Poncho III: "The Roz"

Main site, blog
This page has a generator (aka program) to let you come up with the shaping to knit this main portions of this poncho. It also has links to Roz's page and Natalies pages. They describe how to make the fringe and the neck! (Yep, you have to chase the whole thing down.) But, the shape is worth it: This poncho will fit across the shoulders. That's why Roz contacted me to write a generator for the shape!

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Type: Knit bottom up in 4 pieces.
AKA: Roz's poncho (Because Roz wanted the generator.)

Click for other my ponchos or off-site poncho links.

Charateristics of this poncho:

is knit bottom up in 4 pieces.
is worn with a point down the front.
can be slim to wide fitting, as the user chooses.
has special shaping near the shoulders to prevent the "neck cone" or "bump" you see in traditional ponchos.
is easy to shape over the major portion of the poncho. Plus, if your javascript is running... (and it had better be or this program won't work).
can be hand knit or machine knit in any gauge.
can be knit an a stitch pattern of your choice. (Roz picked stockinette, which makes sense when test knitting.)
Right now, the poncho generator does not tell you how to make the neck or add the fringe. The directions for the fringe are at Natalie's page. I'm guessing machine knitters would sew all seams except the front, hang the neck on their machine, and knit ribbing to the desired depth, then bind off.
The generator also does not tell you how much yarn you need. (I'm thinking about coding that. You would need to weigh your swatch though.)
Natalie kindly posted Roz's tips! So I don't have too. Roz gives thorough tips on exactly how she cast on, how she bound off, how she made the neck and the fringe.

Remember: Like all patterns spit out by my generators, this is mostly shaping directions. The purpose of the generators is to let you be creative, while eliminating the need to do pesky calculations. You decide how you are going to increase, decrease etc. I'll make some suggestions, but they won't be detailed. You pick your yarn, needles etc. You want a poncho with a wider hem than Roz's? Tell the program you want to decrease ever 2 rows instead of every 4-- which is what Roz did. You want it longer? Tell it longer! Hey, I was a biker chick poncho on the web, it just covered the shoulders. You can do that.

Believe it or not, this is NOT Roz's"final" poncho! It shows the shape she knit and what you can do. Roz plans to knit her final poncho is a "yummy" yarn.

Ok.. here's the story. Roz found one poncho pattern on the web. She knit it. The neck coned. She found a second pattern. She knit it. The neck was so wide she could wear it as a skirt and the hem width was really, really wide. That was a cute poncho with a lot of flair, but it wasn't what she wanted. She unraveled.

So, she heard I had "figured out" how to design slim ponchos with necks that don't cone or bunch....
And she emailed me....

I told her I'd write the pattern if she test knit it. I already have 3 ponchos.

(Are you getting the impression I might write a generator for the shape you want? I might. Ask. It depends on what I'm writing at the time and my mood. Of course, you may be required to test knit and send me a picture.)

When Roz requested I write a third poncho generator, based on her previous experiences, she was going to use a "doesn't matter yarn" to test knit and make sure it the shape fits. (Although, the yarn she used looks pretty nice to me! )

She told me she was holding her Italian "wonderful" yarn in reserve after she checked out the fit. Who can blame her? She's pretty brave to test knit this. She says this test one fits great. As you can see, the rib neck in not hiding a "neck cone".

I think Roz used:

1 st. every 4 rows. Decreasing faster will result in a wider hem. Decreasing slower will result in a more narrow poncho.
16" shoulders (to go over clothes.)
27" length.
Width at top x 4 = 17". (Approximate head opening.)
"Doesn't matter yarn." (She bought it for $8 a cone at Webs. It's some kind of fuzzy mohair blend. That's all I know.)
Lowered the front neck by about 1/2". (You will notice when you fiddle that you can't pick any extra shortening length you want. You are limited to multiples of the height of two rows. I'll round for you.)
The back neck width ended up 8", and the back neck depth ended up 1.4". The front neck ended up 2" deep.

