Pistachio Poncho – Crochet Pattern Review

How to crochet an easy, simple and beginner friendly lacy women’s poncho perfect for Spring and Fall!

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Today is Day 4! I will be sharing a crochet pattern review each day through Friday of my favorite made for me garments from Salena Baca’s new crochet book, Build Your Skills Crochet Tops: 26 Simple Patterns for First-Time Sweaters, Shrugs, Ponchos & More. On Saturday, I’ll review the whole book, and we’ll do a giveaway!

First up was the Vanessa Tee, shown above. Check out my crochet pattern review for the Vanessa Tee.

Second was the Woodbury Poncho. Check out my crochet pattern review for the Woodbury Poncho.

Third was the Woodbury Poncho. Check out my crochet pattern review for the Coboo Top.

Next up, the Pistachio Poncho!

What first caught my attention was the gorgeous lacy stitch pattern, but I also like that the style leaves my hands and arms free to do things without restriction.

I went searching through my stash, and pulled out some Lion Brand Wool Ease. This poncho will be great over a long sleeve in cooler weather, or in place of a jacket when out to dinner (I always get so cold in restaurants!).

Lion Brand Wool Ease is one of my favorite yarns. It’s soft, warm but not too heavy and wears and washes well. I am curious just how warm this poncho will be being that it is so lacy, but the turtleneck cowl will definitely be perfect to combat the wind, so I am curious to try this poncho out under my coat.

The cowl on this poncho is similar to that of my Ribbed Granny Stitch Cowl. I designed that one to have a long ribbed portion that could be double folded like a turtleneck, or pulled up over my face to protect against the cold and wind, and I really like that about this poncho too.

This pattern was very easy to follow. The cowl and the body are both in a simple repetitive pattern comprised of easy half double crochets, chains and double crochets, and worked from top down, it makes it very easy to try on as you go to make sure it fits just the way you like. I had trouble meeting gauge, and was able to adjust how I needed to make it fit, but if gauge is met, there is no doubt in my mind that this project wouldn’t be great for a confident beginner.

Materials I Used:

• 580 Yards of Lion Brand’s Wool Ease Yarn in Grey Heather
• I9/5.5mm Crochet Hook
• L11/8mm Crochet Hook
• Tapestry Needle
• Pistachio Poncho, Paid Crochet Pattern in Build Your Skills Crochet Tops: 26 Simple Patterns for First-Time Sweaters, Shrugs, Ponchos & More

Material Notes:

Original pattern uses Lion Brand’s Pound of Love. I have heard of it before, but have not used it or even held it before. An alternative Salena has noted is Knit Picks Brava, which I know is similar to Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn, so I thought the Lion Brand Wool Ease would be a good one to use. The trouble I ran into was meeting gauge, and I really think that I could have gone up to a chunky weight #5 yarn, and it would have been perfect, but I didn’t have enough in my stash of Berroco’s Vintage Chunky, so I didn’t try gauging.

Time Spent:

The Extra Large size took me about 5.5 hours to complete.

Measurements:

To help pick the size that will best fit you for this poncho, take your tape measure and measure the circumference around your bust and arms together. Mine measured 50″ so I picked the size Extra Large.

The overall finished length of the poncho is really easy to adjust so I wouldn’t worry about that until you get there.

If you notice below that my actual finished circumference came to be only 45.5″, but because of the stretchiness of the acrylic yarn and the lacy pattern, it stretched comfortably to fit me.

• Original Pattern, Extra Large Cowl: 12″ tall by 27″ in circumference
• My Cowl: 12″ tall by 19″ in circumference
• Original Pattern, Extra Large Poncho: 52.5″ in circumference by 14.25″ tall
• My Poncho: 45.5″ in circumference by 14.5″ tall to the last valley, 15″ tall to the tip of the picot

Gauge:

• Original Pattern’s Cowl: 15 HDC = 4″ wide; 10 Rows = 4″ tall
• My Gauge in Pattern with I9/5.5mm: 15 HDC = 3.5″; 10 Rows = 4.25″
• My Gauge in Pattern with L11/8mm: 15 HDC = 3.75″; 10 Rows = 5.5″

I could not get close to meeting gauge with my Lion Brand Wool Ease as you can see above that I would have had to go to probably a P15/10mm, which definitely would not have worked, which is why I think I really would have been better with a chunky weight #5 yarn to not need to adjust the pattern.

Overall Thoughts:

This pattern was very easy to follow, and I really like the gorgeous lace pattern – it was so easy to work up too! The cowl is a one row repeat, and the poncho body is a two row repeat, so this pattern is perfect for a road trip, or mindlessly crocheting in front of the TV. The construction is super simple. The cowl is a rectangle stitched together to form a tube, and the poncho body is worked in the round starting on the edge of the cowl.

Don’t let the look on this poncho intimidate you! It’s comprised of simple half double crochets, chains and double crochets. Take gauge, and adjust as needed to meet it, and there is no doubt in my mind that a confident beginner couldn’t rock this poncho.

My recommendation is going to be to “try it on” before you get too far into it to make sure it is going to fit the way you like. You can check how it will fit at any time by simply slipping it on like a shirt.

Pattern Notes:

The written pattern was excellent, and so easy to follow and stitch along.

Even though I didn’t meet gauge, it was very easy for me to work up the cowl following the measurements in the pattern. To achieve the width, I had to work 52 half double crochets using my I9/5.5mm crochet hook. As I worked along, I realized that the overall circumference of the cowl was rather large, and since I wanted the cowl to be more fitted so it would really protect my neck from the cold, and be able to be pulled up over my face, I used the measurement from my Ribbed Granny Stitch Cowl – 19″ in circumference.

My only complaint is that I wish I would have made the cowl shorter because it was really tall when folded, and I wanted it more out of my face, so if I were to do it again, I would most likely do 10″. I did not test this by holding it up to my neck as if worn because if I did, I would have been able to frog it, and do the 10″ instead so I definitely recommend testing it to make sure it’s how you like it to be. Mine still came out cozy though – I really love the warmth and softness of the Lion Brand Wool Ease! I just folded my cowl in thirds to make the height more comfortable.

I continued with my I9/5.5mm crochet hook following the poncho instructions up through Round 8 (which measured 5.25″ tall), then I switched to the L11/8mm crochet hook as the fabric needed to be a little wider to comfortably fit over my shoulders. You can test the fit at anytime by simply putting the poncho on like a shirt.

I worked a total of 23 rounds, which measured 13.75″ tall, and then I add my picot round.

Can I just stop to say that I LOVE THE PICOT EDGING! It’s so simply, so beautiful, and really gives the poncho a clean, finished look.

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