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Aspen Relaxed Knit Poncho Pattern

Hello my friends! Today’s knitting pattern is here thanks to several requests from you for a knit version of the crocheted Driftwood Oversized Hooded Poncho that I shared back in August.  This Aspen Relaxed Knit Poncho has an amazing drape, comfort and warmth and is made entirely with the beginner garter stitch!  This is one of those beginner friendly projects that prove you don’t have to be a master knitter to make something really beautiful and completely functional.  It’s just as easy as a beginner scarf quite honestly, although it will take a lot longer to make. 😉  Really though, this project reminds me of one of the reasons this blog even came to be.  When I first started knitting I wanted projects to be totally easy but still wearable (and that was sometimes hard to find). So there I went, making up crazy easy projects.  Even now though, I still prefer simple and mindless projects.  This poncho does take more time than many of the patterns you’ll find from me, but this can certainly be one of those projects that you pick up and put down whenever you have the time.  Hopefully you will find it to be easy peasy and if you’re a beginner maybe you’ll want to try this out. 🙂

Update: Lion Brand Yarn has made this pattern into a kit that you can purchase HERE, or feel free to scroll down to see the free pattern below

It’s named the “Aspen” after one of my favorite trees. If you get my newsletter, you see these trees each week. 🙂

It had to be named the “Aspen” because the vertical striping and coloring reminds me of one of my favorite trees, the Aspen tree in the winter.  It’s made with Lion Brand Scarfie, so the color work just happens like magic without you having to do any color changes.   I didn’t add a hood to this one, but if you’re experienced you certainly could knit a large rectangle, fold it in half and seam it to the neckline just like I did with the crochet version.  The classic black and white color blend goes with just about anything and I think the vertical striping is slimming and flattering.  What color would you like to see this with poncho?

Essentially, this poncho is made by knitting two rectangles and seaming at the shoulders with a basic whip stitch or any seam you prefer.  So very simple! Oh, and if you don’t know how to knit but want to learn, you can check out my video and post on how to knit here.

Just over here hiking on a hill in the Aspen Knit Poncho. 🙂

Alrighty, are we ready to knit this? You can find the free pattern below, or the ad-free printable PDF pattern available for purchase in my Etsy shop here. 🙂

Aspen Relaxed Knit Poncho Pattern (Easy Knit Pattern)

This beginner friendly poncho has a beautiful drape and classic color combo making it a perfect piece to add style and comfort to any cold weather outfit.

You will need:

US Size 11 8.0 mm 29” circular needles

4 skeins Lion Brand Scarfie Yarn in Cream / Black (150 g/skein)

Pattern uses approximately 476 g

Scissors

Tapestry Needle to weave in ends

Size:

One size

Measurements:

Approximately 31” wide X 26.5” long

Skill Level:

Beginner

Gauge:

Not important for this pattern

Skills & Abbreviations:

k – knit

Notes:

This poncho is made by knitting two rectangular panels and seaming them together at the shoulders.  The cast on edge is the side of the panel and the knitting is worked across. Pattern is worked from one side to the opposite side of the rectangle.

If you want the front and back striping to be similar, begin each panel with the same color.  For example, if your first panel starts with black, you should also begin your second panel with black. Skeins will often work out the same, but it may be necessary in some cases to wind a certain color and save it for later in order for consistent striping throughout the pattern.

You may need to wind certain colors into balls of yarn to save for later if you’re wanting to keep striping consistent.

Aspen Relaxed Knit Poncho Pattern

Cast On 86 stitches

Row 1 Knit across row (86 stitches)

Next, repeat row 1, knitting across each row until piece measures approximately 31”, ensuring that the stripe at the cast off end matches the stripe at the cast on edge.

Cast off, weave in ends.

Repeat above pattern to make second panel.

Assembly:

Place panels one on top of the other with stripes vertically aligned. With a length of yarn and your tapestry needle, sew the top of the two panels together from the outside, inward leaving approximately an 8” opening in the center for the head opening.  While this may seem small for the head opening, the fabric stretches when worn so it becomes wider on the neckline.  If you do need to make it the opening wider or smaller, simply adjust your seam accordingly. Weave in those ends. 🙂

Whip stitch seam inward at the shoulders. That’s it!

