Mountain Capelet in Shepherdess Alpaca
Our Mountain Capelet not only keeps you nice and warm throughout the colder months, but it makes a chic statement doing it!
Originally in Gentle Giant, this 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.
The Mountain Capelet’s very straightforward construction makes it a great project for beginners and beyond. A quick and simple knit with beauty and flair, cast on! -Jake
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton, based on the original design by Whitney Van Nes. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoMountainCapelet. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 5 (6, 7, 8) skeins of Purl Soho’s Shepherdess Alpaca, 100% undyed, handspun alpaca. Approximately 295 (335, 385, 440) yards required. We used the color Starling. (NOTE: We no longer offer Shepherdess Alpaca, but choose from one of our other super bulky weight yarns.)
- US 13 (9mm), 24-inch circular needles
- US 13, 32-inch circular needles
- 2 jumbo stitch markers, different colors
Gauge
Unblocked: 9 stitches and 12 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Blocked: 10 stitches and 16 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
NOTE: Be sure to block your swatch to ensure accurate sizing.
Sizes
NOTE For help picking a size, please check out our Understanding Ease + Selecting Size Tutorial!
40 (44, 48, 52)
To fit approximate chest circumference of 32–36 (38–42, 44–48, 50–54) inches and shoulder girth of 38–42 (42–46, 46–50, 50–54) inches
- Finished circumference around bottom edge: Approximately 40 (44 ¾, 49 ½, 54 ½) inches
- Finished circumference around cowl: Approximately 19 ¼ (21 ½, 22 ½, 24 ¾) inches
- Finished height from bottom edge to bottom of cowl: 15 ½ (16, 17, 17 ¾) inches
- Finished height from bottom edge to top of cowl: 22 (22 ½, 24 ¼, 25) inches
SAMPLE: The sample pictured here is size 40, modeled on a 35-inch chest.
Note
The cowl is worked in the round from the bottom up.
Pattern
Cast 100 (110, 120, 130) 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 5 rounds.
Work in stockinette stitch (knit every round) for 44 (45, 47, 49) rounds.
Decrease Round 1: K1, k2tog, k44 (49, 54, 59), ssk, k1, place marker, k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 stitches, ssk, k1. [96 (106, 116, 126) stitches remain]
Decrease Round 2: *K1, k2tog, knit to 3 stitches before next marker, ssk, k1, slip marker, repeat from * once more. [4 stitches decreased]
Repeat Decrease Round 2 every round 11 (12, 14, 15) more times, switching to the shorter circular needles when necessary and removing the second stitch marker as you knit the final round. [48 (54, 56, 62) stitches remain]
Work even in stockinette stitch for 21 (21, 24, 24) more rounds after last Decrease Round.
Purl 5 rounds.
Bind off loosely purlwise.
Weave in the ends and block to finished measurements.
Note: When washing or wet-blocking an item made with this yarn, do not soak for more than 10 minutes and be sure to support it with your hands or with a tea towel or pillowcase when lifting it from the wash basin. Press out excess water by placing the item on a large bath towel, then gently rolling them together. Arrange the item to the finished measurements and allow to air dry completely.
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Love this pattern! How about another version with a neckline that is much wider at neckline, even than the mountain capelet, for those of us who get a little claustrophobic! Maybe even wide enough to come slightly off shoulder, lending it a double life as capelet or cowl!
Hi Joan,
Thank you for writing in!
I think this variation would be lovely. It wouldn’t be too difficult to alter the pattern. Once you knit the body of the capelet you could do less decreases to make a wider neckline. An easy fix would be to do half as many decrease rounds with a round of knitting in between each one, this should make your neckline wider without loosing any height.
I hope this helps and I’d love to hear what you come up with!
Happy knitting!
-Jake
I love the look of the top of the caplet and was wondering if you’re going to come up with a sweater pattern with a similar top. Thanks!
Hi Bobbi,
Thanks for sharing your kind words!
I am always inspired to build off of projects and I agree that it would make a really striking sweater! I will certainly keep this idea in mind!
Thank you!
-Jake
5 skeins? That sounds like too much at 123 yds. Is this a typo?
Hi Wendi,
Thanks for writing in! There is no typo! We used 5 skeins of our lovely Shepherdess to make this capelet. The yarn itself is quite bulky at 2.25-3 stitches per inch and the sample used about 4.5 to 4.75 skeins of this yarn!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
so lovely and sporty at the same time. looks like maybe I can knit it….easy? love it, jo
Lovely! Thank you for answering my question regarding a wider neck before I asked it. I also get a little crazy if a turtleneck is a little too snug. Will definitely be making this!
