This is a Susan Mills pattern released in 2004 when she was designing for Artful Yarns. It’s  called Virtue Poncho #92120. Virtue, now discontinued, was a 100% cashmere worsted weight yarn. Isn’t it the height of decadence to think of cashmere for a child’s garment?  I didn’t knit mine in any form of cashmere. This is Cascade’s 220 Superwash Quatro in the Chocolate Tweed colorway. A child can eat a nice drippy ice cream cone wearing this and all a parent needs to do is throw it in the washing machine and then throw it in the dryer.

I made a few modifications on the poncho, including knitting it in the round instead of in halves. I put a stitch marker at the start and mid-point of the round and knit the decreases just as the pattern called for. I decided to work on straight needles until I got through the ruffle.  With more than 500 stitches cast on, I didn’t want to risk the dreaded mobius twist. And when I got to about 10 rows left in the poncho, I worked straight, just using the same circular needles but turning at the midpoint where the neckline is needed. The pattern calls for sewing the front seam to about one inch from the collar. I thought that might look kind of ragged and fretted that the stockinette might curl, so I worked 5 stitches in garter stitch at one edge, then cast on another 5 at the other edge, and basically knitted a garter stitch placket.

Except for casting on 500 stitches, the ruffle was the most fun. Those stitches disappear superfast with decreases upon decreases and out pops the beautiful ruffle.

It can be such fun to knit small stuff in surprisingly unbaby-like colors.