 

I’d love to hear if you make one. 🙂  And as always, feel free to tell me your thoughts or questions in the comments below.

XO

Jessica

If you crochet and want to make something similar, there’s this:

Driftwood Oversized Hooded Poncho

Or another easy knitting pattern:

Easy Knit Blanket Sweater

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47 Comments

    1. You’re welcome Esther! Thanks so much for your kind words about the blog. It’s so fun! And thanks for stopping in!

  1. I think there is NOT A pattern of yours I didn’t like … Thank you so much for sharing! I love ponchos and have never made one with knit or crochet. I consider myself an enthusiastic beginner knitter so this project will be a great beginner project for me.

    1. Hi Jackie! Aww thank you! So happy you’ve liked my projects and patterns. Have a great weekend and let me know if you make one at some point!

  2. I’m new at knitting so I’m not always sure if I can substitute yarn so my question is on the blanket sweater can I use wool ease thick and quick or the scarfie yarn? I love your patterns and thanks for sharing and for your help!

    1. The Thick and Quick is chunkier so you would have to adjust needle size and number of cast on. You can use any chunky yarn though and any Scarfie for sure!

  3. Hello Jessica, I have been wanting to try scarfie for a while now just haven`t found the right pattern . This poncho you made is perfect , it looks great in the scarfie yarn . I really love your patterns and the simplicity of them . I will be making a few of them very soon , as soon as I finish the projects I am working on at the moment . Thank you for sharing them with all of us 🙂 Marika.

    1. You’re welcome Marika! It is pretty fun to use the Scarfie and see how the striping works up. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for your kind words!

  4. Love all your patterns….I have a quick question….I am a plus size woman…could I increase the cast on stitches…and then add some length as well? It’s beyond beautiful but almost sure I am way too large for it to fit me. Wish I was thin…but wworking on my weight and getting healthy. Many bblessings to !!

    1. Hi! Yes you certainly can make it larger just as you’ve mentioned – cast on more and knit for longer. Many blessings to you too! So happy you like my patterns – thank you!

      1. I’m the same and sadly I have only just thought of this and I have already sent for the wool from the US. I’m in England and a size 26, that’s a size 22 US. I was thinking I would need it another 30 stitches or so. It means sending for more wool which may not be from the same batch. Is it ok to slip the first stitch on each row to make a nice edge? I’m also new to knitting and love this.

        1. Hi Jaye!
          Yes, you can slip the first stitch of each row to make a nice edge. I wonder if there is a yarn there in the UK that is a comparable chunky weight black or cream? You can possibly start with the contrast yarn and end (so you have that yarn on either side) with it to add some width to the panels. In other words, add a stripe of the contrast yarn to either end to add to the size) I think this could work!

          1. That’s a fantastic idea, I’ll use black or the silver grey to match. I have looked for something similar and it’s on the same site but that would be mailed locally. I just got my wool today. I’m excited to get started. Thanks for sharing this beautiful poncho.

  5. I like simplicity as well so your patterns are right up my alley. Thank you so much for sharing
    them with us. I will surely give this pattern a try. Many many blessings to you and thank you
    for remembering those enduring devastation at the present time.

  6. Hi!! Love the poncho. I am not a skilled knitter and have never used a circular needle. Do you have a video showing how to do this?? I love how simple you make things. Thanks.
    Amy

  7. Hello, i made the heirloom blanket and it came out beautiful, i used christmas colors (white,
    green, tan and white) size 11 knitting needles, and used 2 yarn strands-one white, one multicolor together.(4 ply).
    when i finished , i then did a single crochet stitch border around whole blanket (whew!!!) and then in every other stitch, made a 4 single crochet chain, then skipped a stitch, in the next stitch did 4 single crochet.. etc around entire blanket.
    doubling the yarns made it so thick i could go down sizes on knitting needles but still created same effect, it went quickly.
    crocheting the borders creates a neat scalloped edge, that looks great.
    thank you for the great pattern idea and your site, i love your emails and look forward to your patterns greatly.