I don't tell you exactly what to do at the neck. Everyone wants to do something different. When Roz finished, she added ribbing at the neck and Natalie's Wooly Worm fringe. (Roz says "3 stitches, 6 rows all around." I'm assuming I'll understand that when I read about Natialie's Wooly Worm Fringe.)

Have fun knitting the poncho,
Lucia

Begging!

You can run the calculator for free today. I'll update to make people pay someday.....

Meanwhile, if you feel generous, I'm asking for donations. Assuming the donations come in at the usual rate, I can easily convert any donation into a subscription when I change this into for pay. Please click the to make a $3 donation.

Enter Data for Your Poncho

You must modify the following data to match the gauge and shape you want! Just change the numbers,the form should automatically calculate. It is best to click outside the box to make sure the form knows you finished entering a number. Or, with internet explorer, hit your tab key. That works like a charm!
Looking at the schematics and some knitted ponchos may help you understand some of the values in the form below; to see generic schematics of this poncho, click schematics.

Enter Your Gauge Swatch Information
Main stitch pattern: Used for most of the poncho
Main stitch pattern name:
Stitches per inch:
Rows per inch:

Enter Your Poncho Shape Parameters
I want to decrease 1 stitch every rows along the front and back diagonal.	This will affect how wide your poncho is. For your shaping choice, and your stitch gauge, the flare angle is degrees and the chevron angle is:
Four times the width of the top of the trapezoid: inches	If you do not drop the front neck, the opening for your head will as close to the value you enter as possible. The top of each trapezoid like piece will be approximately 1/4 this width or inches wide. ( stitches.) The actual head opening will be inches. For this head opening and other choices already made, the back neck depth is inches. The neck width is inches.
Your approximate shoulder width: inches.	You should measure your shoulder width over clothes. My shoulder width is about 14.5", but I would need 15" or even 16" to wear over bulky clothes.
Length of Poncho along back diagonal seam: inches.	This will be the length from the neck to the hem point along the back of the poncho. This is also sort of the "full sleeve length on the poncho. The seam will run from the side of your neck down to the hem.
Shorten center front length by inches.	This permits you to drop the front neck slightly. For the values you have currently selected the front neck depth is inches. The center front will be rows lower than the shoulder. When the bottom of the trapezoid is horizontal, the angle along the top front trapezoid will be º.

To create or update your row/stitch cheat sheet, click the row/stitch button!

Results

Don't try to edit anything below this point. If you want to change them, change values in the table above. The summary tables are for informational purposes only.

Summary of Shape Data I Calculated.

Alpha This is the chevron angle.

Height of trapezoid: inches.
This is the shortest length.

Width of one trapezoid at hem: inches.
The full hem is four times this width.

Gamma degrees
This describes the angle on the "shoulder" side of the first little piece you make. Honestly, you probably don't give a hoot about this angle. However, it is angle of the shoulder dart for your poncho as seen when knit.

To achieve this angle you will decrease stitches over rows when you reach the shoulder.

Beta (shoulder angle): degrees.
This is the shoulder angle as measured from the horizontal when the poncho is knit. This value is important, but you can't change it. It depends on your stitch gauge and the rate of decrease you selected.

Summary of Shape Data I Calculated.
Alpha	This is the chevron angle.
Height of trapezoid: inches.	This is the shortest length.
Width of one trapezoid at hem: inches.	The full hem is four times this width.
Gamma degrees This describes the angle on the "shoulder" side of the first little piece you make.	Honestly, you probably don't give a hoot about this angle. However, it is angle of the shoulder dart for your poncho as seen when knit. To achieve this angle you will decrease stitches over rows when you reach the shoulder.
Beta (shoulder angle): degrees.	This is the shoulder angle as measured from the horizontal when the poncho is knit. This value is important, but you can't change it. It depends on your stitch gauge and the rate of decrease you selected.

Knitting Directions:

The poncho is made from four major pieces that are almost trapezoids; these major two pieces are are sewn together along the long diagonal edges to make one piece. Afterward you pick up the neck stitches and knit the neck trim or collar. Finally, sew the other diagonal edge and neck together. Finish the ends and you are done.

You may want to stop and plan ahead for the hem trim. I prefer to make it at the end, so I can inspect the balance and remove the trim if necessary. If you HK, it is best to use an "invisible cast on" at the hem if you wish to achieve the illusion of having cast on and knit the trim right form the start. However, it looks fine if you use any old cast on, pick up stitches and knit the trim.

Garter stitch and ribbing are the simplest non-rolling trims. However, you can find many others in HK and MK books.

Poncho Back

Make 1 as described and 1 mirror image of this piece. The shoulder is on the left side of the machine when you knit one described below.

Narrative: When you knit this piece you will begin by decreasing at both edges. The left side is the "shoulder". The right side is the "center front".

Cast on stitches.
Knit rows. (COR)
Repeat the following procedure times.

Decrease 1 stitch on both edges of the KM, move carriage across to knit the row.
Knit more rows.

You have now reached the shoulder: stitches remaining; cumulative rows = .

You will now decrease at different rates on the two edges of the KM bed. The left side is the shoulder side; the right side is the center front. Read directions for the shaping on both sides before starting to knit.

Right side: Continue decreasing in the pattern established after casting on until you have completed the left side decreases. At that time, you will bind off all stitches as instructed by the left side shaping. (When you have finished the left hand shaping, you should have decreased more stitches on the right hand side and there should be stitches remaining. )

Left Side: While continuing to shape right side, on the left side, shape as follows.

Knit row. (To get carriage to left side.)
COL: Do the following times. ** Decrease stitches on the left hand side, move carriage across to knit the row. Knit more row without shaping on the left. **
COL: Do the following times. **Decrease stitches on the left hand side, move carriage across to knit the row. Knit more row without shaping on the left. **
COL: Decrease stitches on the left hand side. Move carriage across row.
COR: Bind off all stitches. (Both right and left shaping complete.)
The cumulative row count = .

One "trapezoid" done. Make a second trapezoid mirroring the shaping of this piece. (So, the neck is on the left hand side and the shoulder is on the right hand side.)

Note to beginners: You can only cast off many stitches easily when the carriage is on the side of the bed where you need to cast off. So..when mirroring, reorganize as follows: Replace the very first instruction for shaping the left hand side with "Knit row." You want to the carriage to be on the right hand side when you do the rapid decreases. Scratch out COL (which means carriage on left) and write in COR (carriage on right). Then follow the directions. Mirrored!

When you finish the second piece, check to see if it's a mirror image. If it's not..... I guess, rehang as close to the shoulder shaping as you can.....

Poncho Front

Make 1 and 1 mirror image of this piece.

For the first piece, the shoulder is on the left side of the machine and the neck is on the right side. It is worked just like the back piece, but you will shape the front neck by reducing stitches while knitting rows.

Follow directions for the back until you reach row count =

Left side: Continue shaping exactly as for back.
Right side: You will now shape the neck on the right hand side.

COR. Do the following times. **Bind off stitches. Knit across row, do left side shaping, knit back.**
COR. Do the following times. **Bind off stitches. Knit across row, do left side shaping, knit back. **
COR. Bind off stitches.

When you are done, there should be no stitches left!

One "trapezoid" done. Make a second trapezoid mirroring the shaping of this piece. (So the neck is on the left and the shoulder is on the right.)

Note to beginners: You can only cast off many stitches easily when the carriage is on the side of the bed where you need to cast off. So..when mirroring, reorganize as follows. Begin the front neck shaping one row later than stated. Scratching out COR and write in COL. Uhmmm if your reach the final row, and things don't work out by 1 row or 1 stitch, do what experienced knitters do... fudge!

Assembly:

Sew two fronts together down center front. Sew two backs together down center back. Sew one side seam. Pick up stitches at neck and add a trim you like. (Roz added a very deep ribbed neck. ) Add a trim at the hem. (You can add garter stitch, ribbing etc. ) Sew the final seam and wear.

All images, programs and text at this site are copyrighted. Permission is given to knit garments and swatches from the directions provided. This pattern may be printed for individual personal use, provided the copyright statement remains intact. Patterns are available without charge at Lucia Liljegren's web pages, and cannot be resold. @copyright 2004, Lucia Liljegren