This cozy and pretty cape was inspired by two of my favorite textile traditions - Fair Isle knitting and Mayan weaving. After a trip to Guatemala, I was eager to bring more colorwork into my designs; I loved the bright, bold colors and patterns that adorned every marketplace. I based the diamond and stripe patterns on those found in traditional handwoven garments from the region and translated them into Fair Isle knitting.

This cape is knit in the round from the top-down, much like a yoke sweater, with a fold-over turtleneck collar. The colorwork patterns can be found on the last page. Though I had a full ball of yarn on hand for each color and two for the background, most of the pattern colors took up very little yardage, so you could easily turn this into a destash piece.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Supplies:
US 6 (4mm) circular needle, 16” long (or 5 US 6 dpns)
US 5 (3.5 mm) circular needle, 16” long (or 5 US 5 dpns)
US 5 circular needle, 24” or longer
Stitch Nation Washable Ewe (100% superwash wool; 183 yds/ 167 m per ball) in the following colors:
2 balls Earth (Brown)
1 ball Dragonfly (Teal)
1 ball Duckling (Yellow)
1 ball Icing (Light Pink)
1 ball Lilac (Purple)
1 ball Strawberry (Red)
1 ball Zinnia (Dark Pink)
Stitch marker or scrap yarn
Weaving needle

Finished measurements (approximate):
Neck circumference: 14”
Hem circumference: 56”
Yoke depth (end of neck to hem): 12”
Turtleneck: 5” long unfolded