This is beautiful! I’d like to make it a little longer, more poncho style. Would you be able to give me a little guidance as to how to increase width and how much more to cast on?
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the question! I think this yarn in a poncho version would look great! The blocked gauge for this yarn/pattern is 2.5 stitches per inch. If you multiply this gauge by your desired circumference, you’ll get a rough cast on number. Let me know if you have any other questions!
-Adam
makes sense, thank you!
Bonjour ,
serait-il possible de se procurer les explications de vos modèles en français ?
Merci pour votre réponse
Cordialement .
Marie-Pia
Bonjour Marie-Pia,
Malheureusement nous n’avons pas les resources de traduire nos modèles en français mais je vous recommande Google Translate pour se faire une idée. Merci!
-Adam
Wow!! good looking pattern i love the yarn patterns it’s looking great creation mainly the neck line part so good that’s perfectly fix the neck and body shape, i like neckline patterns, your done a great job i’m waiting for more creations not only knitwear any garments, thanks for sharing your posts.
I am a beginning knitter and get intimidated when trying a new pattern. I just completed this and it was so easy and fun, and the best part is, it looks beautiful! I cannot wait to wear it. Please make this into a sweater pattern for us beginner knitters!
Hi! I have a question about the cast on/purl 5 rows part of the instructions. My favorite cast on is the cable cast on because I think the edge looks so nice and the stitches are loose and even. But when I purl the first row, it looks like stockinette. Am I doing something wrong? Should I use a different cast on technique?
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
I’ve recently done a “shoulder cozy” and while I like it very much, I thought it would be more perfect with a turtleneck. Yours fits the bill perfectly. Thank you so much. Can’t wait to get started on it.
Can you please provide the length from the bottom cast on edge to the first decrease row? Thanks!
Hi Annie,
Thanks for writing in! Based on an unblocked gauge of 9 stitches and 12 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, the measurement of the capelet from the cast on to the first decrease will be, 16 1/3, 16 2/3, 17 1/3 and 18 inches.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hi, I made and liked the original Mountain Capelet but LOVE this pattern…especially in terms of the higher, smaller neck and ability to size. But are there instructions using the original Gentle Giant yarn for the small size? Thanks!
Hell Melinda,
Thank you for reaching out- I’m thrilled to hear how much you love this pattern! Unfortunately we don’t have a smaller version designed for Gentle Giant. You could certainly try some experimenting with casting on less stitches and going from there.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hello. I have been knitting off and on for about 20 years and want to remake some of my favorites…however, where are the patterns???? This one looks good!
I also do not care much for turtle necks…where in the pattern would be a good place to cast off and end the the item? Also I would like to make the item longer. Any other changes I need to make, like cast on more?
Thank you.
Hi Pat,
Thanks for writing in! You can find the pattern for this capelet above, under the heading “PATTERN.” Since it is knit from the bottom up, you can simply continue knitting the stockinette portion until it is the length you desire to the shoulders, and as you are working the decreases to shape the shoulders, try the capelet on as you go to decide when you would like to stop and cast off. If you would like a looser fit you can certainly cast on more stitches!
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi! I could not find the Shepherdess Alpaca yarn on your website. Can you recommend some other yarn that would work on a similar gauge for this pattern? Thanks!
Hi Manushi,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunatley, Shepherdess Alpaca has been discontinued – I’m so sorry about that! I would suggest using our Super Soft Merino or Manos del Uruguay Franca in its place.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi! If I want to make this in the super soft merino, size 40, would the number of skeins change? Also would I still use the US 13 needles or would I use US 11s, as recommended for the super soft merino? Thanks for your help!
Hi Renee,
Thanks for reaching out! You should need 4 skeins of Super Soft Merino to knit the size 40 capelet. When substituting yarns, it’s always best to knit a gauge swatch to see if you need to adjust your needle size to match the gauge in the pattern.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I love this pattern! Can you provide a yarn weight and yardage for it, since Shepherdess has been discontinued?
Hi Caitlin,
Thanks for reaching out! I would recommend our Super Soft Merino or Manos Del Uruguay Franca. I suggest doing a gauge swatch before beginning the pattern to make sure your gauge is consistent with the pattern!
Hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna