It’s hovering near 90 degrees here these days (that’s Fall by the bay); my schedule and to-do list are all out of whack; and I’ve been battling a case of cast-on-itis. So what am I planning to do today, as soon as I get a chance? Cast on a super-bulky turtleneck capelet, of course!
This has been on my mind since that roundup I did back in March. I’ve been stockpiling inspiration photos and perusing various patterns — ranging from cowls voluminous enough to tug down around your shoulders to things that border on poncho territory — trying to decide exactly what I want. (The problem, of course, being that I want them all.)
If I could magically own any capelet I’d seen in a photo, I would have the one below, which is a Cos beauty worn and photographed by a French blogger called Punky B:
(And maybe also the one on the bottom right from the previous set.) I’ve found patterns for similar things, but nothing knit sideways like that. And I don’t have the patience to work out the shaping for it on my own.
I’ve thought about modifying this Bergere Poncho pattern:
I’d give it a regular turtleneck. Skip the wristholes and cuffs, for sure. Maybe give it a cleaner hem of some sort. And possibly leave out the stockinette triangles — just stick to purling between the cables. Would I love it then? Maybe.
But then I also like this really simple little Noelle Capelet by Martin Storey for Rowan:
So I’ve decided for now I’m making a version of that one at the top of this post, which comes from a Mac & Me pattern, the Back Bay Poncho. I downloaded the pattern last night because I like that slight shirttail-shaped hemline and wanted to see how the short-rows were done. So that will probably be my jumping-off point. I’ll change the neck and “sleeve” proportions a little, do a different increase for the raglans (the YO holes are not my favorite) and probably make it a little longer. Or shorter? We’ll see.
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