Have 6 skeins of Heartland Tweed. Pattern calls for 8 skeins. Going for it anyway. Love this color. Loving this yarn. Loving the look of this pattern.

Purchased 2 more skeins, then another 3, then 2 more again for a total of 13 now. Probably won’t need all for this project, but really like the yarn and I don’t want to have to worry at all about not having enough. I can definitely think of other things I’d use the yarn to make.

8/28 - 1 skein down in 1st of 2 panels. Pattern calls for J hook. Skein band calls for I hook and I’m achieving gauge with I hook.

9/3 - 1st panel done. 3 plus skeins used.

10/8 - Had finished both panels, joined them, and completed the ribbing around the neck and 1.5 rows of ribbing around bottom edge. Ran out of 8 skeins of yarn. Ordered more yarn. While waiting, looked again at the details of the yarn and pattern. Yeah. I made big mistakes. Yarn calls for J hook, not I hook. Pattern calls for K hook, not J hook. I’d done everything with an I hook. Wanted better sizing and drape. Ripped the entire thing out and am starting over from the beginning using K hook.

10/13 - First panel completed again. Much happier with size, feel, and drape of panel. 2nd panel started.

10/28 - Complete and laundered, size is just right, drape is exceptionally better, even before laundering. I could not be more happy with it and plan to start wearing it asap. The weather is getting to be poncho perfect.

Modifications:
Before and after ripping out, I DC3tog to avoid the hole in the ribbing of the neckline that is visible in the closeup picture of the neckline from the pattern.

I liked suelah1230’s idea of making the last column of cables a mirror image of the first column and I was sad that I hadn’t read her notes prior to starting the first time, but since I decided to rip out and start over, I have now reversed the last cable column to make it the mirror image of the first.

The first time I made this prior to ripping out, I joined according to the instructions, right sides together and with a slip stitch. In my opinion, this created a noticeably wide bare space at the join that stood out because of how textured the rest of the poncho is. So when I made it again after ripping out, I joined with wrong sides together and with a single crochet. This created a raised seam on the right side that I feel blends in better with the rest of the texture created by all of the front post stitches.

Notes on Perimeter
Dislike vague instructions like “work 112 sc evenly across long edge of panel.” There are 69 rows across the long edge of the panel. I cannot change the principles of mathematics to make 112 divide evenly by 69. How am I the only person to express in their project notes how frustrating this was?@!? Am I over-thinking it? Am I just tired? Here is how I calculated getting 112 sc MOST evenly distributed across 69 rows.

To achieve 112 stitches worked “evenly” across 69 rows: 1 sc in each dc row repeat (rows 3 & 5); 2 sc in every treble crochet row repeat (rows 2 & 4); 2 sc in row 1; add a sc somewhere within every other repeat of the last 16 pattern repeats for a total of 8 extra stitches.

Pattern errors:
* The person in the pattern comments was correct in saying the pattern contains an error right off the bat:
The pattern diagram is correct, but the pattern text for Row 2 should read: (RS) Ch 2, Fpdc, sk next…etc.
* Ribbing Trim Around Neck Section:
Rnd 1 gives no instruction to join to the first stitch to end the round. I guess it goes without saying.

Perimeter math for 112 stitches across long edge:
A 4 row pattern repeat, repeated 17 times.
4x17=68 sc
+
2 of the rows in the pattern repeat, rows 2 and 4 which contain treble stitches, can accommodate an extra sc. 2x17=34 sc (68+34=102 sc total)
+
2 sc in 1st row (102+2=104 sc total)
112-104=8 extra sc you still need to fit in.
My suggestion for how to work them in most evenly is to add a sc within every other repeat of 16 repeats.
Good luck.