    1. Sounds stunning! Love the idea of making it into a Christmas blanket. Thanks so much for sharing and for your kind words!

  8. I am soooo happy I finally found your blog( not that up on these things) . I love everything you make ! Thanks for posting things that I , as a beginner, can do , and projects that a pro will love . This Grandma is so happy to follow you !

  9. Thank you for designing a knit version. Love that you use bulky yarns for these beautiful pieces. I also live in Colorado and this will be so lovely and useful for our weather.

  10. Instead of knitting two pieces and seaming them, could I just knit up to the 31″ length, then knit X number of stitches, bind off 8 inches worth of stitches, then finish the row. Then turn, knit back across, cast on the number of stitches I bound off, then continue knitting the row, picking up the stitches left on the needle after doing the bind-off? It would get awfully bulky to work on, I know, but avoiding that seam … priceless. LOL

  11. Hi Jessica, how tall are you? I´m rather small – 155cm and I don´t know if poncho like this will suit me good… But I like it so much! Thank you!

    1. Hi Renata! I’m about 5 foot 6 inches and very thin. Hope this helps you determine if it might work for you!

  12. Hi Jessica, I just love your patterns and really appreciate you sharing them with us! Love love love the poncho! I have one question, I noticed on the crochet version of the poncho it has a hood on it, how would we do that on the knit version?

    1. Hi Jeni! Thanks for the kind words. I didn’t do a hood for this version, but you could either pick up stitches around the neck opening, then knit until it’s tall enough and fold and seam along the top to finish the hood. Or even knit a rectangle, seam along the top and whip stitch the bottom to the poncho. Just a couple thoughts you can think about!

  13. Hi Jessica, Andrea from Boise…Absolutely LOVE this poncho, but then again, love all of your creative and beautiful patterns. All of us are so thankful to you for your generosity when surely you could be charging for ALL your beautiful patterns. I am so happy to see that Lion Brand picked it up as a kit and hope you received a big fat check!!!!! No one more deserving…Many blessings!

  14. Hi Jessica, I love the Aspen relaxed knitted poncho pattern and wondered if I’d be able to use Lionbrand Thick & Quick yarn which I already have a supply of

    1. Hi Anne! You certainly can, but it will be a heavier and larger poncho unless you modify the pattern counts. But I think it could be lovely! You of course would also have to adjust your needle size.

  15. Hi Jessica, thanks so much for sharing your patterns. A quick question on this one. I have heartland in my stash right now. Do you think this poncho would work with that yarn?

  16. can you help I want to make this for a large man, how many stitches to I cast on?

  17. This pattern is so versatile! I am going to do it in shades of blue, and attach a cowl to the neckline to keep the wind out. I was looking at the Vail Ski Poncho for ideas on this. Then I might attach the sides together for an inch or two so it stays together at the waist.
    Thank you for sending the blog to my inbox, I always get so excited when it arrives!!!
    BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

  18. Hi Jessica

    I love this pattern and would like to make it as a gift. However, I live in Florida, so it’s rare that we need a wool anything. Is the a cotton or blended yarn without wool that would make a good substitute?

    1. I don’t know of a sub off hand that’s cotton and similar to this yarn, but you can use any cotton you’d like! If you find a worsted weight cotton, I’d hold two strands together throughout the pattern to equal the one thicker strand of Scarfie, which is chunky.

  19. Hello,

    Love this pattern, and I’m hoping to give it a try in a one-tone way, I have this yarn, (Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky – Colour Red Wine) already, and was wondering if you think this will work for the pattern?

    1. Best guess is that I think that should work great! It’s chunky and I’ve used the worsted weight Paintbox Yarns and loved them.

  20. I just got into knitting (about to finish my first scarf for my mom), can’t wait to take on this project! Was looking for something simple and functional to make for myself : ) Thanks for the free pattern ❤️!!!

  21. Any tips on how to increase the size of this? I’m a 6’ guy and worried it will be too small.

    1. You can cast on more stitches, and knit for more rows to make it larger. So happy to hear from a guy here on the blog!

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