knit along Patons Color Kaleidoscope poncho Hosted by Marly skill level: intermediate KNIT Welcome to our latest Knit Along, hosted by Yarnspirations Stitch Ambassador, Marly Bird! Get your needles ready for 4 weeks of skill building fun. This year's project is a show-stopping Kaleidoscope Poncho that combines the magic of 9 different shades of Patons Classic Wool with 10 unique stitch patterns. Dive into the world of colorwork and discover the joy of creating a truly remarkable piece. Follow each week as we bring this mesmerizing statement piece to life! Make sure to share your progress along the way on the Yarnspirations Stitch Squad Group, tag @Yarnspirations on Instagram and tag your posts #YARNSPO. get supplies lesson by week select lesson Lesson 1: Collar Lesson 2: Upper Yoke Lesson 3: Body Lesson 4: Lower Body and Ribbing lesson 1: Collar Ready to dive into the world of colorwork? This week we're kicking off our project by creating the collar, shaping the neck and working increases to begin building our yoke. For the first lesson, Marly will guide us through all the essential techniques needed to get started, like the long-tail cast on, how to knit in the round, K1 P1 ribbing, stockinette stitch, short row shaping, increases, and how to change needles mid-project. Download Lesson 1 lesson 2: Upper Yoke We have tons in store for you in this very colorful lesson, so break out all your shades and stitch markers! This week is a crash course on stranded colorwork, as we build onto the collar we made in our previous lesson. Follow along as Marly explains color dominance, shows us how to hold yarn in two hands and walks us through the first three charts that make up this intricate stitch pattern. You'll notice that each progressive chart has more stitches - this pattern builds up gradually through increases from the neck. Download Lesson 2 TIP Make sure to space out the stitches on your needle so the distance between them is equal to what it will be in the fabric. This float (the yarn that goes behind your stitches) does not stretch, and adequate space will prevent puckering in the finished garment. lesson 3: Body Welcome back! Our third lesson is all about building the body of the poncho and features a good mix of repeats and more engaging techniques. Marly will be covering the three charts included in this section and showing us how these rows of contrasting complimentary chevrons work together. This week is the first time our color floats will travel across seven stitches, so follow along as Marly demonstrates how to tuck and weave as you go to keep your work tidy and avoid snapping yarn. Download Lesson 3 TIP It's easy to make a small mistake when patterns include plenty of repeating rows - make sure to use stitch markers in between your repeats. lesson 4: Lower Body and Ribbing Your poncho is almost complete! Our final lesson features plenty of exciting color changes, instructions on lengthening the poncho, ribbing, and binding off in-pattern. This week's charts include every shade and bring the whole piece together with a dramatic flare. This pattern is easy to lengthen once you've arrived at Chart 8. Add six rows with a repeat or add 24, whatever floats your boat! Download Lesson 4 TIP Before you begin working Chart 7, indicate on the chart with dots (or make a mental note) of where you will be weaving your floats so they aren't stacked onto each other.
