Karakul Cape in Rowan Moordale - Downloadable PDF

Karakul Cape in Rowan Moordale – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Karakul Cape is a beautifully structured knitted cape designed by Anna Hull and published by Rowan. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern creates a sweeping, elegant cape worked in a striking striped garter stitch construction with carefully placed yarn-over increases that radiate outward from a central spine, giving the finished piece its distinctive, graceful shape. It is rated advanced beginner, making it an achievable yet rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore simple shaping and colour work.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a wrap-style cape, falling into the capes and ponchos category. The design features a fan-like or circular silhouette achieved through regular, evenly spaced increases worked on every right-side row. The cape is worked flat, beginning with just a few stitches and growing outward as the stitch count builds, eventually requiring a long circular needle to accommodate the increasing number of stitches. The result is a lightweight, draped layer suitable for cooler seasons.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Rowan Moordale, a DK weight yarn sold in 100g skeins. Moordale is a characteristically rustic, textured yarn well suited to garter stitch fabric, adding natural depth and interest to the finished cape. Four colourways are used across the stripe sequence:

• Feather 001 – the main colour, requiring 5 skeins (colour A)
• Blue Moor 008 – 1 skein (colour B)
• Pepper 002 – 1 skein (colour C)
• Ash 010 – 1 skein (colour D)

The multi-colour stripe sequence is repeated throughout the body of the cape, creating a rhythmic, tonal striped effect using these four carefully chosen shades of Rowan Moordale.

Needles

Two needle types are required for this pattern:

• 1 pair of 4mm (US 6) straight needles – used to cast on and work the initial rows
• 1 x 4mm (US 6) circular needle, at least 120 cm long – introduced as the stitch count grows and the work becomes too wide for straight needles

The transition from straight to circular needles is a practical necessity given the nature of the expanding construction, and the pattern guides the knitter on when to make the switch.

Tension

The stated tension is 22 stitches and 38 rows to 10 cm measured over garter stitch using 4mm (US 6) needles. Achieving the correct tension is important in a cape of this type, as the proportions and finished size depend on the stitch and row gauge being accurate. Knitters are encouraged to work a tension swatch before beginning.

Techniques and Construction

The cape is worked entirely in garter stitch – that is, every row is knitted, creating a reversible, squishy fabric with horizontal ridges on both sides. This is one of the most accessible stitch textures in knitting and gives the finished cape a relaxed, artisanal quality that complements the rustic character of Rowan Moordale.

The shaping is achieved through yarn-forward (yfwd) increases placed at eight marked points across every right-side row. These increases are positioned symmetrically using stitch markers, with one stitch sitting centrally between each pair of markers. On every right-side row, a yarn-forward is worked before and after each marked stitch, adding two stitches at each of the eight points – a total of 16 stitches increased per right-side row. Wrong-side rows are simply knitted without shaping.

• Cast on: 9 stitches using 4mm needles and colour A (Feather 001)
• Setup row (RS): Establishes the 8 increase points with placed markers, growing immediately to 17 stitches
• Pattern rows: A two-row repeat of one increase row and one plain knit row forms the body of the pattern