Ponchos

I love Ponchos, they are functional and stylish, and I swear , I could kick myself everytime I buy one.  I throw it over my head for the first time, fall in love, and then ask myself "Why do you spend your money on this, why not make one?"

So last month, I gave it a try. I failed my first few attempts miserably, and for a minute, well, okay, maybe for a few days, I seriously considered giving up.  Really, you look at these things and can tell there's really nothing to it. They are simple, therefore, they should be simple to make.   Ughhhh, if it were that easy.

I tried to make panels, and the neckline was uneven and large enough to fit a beach ball through.  I can't tell you how many times I stitched and unraveled until I finally came up with a design that worked and was pretty too.   Orginally this was supposed to be for me, but as it was in progress, my niece tried it on and said it was so soft that she wanted it.  I altered the neckline so it would stay on her shoulders, and added a textured trim.  I'm so excited, because now that I have a pattern for kids sizes, I have lots of ideas for collars, and other change ups on this.  I'm also ready for the adult sized patterns and hope to make it availble on Ravelry.com soon.  Check back, I'm working on modified verisons of this same pattern.
Just a small hint. If you're working on Ponchos for Spring and Summer, use sport weight yarn. I used Sensations cuddle yarn. You'll still keep warm on breezy nights, but you can get away with wearing them throughout the warmer seasons.