I designed The Imperfect Poncho with the philosophy that handmade items never turn out perfectly…just like us. I believe in perfectly imperfect knits for perfectly imperfect bodies. I believe in size inclusivity and acceptance. When I chose to design garments, I knew I wanted to cover the largest possible range of sizes, so everybody and every body would be able to make one. The Imperfect Poncho is intended to be a flattering fit regardless of your body size or type.

Another key factor in creating this design was price. Yarn can be expensive, especially for larger projects. So, I chose to make my sample piece in Red Heart Super Saver Yarn…basically the lowest cost on the market. Using similarly priced yarn, any size of The Imperfect Poncho would cost less than $15 in yarn. By providing this example, I’m trying to say that money, like size, shouldn’t be a limiting factor in creating something beautiful. Thank you for supporting my vision.

The Imperfect Poncho is my first garment design. I made it to be wearable in any season: the lighter weight yarn coupled with larger needles makes it light and breezy while the cowl neck keeps you warm! The length is intended to be a bit of a crop fit as well, hitting around the waist, to add to the summer style, while the width is looser with a fair amount of positive ease in a more classic poncho style. I designed this pattern to be suitable for almost any experience level using basic patterns such as st st, seed st, and ribbing. It also includes small amounts of short rows and Kitchener stitch.

• Yarn requirements (XS-5XL, based on CYC standards): ~350 (450, 470, 550, 640, 700, 790, 870, 980) yds/320 (410, 430, 505, 585, 640, 725, 795, 895) m worsted weight yarn (I used Red Heart Super Saver)
• Skills required: stockinette stitch, seed stitch, ribbing, working in the round, short rows, Kitchener stitch
• This pattern comes with 42 pages of support, including written instructions, chart instructions, and a row tracker for you to check off as you work through each element

If you’re unfamiliar or struggling with the Kitchener stitch, here is the link to one of my favorite photo and video tutorials that goes through it step-by-step.