Poetic Poncho
The free Poetic Poncho knitting pattern in Vinter Wool, our hand-dyed yarn from the shores of Norway, is spare in its verbiage but eloquent in its simplicity!
This rectangle of stockinette stitch puts the beautiful color variation and luster of this Norwegian wool yarn on display. Mock ribbing at each end adds visual interest without pulling in as traditional ribbing would, while pretty and practical slipped-stitch selvages reduce curling. One short seam creates a clean, dynamic shape that you can wear three different ways, with the V to the front, back, or side!
Vinter Wool is a small-batch, spectacularly hand-dyed light worsted/DK-weight yarn. It is made with a warm and hardy mix of 70% Norwegian white sheep wool and 30% Old Norwegian wildsheep wool, which is one of the world’s oldest sheep breeds, reared for 3,000 years on the heathered moorlands of the Norwegian coast. The wool fiber is combed and carded to maximize smoothness, luster, and strength while preserving the yarn’s toothy feel, distinctive elasticity, and natural lanolin content.
Vinter Wool’s hand-dyed palette includes soft, foggy tones and happy brights, as well as rich and saturated colors, like this incredible Cherry Wood. In every color, the mix of the white sheep wool and the blacks, browns, and grays of the wildsheep wool adds artful depth and fascination to the yarn as you knit. Hand-dyed pigments, plus naturally occurring colors grown by the sheep themselves, make each skein of this yarn a one-of-a-kind treasure, resonating with its own special poetry!
Our Vinter Wool yarn is truly an ode to fiber and color and to the knitters who love them. Pick your favorite hand-dyed color of this very special yarn and savor its unique rhythm and rhyme as your Poetic Poncho takes shape!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
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Materials
- 6 (8, 11) skeins of Purl Soho’s Vinter Wool, 70% Norwegian white sheep wool and 30% Norwegian wildsheep wool. Each skein of this light worsted/dk- to worsted/aran-weight yarn is approximately 120 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 680 (935, 1275) total yards required. We used the color Cherry Wood.
- US 6 (4 mm), 16- or 24- inch circular knitting needles
GAUGE
20 stitches and 29 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZES
46 (54, 64)
To fit approximate chest circumference of 30–40 (40–50, 50–60) inches
- Finished Dimensions: 17 inches wide x 46 inches long (20 inches wide x 54 inches long, 23 inches wide x 64 inches long), unseamed
SAMPLE: For our sample we made the size 46.
NOTES
CONSTRUCTION
You knit this piece in one flat panel, then fold it in half and seam it along the selvedge edge, leaving an opening for the head.
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern works over a multiple of 3 plus 1 stitches.
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all stitches purlwise.
PATTERN
Cast on 85 (100, 115) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
BEGIN MOCK RIBBING
Set-Up Row (wrong side): Slip 1 (see Notes) with yarn in front (wyif), *p2, slip 1 with yarn in back (wyib), repeat from * to last 3 stitches, p2, slip 1 wyif.
Row 1 (right side): K3, *p1, k2, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1 wyif, *p2, slip 1 wyib, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, p2, slip 1 wyif.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until ribbing measures 2 inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
BODY
Row 1 (right side): K3, p1, knit to last 4 stitches, p1, k3.
Row 2 (wrong side): Slip 1 wyif, p2, slip 1 wyib, purl to last 4 stitches, slip 1 wyib, p2, slip 1 wyif.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2 until piece measures 44 (52, 62) inches from cast-on edge, ending with Row 2.
END MOCK RIBBING
Work as for Begin Mock Ribbing, beginning with Row 1 and working for 2 inches.
With right side facing you, bind off in pattern for Row 1.
Cut yarn, leaving a 1-yard tail for seaming.
SEAM
With wrong side facing you, orient piece horizontally and fold in half so wrong sides are touching, aligning bind-off edge with cast-on edge. Thread long tail onto a tapestry needle and seam selvage edges together along one side for 11¾ (14½, 18) inches, indicated by red line in schematic above, using Mattress Stitch.
FINISHING
Weave in the ends and gently wet block.
Learn About Vinter Wool + All Our Beautiful Yarns
This project gets its lustrous depth of color, appealingly natural feel, and warmth from our Vinter Wool yarn, a very special small-batch light worsted/DK-weight yarn spun and hand-dyed in Norway. The hand-dyed colors are enhanced by mixing two kinds of Norwegian wool: the Norwegian white sheep and the Old Norwegian wildsheep, a 3,000 year-old breed raised outdoors year-round on the Norwegian coast. Experience this spectacular wool yarn rooted in the knitting traditions of Norway!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our free Vinter Wool knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/ DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop wool yarn
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!
Hello
If I were to use Serif (40-50)
How many skeins would I need for
Thank you
Donna Fogarty
Hi Donna,
Thanks for writing in! Each skein of Serif contains 164 yards of yarn, so you’d need 6 skeins to get up to the yardage of 935yd for the size you’re making!
All the best,
Lili
This is such a beautiful piece. As a beginner in knitting, I would love to see a crochet variation of this pattern if possible. Would love to make one as a gift, but am more confident with crochet.
