. Any ideas/pattern suggestions?
Thank you! Tanya
Hi Tanya!
Thank you for your question. To add armhole openings to your cape, you can bind off a certain number of stitches using your gauge for reference, and then cast those stitches back on in a following row! Your gauge will be helpful to determine how many stitches to bind off for your desired armhole width in inches. To see how we did this in a different pattern, I recommend checking out our City Cape, which has armhole openings included!
All the best,
Margaret
Margaret,
I was thinking of vertical holes/slits for the arms as opposed to the horizontal slits in the City Cape pattern. Any recommendations on patterns to look at and copy for that.
Thank you, Tanya
Hi Tanya!
Vertical armholes would be easy to add in, too! All you would need to do is put your desired amount of inner front stitches on hold while you knit the back flat back and forth. Then, you can put the back stitches on hold while you knit the front stitches to the same height, and then join in the round again! This will create a gap for your armholes where the front and back stitches weren’t connected in the round.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
Yes, thank you that does help!
Tanya
You are very welcome, Tanya!
Happy knitting,
Margaret
Hi! Just ordered the gentle giant to finally make this and I am so excited! Do you think it is possible to use only the 24” length needles? Others have asked about using only the longer and I understand why that wouldn’t work but it seems you could use just the smaller if you could tolerate a little squeeze.
Hi Tiffany,
Thanks for writing in! Given the number of stitches and the size of the stitches on the bottom of the capelet, it may be a bit challenging to get all of the stitches on a 24″ cord. You can certainly give it a go but I do think that it will be a challenge.
Best,
Cassy
what would you suggestI have worsted twist yarn and would like to knit a capelet. oulr appreciate your suggestions. The mountain capelet is my favourite.Thank you .
Irene
Hi Irene,
Thanks for writing in! At present, we do not have a pattern for a caplet using Worsted Twist (we will certainly keep it in mind)! However, we do have the City Cape, which is knit with Alpaca Pure but could easily be knit with Worsted Twist as they knit at a similar gauge. You would need fewer skeins of Worsted Twist as the yardage is higher (6 or 8 skeins).
I hope that this helps and happy knitting!
Cassy
Mmm….it just looks yummy ?.
Is this pattern worked from the bottom (chest area) to the top (neck area)?
I have an idea ? to make the neck area longer. Would I just keep knitting 38 stitches until I have the length (or rather- height) that I need?
Thank you so much
Hello Patty,
Thank you for writing in. You are correct- this Capelet is knit bottom up and if you would like a longer nech you would just keep knitting until you are happy with it. Let us know how it goes!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
I really enjoy this pattern, but I’m worried about sizing. I see that the pattern was updated in the newer Sheperdhess Alpaca Mountain Cowl to have more sizes, but I prefer the neck style of the original Cowl. Do you have any suggestions for how to blend the two patterns? The design/pattern of the original Mountain cowl in the largest size of the SAMC?
Thanks in advance
Hi Sarah,
Great question! To get a more drapey neck, as in the Gentle Giant version of this capelet, you will do a few fewer decreases before moving onto the neck (perhaps 2 or 3). Then you will knit until the neck measures 6 inches from the last decrease that you worked before knitting the border rows. This should give you more of the drapey neckline that you are after. It may take a bit of trial and error to decide how many fewer decreases to work but I think that it should work out well!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
I love this pattern but was wondering if you have a crochet version or tips on how to convert to crochet?
Hello Ann,
Thank you for reaching out! While we do not have a Crocheted version of this pattern, I will certainly pass along your suggestion!
Warmly,
Marilla
I love the pattern but don’t knit, do you have a crochet version?
Thank you
Hi Michelle,
Thanks for writing in! We do not have a crocheted version of this capelet but we will keep your request in mind for the future!
Best,
Julianna
Hello. I love this pattern and have it on right now! I want to make one for my sister but think she’ll need it a bit larger. How do I go about this? I’m a beginning knitter so am unsure how to size this up. Thanks.
Hello Carol,
I’m so happy to ear you success story! I would reccomend casting on more stitches and then doing the same amount of decrease. This will make the circumference of the body and the neck larger. I would say that the first step to doing this is figuring out your desired circumference. Once you know this you can use your gauge to determine your cast on.
Let us know how it goes and if you have any further questions along the way!
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Thank you! Will give it a try. I wear my capelet every morning and love it…the exact thing I’d been looking for over the years.
I am curious just how much ease there is in the Mountain Capelet? The current 45” circumference is much smaller than I would need, especially to wear over another sweater or even a jacket. I realize I can cast on additional stitches & adjust the decreases accordingly but need some advice on what RTW size range this compares to. Much appreciation, Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for reaching out! Great question! As this lovely capelet is one size, the ease varies based on the person wearing the capelet. I will say that on our model there is about 2-4 inches of positive ease. That said, we have seen it worn with 1-2 inches of negative ease and that looks lovely as well! For the updated version, we designed it with 4-8 inches of positive ease. This gives a more easy fit.
As to Ready to Wear size, we tend to go with actual measurements as opposed to number sizing as ready to wear sizing differs so greatly from brand to brand. With actual measurements, we hope that you will be able to create a finished product that fits you as well as possible!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
This is my all-time favorite pattern, am just finishing my third mountain capelet. It fits my daughter, size 8, as well as myself, size 14, and looks equally gorgeous on both of us. I like to add a vintage rhinestone pin — classy! (And easy and fast)
I love this yarn. Do you have a pattern for a cardigan using Gentle Giant please?
Hello Jane,
Thank you for writing and your kind words! I will certainly pass along the suggestion.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
This happened to me also but not enough to detract. I learned from an online knitting forum that in order to avoid gaps or holes, cinch the stitch after the decrease. It works.
Looks good can’t wait to receive it all.
Is there a yarn that would be comparable weight to the Shepherdess Alpaca?
Hi Robin,
Thanks for reaching out! Either Super Soft Merino or Manos del Uruguay Franca should be a good substitute for the Shepherdess Alpaca version of the Mountain Capelet!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi. I just finished this. I accidentally made the neck a little bigger and decided to keep it. When I finished I had to go back to my joins and take the ends to wet join to finish. Any reason to not try to wet join the ends that I cut or should I just tie them somehow?
Thanks
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for reaching out! While you can use a wet splice to join a new yarn as you are adding the yarn, it can’t be used to secure your ends after you have finished a project. I would suggest using the diagonal method in our Weaving In Ends tutorial!
Best,
Julianna
Hello. I have made this several times and it is lovely. I work at a yarn store and a customer wanted to make this but she is a larger size than what this pattern is designed for. What do you suggest to increase the size for her? She is using Malabrigo Rasta for this project.
Thank you.
Hello Elizabeth,
Thank you for reaching out! Malabrigo Rasta is a thinner yarn than our Gentle Giant yarn, so you will have a different gauge. This means that, you will need to knit up a gauge swatch first. Once you know how many stitches per inch you are getting you will need to decide the desired circumference of the body and neck. Once you know these numbers you can use them to decide on your cast on.
I hope this helps and let us know if you have any further questions!
Best,
Marilla
Please, could you tell me what’s “ssk”?
Tks ??
Hi Lydia,
Thanks for reaching out! An SSK, or Slip Slip Knit, is a type of decrease, which you can learn how to do in our Slip Slip Knit (ssk) tutorial!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
My son loves the one I made and now wants one of his own. I can probably follow along pretty easily if you can let me know… How many stitches should I cast on for a child size capelet? He is about 45″ tall. How much yarn might I need?
Thanks!
Hi Alexis,
Thanks for reaching out! I am so glad to hear that you and your son both love this pattern! I would recommend to figure our his shoulder width measurements and the circumference around his shoulders. You can then calculate the cast on with the gauge of 6 1/4 stitches = 4 inches based on his measurements! I would also recommend approximately 3 skeins.
All the best,
Gianna
I have made four of the capelet’s and, obviously, love the pattern. I have one thing I’d like to fix if possible: when I do the shoulder decreases there are fairly big holes or gaps in that shoulder seam. Is there a way to fix that as I knit.
Hi Tina,
Thanks for reaching out! Sometimes when working a k2tog the stitch can get over stretched and cause a hole or gap to appear, the best ay to avoid this is to make sure that you are not over stretching the stitch when preforming the decrease. This is also something that you can usually fix when you block your finished Capelet! I recommend checking out our Blocking tutorial, it is an excellent resource to use!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hello! I’m working on this now and my rolled hem really wants to turn to the inside rather than out – I’ve done about 10 rows at this point. Did I do something wrong or will it correct itself later? Thanks!
Hi Marina,
Thanks for reaching out! I think you should be okay to keep going, this is something you can easily adjust by Blocking the finished piece!
Warmly,
Gianna
I wanted to make this for my 12 yo daughter. She about a size 0 or 2 in adult clothes. How would I modify the pattern to fit her? Thanks!!
Hi Julie,
Thanks for writing in! The best place to start when making modifications to a pattern is by taking your daughter’s measurements. The most important measurement to take for this pattern would be the circumference around her chest and arms (since that’s where the bottom edge of the garment falls).
Once you know that, you can decide on how much ease you’d like the caplet to fit with. I’d recommend knitting it with a few inches of positive ease for the most comfortable fit!
Then, you can calculate your new cast-on number by multiplying the (chest/arm circumference + ease) by the number of stitches per inch (1.56 stitches per inch, according to the gauge we knit this pattern to). Finally, round the resulting number to the nearest even number and cast on that amount of stitches!
From here, you can essentially follow the pattern as written, but just keep in mind the new stitch count when placing your stitch markers to begin the decreases. There are two decrease “seams,” and they’re located exactly opposite each other on the sides of the caplet.
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lili,
Thank you for your reply. I have calculated the number of stitches to cast on: 64.
I’m not sure how to figure out the decrease rounds.
Thank you,
Julie
You’re very welcome, Julie! The stitch marker is placed exactly halfway around the round, so it should fall after 32 stitches. Here’s how you would work the first Next Round to take that into account:
Next Round: K1, k2tog, k26, ssk, k1, place marker, k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, ssk, k1. [60 stitches]
All the best,
Lili
Hello, I love the White Peppercorn as pictured in the knitted version here, but on the Gentle Giant page it seems to have a yellowish tinge. Is that actually so in person? Thanks!
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for reaching out! The more yellowish color that’s shown on the product page is the more accurate of the two, since we took those under studio lighting. The Mountain Capelet is a pretty old pattern, and we have much better photography equipment now than we did back then! Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi,
I couldn’t figure out how to get the updated 2017 pattern. I wanted to use a lighter weight yarn like your shepherdess alpaca. Maybe plenty? But I can’t find the pattern with the additional sizes, etc.
Thanks!!
Hi Jane,
Thanks for writing in! You can find the updated version in Shepherdess Alpaca right here. However, Shepherdess Alpaca was still a super bulky weight yarn, so it was thicker than Plenty! I’d say that the best match from our current yarns would be Super Soft Merino, which is still a much lighter weight than Gentle Giant though. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I’m ready to cast on. Please confirm whether this is knit from top to bottom or knit from bottom to top. I want to make it longer so I need to know where I should add on rows at the bottom. Many thanks for this free pattern.
Hi Stephanie,
This pattern is knit from the bottom up! Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili