Fun and surprisingly easy knitted retro classic cape! Made with just 9 easy knit wedge panels combine together to make a beautiful 1/2 circle. You can make this any length from shoulder warmer to full length cape!

circularknittingmachine #retroclassic

Materials:
2 colors Pound of Love yarn
I used 13.5 oz of the main color Marine Blue
and 3.5 oz if the accent color Black
3- 1” wood buttons

Tools:
Addi Kingsize Express 46 needle circular knitting machine (Sentro 48 would be great too)
4.5mm and a 5.5mm crochet hooks
Darning needle
Quilters spring clips(for holding edges while stitching together)
Scissors
Measuring tape is nice when adjusting the pattern wedges

Retro Classic Cape
By Stephanie Bergeron (@StephanieBCreativity)
Make 9 wedge panels
(Knit 7 panels Main Color, Knit 2 panels of contrast color

Wedge Panel Wedges start at 7 needles and end on 41 needles total 150 knit rows.

Cast On 7 needles with of waste yarn
Knit 5-9 rows (make it an odd number ending on Left side of stitches drop the Waste Yarn)
Drop First Waste yarn
Add contrasting color waste yarn Zip Strip for removing the cast on waste yarn Knit 1 row
Drop waste yarn

Reset counter to zero Change to main yarn color

Knit 5 rows
* When knitting the edge needles make certain that when the needle rises the stitch has dropped all the way down below the bump. If it doesn’t it can drop the stitch and you will have a wobbly edge* (watch video for to see this being done)

( Inc 2) Increase 1 on right needle (knit across next needle) knit across to Left needle Increase 1 stitch (you now have 9 needles with stitches) the Increase row counts as part of the 5 knit rows-
**Count 1 for first increase knit across and increase then count 2, finish knitting at row on the way back count 3, count 4 for next row, count 5 for next row. Then you will increase and count 1 as you work back to the last needle and increase (at lease that is what I do, and it works for me.)

To increase you are allowing the needle to grab the working yarn, knit past the needle so the yarn will come across the needle and pull down into the machine. When knitting back make certain that when the needle rises the stitch has dropped all the way down below the bump. If it doesn’t it can drop the stitch and you will have a wobbly edge and it won’t increase.

Knit 5 rows
Inc 2 (11 needles )
Keep knitting same pattern Knit 5 Rows, Inc 2 needles until you are at 17 needles
From now on
Knit 10 rows
Inc 2 (19 needles)
K 10 rows
Inc 2 (21 needles)
Keep knitting same pattern Knit 10 Rows, Inc 2 needles until you are at 41 needles
Knit 10 rows
Cast off with Waste yarn
Remove from Machine.
Knit all the Wedges.

Finish Ends with 4 or 4.5mm Crochet hook Slip-stitch with extra yarn to finish edges (watch video for step by step)

Steam Block all pieces to make it easier to sew the wedges together. (I use a garment steamer – you can use a steam iron -just don’t touch the acrylic yarn with the metal iron!) Yes, I’m over steaming the knitting and KILLING the acrylic on purpose – it increases the softness and the drape of the knitted acrylic yarn.
You can do it without blocking too – the edges will curl.

Sew all the panels together making a 1/2 circle using a mattress stitch (see video)
Pin flat and steam block all the seams and edges to flatted and tidy it up for the edging.

Finish the edges with 4 rows of linen Stitch
With 5.5mm crochet hook stitch along the edges in this pattern :
1 Single crochet(sc) st, 1 Chain(ch) st skip a stitch on the edge and 1 sc, 1 ch all the way across, end on a sc and then ch 2 and turn.
(For example on the neck you should have about 37 sc and 36 ch ending on the sc – ch 2 and turn.)

Neck edge (crochet 4 rows Linen stitch on just the Neck)
Front edges Crochet 4 rows of linen stitch edging on each front edge
Fold back front edging to insides and stitch down carefully to not show stitches on the outside.

Steam the Front edges flat

Bottom Edging 4 rows Linen Stitch

Buttons. If you are adding buttons space them how you want and sew on.
Frogs (Button Loops) You can buy Premade Frogs.
I made my own, with a long loop of yarn and I single crocheted AROUND the loop (the 2 strands of the loop are inside all the single crochet stitches – I didn’t count the number of stitches I just covered the loop tightly and ended with the last single crochet stitch going through the very end of the loop.)

Then make a loop in the middle that will go over the button and stitch at the crossover point. Twist each of the legs into loop and stitch to the base of the button loop.

Finally lay the cape out with the fronts close together and stitch the frog button loop to the front so it will close the cape without puckering.

Do a final Steaming to finish it off. Enjoy your cute new Retro Cape! If you make this please take a photo and share it with me on Instagram @StephanieBCreativity

Shorter shawl / capelet I would knit the panels exactly the same as the long cape just STOP increasing when there’s 25 needles –
Knit 10 more rows,
Waste yarn cast off
Follow all the rest of the directions the same up to putting on the buttons.
You might want 1 button or NO buttons totally up to you!