Hi Marie,
Thanks for writing in! I’ll definitely pass along your interest in seeing a crochet version of this pattern to our design team. In the meantime, what you could do is pick your favorite crochet stitch and use that to make a rectangle of the dimensions indicated in the pattern. Then, just seam up the side following the pattern, and you’ll end up with a crochet poncho of the same exact shape and size as our knit pattern!
I also wanted to mention that this poncho would be a wonderful project for a beginner knitter. And if you’re ever interested in giving it a try, you’re more than welcome to reach out to us if any questions come up along the way!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you for responding! I will give it a go as a crochet project first, and once brave enough, will try the original:-)
If you crochet a stitch pattern with drape to the dimensions and the follow the seaming that would probably work.
Thank you!!
Gorgeous! Could you please indicate the exact color used for the pictured poncho? I can’t seem to find it in the description (apologies if it is there and I just didn’t see it.)
Hi Marie,
We used the color Cherry Wood for our sample!
All the best,
Lili
I wonder how this would look using the nine note bundles. 🤔
Hi Martha,
What a lovely idea! I think it would look amazing, and there are certainly many ways you can incorporate all the colors in this pattern. Let us know how it goes if you try this out!
All the best,
Lili
Is Vinter Wool worsted spun or woolen spun?
Hi Michelle,
Vinter Wool is worsted spun!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you, Lili!
Hi
Love this poncho! How could I make it a bit longer so it covers more of my on body?
Thank you for all your great patterns and inspiration.
Hi Ursula,
For sure! I would actually recommend making it wider, rather than longer, because it’s really the width that impacts how much of your body it covers. Just make sure to cast on a multiple of 3 + 1 stitches so that the pattern works out!
All the best,
Lili
I love ponchos, and find the pattern elegant indeed and well suited to women. Could you suggest pattern update options to make better suited for men? I would be grateful.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for writing in! This pattern has very simple shaping, so it’ll fit nearly any body type very well. Were there any specific modifications that you were hoping to make though? I’m happy to help out with those if you let me know what you’re envisioning!
All the best,
Lili
Love this poncho and can’t wait to give it a go! Unrelated question … this isn’t the first time I’ve seen the dress this model is wearing. Is it a sewing pattern? If so, can you tell me what it is? I love it, too! 😊
Hi Lori,
We’re so glad you love this pattern and the dress too! The dress is wearing is sadly not handmade though. We got it from the clothing company Toast, but I don’t think they sell this exact style anymore.
All the best,
Lili
Has anyone dbl checked the suggested cast on stitch counts? The Beginning Mock Ribbing and rows 1 & 2 are worked in a SINGLE STITCH, *3 st* repeat. Works fine for the suggested cast on of 3sts + 1.
The Body is worked in *4 st* repeats.
If you choose your own stitch count by your suggested 3sts + 1 randomly it doesn’t work, you have to do the math to find the magic number(s). Not opposed to math, it’s just that your suggestion doesn’t work. If you use your suggested cast on numbers: 85 st co doesn’t work for the 4 st repeats and 115 st co doesn’t work for the 4st repeats. 100 st co is the only one that works for both. HELP.
Can someone resolve this conflict?
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m happy to help! I double checked the stitch counts and stitch multiple, and I can confirm that they are correct as written. Here’s how the stitch multiple of 3 + 1 works with the mock ribbing stitch:
Row 1 (right side): K3, *p1, k2, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Taking Row 1 as an example, the repeated segment is “p1, k2,” which is 3 stitches. Then, you have an additional “k3” at the beginning, and a “k1” at the end, for the border. The “k3” fits in with the multiple of 3, and that final “k1” is the “+ 1” part of the stitch multiple! This same reasoning works for the other rows of this stitch pattern as well.
The rest of the pattern actually works over any stitch count, since it’s primarily in stockinette stitch! But in order to make sure the mock ribbing works out, you will need a multiple of 3 + 1 stitches.
I hope this helps clarify things, but please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you for sharing this wonderful pattern. I am currently working on it, but for some reason, the edges are kind of curled in. I wonder if I have done anything wrong.
Hi JJ,
Thanks for reaching out! Because this project is knit mainly in stockinette stitch, there will always be a bit of a natural curl to the fabric. Once you block your project after finishing it, that should minimize the rolling significantly, but there will likely still be some due to the nature of the stitch pattern. If this bothers you, I’d recommend adding more of a border to the poncho! In this case, there already is somewhat of a border, so I’d suggest just extending the border stitches a bit, and this will help prevent the edges from curling at all. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
So excited to try this pattern! But I would like a lighter weight poncho for the upcoming warmer season
Could you suggest another yarn I could use ? I just bought a couple skeins of the Irish Tweed Hedgerow . . . Wouod that be ok to use in this pattern?
Thank you!
Hi Melanie,
Thank you for asking! Hedgerow would definitely work for this pattern but it would be a bit more dense than the original as it is an aran weight yarn. I’d recommend one of our cotton yarns for the perfect warm weather poncho. Morning or Serif would be wonderful substitutes for a warm weather poncho!
Happy making!
Gavriella