Free knitting patterns
Poncho sweater
Very easy - very big! This is a pullover of incredibly wide proportions - 64" around, in fact. The sleeves are really more like elongated cuffs, needed only to cover the forearm. There is an assymmetric opening at the front neck, fastening at the left with a single, large button and loop. The length is cropped (but it can be easily lengthened) to just cover the waist.
I finished this in about a week or so - the first time I ever used 12 mm needles. The weight of my yarn combination made it pretty heavy to knit on straight needles (may be easier if you find circulars to distribute the weight), but it doesn't feel so heavy once you're wearing it. Perfect for late Canadian autumn over a turtleneck.
When I knitted this up, I used four strands held together, which contributed to the weight factor when knitting. If I did it again, I'd choose a single strand super-bulky yarn (such as a Colinette-type yarn) or with multiple strands, I'd throw in a strand of mohair for bulk without weight.
Because this poncho-sweater hybrid is so big, it will fit a range of sizes. If necessary, alter the length of the sleeves (easily done, because theyre knitted from the top down).
Altogether without blocking, the circumference is about 64" and the length from the shoulder is about 19". I was too lazy to block it, it was so big... anyway, I presume that if it were blocked, it would merely increase slightly in size, which is not a bad thing with such a garment.
Yarn: 700 meters (about 770 yards) of super-bulky yarn (if you want to make the poncho longer, you'll need more yarn).
I used two strands of Filatura di Crosa Tweddy in green, one strand of Alafoss Lett-Lopi in green, and one strand of Lett-Lopi in blue.
Other materials: about 1 m of twill tape or matching grosgrain ribbon to reinforce the shoulder and neck seams, buttonhole twist thread and regular sewing thread, one showy 1" to 1 1/2" button with a shank, and one 5/8" flat button without a shank.
If you are knitting with multiple strands, you can use one of the yarns for seaming; if seaming with your knitting yarn is not practical, you'll need a matching smooth yarn.
Gauge: 2 stitches and 3 rows to 1"
Needles: 12 mm, or whatever you need to get gauge. You will also need a large crochet hook to pick up stitches.
Back: Cast on 64 sts. Work in K2, P2 rib for 3 rows then switch to St st on Row 4, beginning with a knit row (the right side). Work in St st until the piece measures 19" (57 rows). Bind off.
Front: Cast on 64 sts. Work as for Back until 41 rows (including rib) are completed. You should now be about to knit a RS row (if it is not, you will have to reverse all the following instructions):
On row 42, work 28 sts, join 2nd ball of yarn and work using this 2nd ball of yarn to end.
On row 43, work 37 sts in St st. (Yes, the last stitch will be into the same stitch that the 1st ball of yarn is attached to.) Switch to the 1st ball, cast on 5 sts and work these 5 sts plus the remaining sts on the left-hand needle to the end. These extra 5 sts will be the underlay so there is no gap when the neck opening is fastened.
From now on, when working the single st at the left or right neck edge, work this st in garter st (K every row or P every row) to help prevent curling under.
Next row (RS): Work to last 3 sts of LH neck edge; dec 1, garter st 1. Switch to RH neck edge and garter 1, inc 1, work to end.
Next row (WS): Work both RH and LH sides even.
Repeat these last two rows four more times, then repeat the RS decrease row once more.
Next row (WS): On RH side, work 24 sts; bind off the remaining centre sts. On LH side, bind off centre sts until 24 sts remain; work those last 24 sts.
Next row (RS): On LH side, work to last 3 sts, dec 1, K1; on RH side, K1, dec 1, work to end.
Next row (WS): On RH side, work to last 3 sts, dec 1, P1; on LH side, P1, dec 1, work to end.
Bind off remaining sts.
Sleeves and finishing: Block pieces. Graft Front and Back together at shoulders (the shoulder edges were bound off to provided added stability; do not graft straight off the needles without binding off). You will be left with 20 sts in the centre back for the neck.
Now do the sleeves: Lay the poncho flat. Using a large crochet hook, pick up 30 sts on each side, centred over the shoulder seam (i.e. 15 sts along the side edge of the front, 15 sts along the side edge of the back). You should be picking up approximately 2 sts for every 3 rows. Work these 30 sts in St st for 30 rows, then dec 1 st ea side every other row 5 times and bind off, at same time working the last three rows in rib pattern used for the Front and Back.
Sew side and sleeve seams.
Pick up 52 sts along entire neck edge. For the Back and RH Front, you will be picking up one stitch for each stitch bound off along straight edges; remaining stitches will be distributed along the curved edges of the neck and the LH Front. Work 1 garter st, then in rib pattern to last st, then 1 garter st. Work for a total of 4 rows then bind off.
Sew a length of twill tape (with regular sewing thread, although you could use a stronger thread like buttonhole twist) to the inside garment along the shoulder seams and back neck, starting at one sleeve, across back neck, to other sleeve. Try centering the tape along the seams, using an overcast stitch on both sides of the tape.
Make a single crochet chain with yarn until it is long enough to form a loop for the large button to pass through; anchor both ends of the chain on end of the RH neckband. Try on poncho and mark location of large button on LH neckband. Sew button on LH neckband as follows: anchor length of doubled buttonhole twist to WS of neckband; sew through to RS and pass through outside button (large button with shank); sew through to WS and pass through one hole of flat button. Pull thread taut (not too taut), then pass needle through other hole of flat button and neckband to RS. Pass thread through shank of outside button, and so forth. You are sewing the shank button to the flat button with the neckband sandwiched in between. When buttons are secure, fasten thread.