Victorian Lace Poncho
MATERIALS
Yarn: 6 x 50g balls Aran weight (18 st/4") 100% cotton yarn for body of poncho, plus optional edging (as shown in photo), uses 3 x 50g
balls. A perfect yarn for this project is elann.com Super Cable Aran. Any other Aran Weight yarn (17-18 st/4") can be substituted.
Needles: Start with 3.75mm (US 5) circular needle, at each new ball of yarn, change needle to one size larger - 4mm (US 6), then 4.5mm
(US 7), then 5.0mm (US 8), then 5.5mm (US 9), then 6.0mm (US 10).
LACE STITCHES USED IN THIS PATTERN (All except Primrose Edging have been re-written for circular knitting.)
English Mesh Lace (Multiple of 6)
R1 (and all odd rnds): knit (When knitting back & forth in rows, odds will be WS rows and should be purled)
R2: yo, ssk, K1, K2tog, yo, K, rep around
R4: yo, K1, SK2P, K1, yo, K1, rep around
Next R1: knit around, moving all Lace Markers ahead 3 sts.
Horseshoe Lace (Multipleof 10)
R1 & 3: Knit
R2: yo, K3, SK2P, K3, yo, K1, rep.
R4: K1, yo, K2, SK2P, K2, yo, K1, P1, rep.
R5 & 7: K9, P1, rep.
R6: K2, yo, K1, SK2P, K1, yo, K2, P1, rep.
R8: K3, yo, SK2P, yo, K3, P1, rep.
<no chart for Horseshoe at this time>
Vine Lace (Mltpl of 9)
R1 (and all WS rows): Purl.
R2: k2tog, k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk
R4: k2, yo, k1, yo, k2, ssk, k2tog
Primrose Edging length 18 st s (Based on
R1: K3, yo, k2tog, k1, ssk, CO 4 sts, k2tog, k1 (13sts)
Rows 2, 4, 6: k across to last 3, yo, k2tog, k1toE-tbl
R3: k3, yo, k2tog, ssk, (yo, k1) x4, yo, k2tog (16 sts)
R5: k3, yo, k2tog, ssk, (yo, K1)x2, yo, SK2P, (yo, k1)x2, yo, k2tog (18)
R7: k3, yo, k2tog, k11, k2tog (17 sts)
R8: Bind Off 6, k7, yo, k2tog, k1toE-tbl (11sts)
• Pattern reaches max length (18sts) on row 5, and 1 st of shawl = 2 rows of
edging (odd rows work out away from shawl, evens work back toward
shawl’s edge).
• Cast on 11 stitches using cable cast-on. This creates fundation R1 and
works out away from edge.
• Foundation R2 works back towards shawl as follows: K8, yo, K2tog, K
last st together with 1 st from garment's edge, knitting through the back
loops, to make a k1toE-tbl (Knit 1 to Edge - through back loops).
NOTE ON ABSORBING INCREASES INTO A LACE STITCH PATTERN
Knit around in the lace pattern until you are approaching an increase marker. When you get to a point where you do not have enough sts
left for one more repeat of the stitch pattern, place another marker. All the sts between here and the increase marker are in queue, to be
knitted plain, except for the last one, which will be an increase (K front and back into that st).
Now count how many sts between the queue marker and the increase marker. Begin knitting after the increase marker with a K into front
and back of stitch, then knit plain until you have that same amount of sts as were in queue before the increase marker. Place a marker.
When you have increased enough times so that the stitches in queue equal another repeat of the stitch pattern, remove the extra markers
and knit the sts in pattern. Repeat this cycle.
PONCHO
Neck
Start with 3.75mm (US 5) circular needle, at each new ball of yarn, change needle to one size larger - 4mm (US 6), then 4.5mm (US 7), then
5.0mm (US 8), then 5.5mm (US 9), then 6.0mm (US 10). CO 48 sts, knit across in K2, P2. Work back and forth in moss stitch for 6-8
rows.
Yoke & Shoulder Shaping
Divide into quarters: K12, place increase marker, all the way around. Work back and forth in English Mesh Lace. Beginning with row 3,
work all odd-numbered rows as inc rows: Knit into front and back of stitches at beginning and end of row, and before & after each
increase marker.** Knit for about 3 inches (or longer, if longer neck opening desired), then join, and knit in rounds. Continue to the end of
the ball of yarn.
** The first time you do this, you will need to place a marker, different color or style from the increase markers, to designate this new
increased stitch as one that is waiting in queue and not part of the lace pattern just yet. When this queue area has grown to 6 sts, the
amount needed for another repeat of the stitch pattern, then you can remove this marker and incorporate these stitches into the lace
pattern. This cycle will repeat itself every 16 rows, because English mesh is an 8-row pattern and every second row is an increase row.
Main Body to Bottom Edge
Drop the shoulder increases at about 7 or 8 inches, no need to be exceedingly precise. (To adjust the size for children or others, measure
from neck to tip of shoulder, and use this length instead.) This will happen about halfway through the horseshoe lace section. Begin
Horseshoe Lace pattern with the second ball of yarn Knit a total of 3 pattern repeats (24 rounds). Begin Mini Vine Lace pattern. Continue
until you have used up all of the yarn. If you are not going to use the optional knitted edging, just bind off very loosely at this point, and
you are all done. You can add fringe or crochet edgings if you want, but the mini vine pattern has a natural scallop to the edge, so no
edging is needed.
Block well! All lace ponchos look "too small" before they have been blocked.
Optional Knitted-On Edging
For the knitted-on edging, you'll need 3 extra balls of yarn. You'll be knitting perpendicular to the direction in which you have been
knitting. To speed things up, put the whole poncho into a big bowl with the last round of knitting sticking out the top. Move about 30
stitches onto a 16" circ or double-pointed sock needles (you will want to use a smaller size, too, about the size you used on the second ball
of yarn), and let the rest of the stitches wait while you work with just a handful at a time, turning the bowl back and forth for each row.
Abbreviations:
Approx - approximately, beg - begin(ning), BO - bind off, CC - contrast color, cm - centimeter, cn - cable needle, CO - cast on, cont - continue(ing),
dec - decrease, EOR - every other row, ER - every row, es - edge stitch, inc - increase, k - knit, L - left, MC - main color, meas - measures, mm -
millimeters, P - purl, patt - pattern, pm - place marker, psso - pass slip st over, rem - remain, rep - repeat, Rev - reverse, R - right, rnd - round, RS(R) -
right side (row), sc - single crochet, SKP - slip 1, knit 1, psso, s - slip, SSK - slip, slip, knit - slip next two stitches knitwise, one at a time, to right-hand
needle. Insert tip of left-hand needle into fronts of these stitches, from left to right. Knit them together. One stitch has been decreased, st st - stocking
stitch, st(s) - stitch(es), tbl - through back loop, tog - together, WS(R) - wrong side (row), wyib - with yarn in back, wyif - with yarn in front, yb - yarn
back, yf - yarn forward, yo - yarn over.
Please note this pattern is copyrighted material and the entire contents of this pattern are copyrighted as a collective work under the copyright laws of Canada and the United
States. You may print a copy of this pattern for your own personal use and enjoyment, but editing, publishing, transmitting, e-mailing, posting it to a list service or database,
or otherwise commercially exploiting this pattern is strictly forbidden.
Copyright Michelle Ciccariello
