Easy Lacey Capelet

Capelets are related to ponchos - they're essentially knit like a simple circular yoke, only you don't have the hassle of attaching the sweater :-). Here is an easy summer version, in loose, lacey Choo-Choo ribbon, with a pleasant granitey texture. It's even completely reversible. It's based on the yokes of circular sweaters pioneered by Elizabeth Zimmermann in the 60s. (We also offer a warm winter version.)

Level of difficulty

Beginner.

Finished measurements

24" (60cm) around the neck. 42" (110cm) at the bottom edge. 12" (30cm) high.

Materials

4 (5) balls Crystal Palace Choo-Choo ribbon (100g, 110yd) color 8166 (baby blue), 100% nylon.
Circular knitting needle size 11 (7mm). Length of 24" (60cm) is most suitable.

Gauge

On stockinette, 13 st = 4" (10cm)

Size

Medium-large, (XL-XXL).

DIRECTIONS

Cast on 65 (71) stitches, join the circle. A backward-loop cast-on is strongly recommended, since it's the only one that is guaranteed to stretch easily over your head.
Do rows of seed stitch: (k1 p1)*, repeat till end of row.
Work seed stich rows till piece is about an inch long.
Knit circularly in stockinette till height reaches 2"/5cm (2 ½"/6cm).
Brutally increase, evenly all around in a single row: (k2 inc 1)*, repeat till end of row.
Knit again in plain stockinette for another 2" (2 ½"), till total height is 4"/10cm (5"/13cm).
Do another row of increases: (k2 inc 1)*, repeat till end of row.
Then knit in plain stockinette till total height is 12"/30cm (14"/35cm).
Knit an inch in seed stitch again (k1 p1)*. (If you have an even number of stitches, add one at the end of the first row to make row transition mindless.)
Bind off very loosely.
Work in ends with yarn needle.

Notes:

This may be a very simple pattern, but if you're making anything wearable and you want someone to actually wear it, you still must match the gauge or be prepared to adjust the pattern...
A backward-loop cast-on is strongly recommended, since it's the only one that is guaranteed to stretch easily over your head.
Binding off too tightly will definitely make things hang in a very wrong way. We recommend what the Vogue Knitting Reference book calls 'suspended cast-off' for much more elasticity than the standard. Knit 2 stitches, *slip the first over the 2nd but leave it on the left needle so you have a 'single cross' with a stitch on each needle; knit into the next stitch on the left needle the same way, so you now have 2 cross-stitches on each needle; slip the 2 stitches on the left needle off, repeat from *. Do work it much looser than you think possible.
If for some reason you object to brutally increasing, please read the entire works of Elizabeth Zimmerman before trying to tell us anything about it...