Hailstone Cape im Valley Yarns Brodie - 1057 - Downloadable PDF

Hailstone Cape in Valley Yarns Brodie – Pattern #1057 by Julie Turjoman

The Hailstone Cape is a beautifully designed knitted capelet created by designer Julie Turjoman and worked in the luxurious Valley Yarns Brodie, a sumptuous 95% Cashmere / 5% Extrafine Merino Wool blend. This pattern, available as a downloadable PDF, produces a plush, enveloping capelet ideal for frosty winter days. A standout feature of the design is a stranded colorwork yoke that carries a meaningful message worked directly into the fabric — a heartfelt and wearable reminder that makes this piece as expressive as it is cozy.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a seamless capelet — sometimes called a cape or short poncho — designed to drape over the shoulders and upper body with generous ease. It is worked in three sizes: S, M, and L, with a finished bottom circumference of 50 (58, 66) inches and a length of 15 (16, 17) inches. The pattern is designed to fit with 6 to 8 inches of positive ease, giving it that relaxed, cocooning silhouette that makes capelets so wearable and comfortable. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in Size S.

Construction and Techniques

The Hailstone Cape is classified as an intermediate level knitting project, making it well-suited for knitters who are comfortable with colorwork and circular knitting but may not yet have tackled highly complex shaping. The construction is entirely seamless and worked in the round, meaning there are no seams to sew up at the end — the finished piece flows naturally from needles to wearable garment with minimal finishing required.

• Seamless construction: The capelet is knitted in one continuous piece, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, polished drape throughout the body.
• Worked in the round: Circular needles are used throughout, which is the standard approach for seamless garments and allows the colorwork to be read consistently from the right side of the fabric.
• Stranded colorwork: The yoke of the capelet features stranded colorwork, a technique in which two or more yarn colors are carried across each row simultaneously, with the unused color floating loosely on the wrong side of the fabric. This creates the distinctive patterned motif — in this case, a meaningful message — worked into the yoke section. Stranded colorwork adds both visual interest and a slight additional warmth due to the doubled fabric created by the floats.

Stitches and Skills Used

While the pattern PDF excerpt does not enumerate every individual stitch, the techniques involved in a seamless, stranded capelet of this type typically include:

• Knit and purl stitches forming the main fabric of the body
• Stranded colorwork stitches in the yoke, requiring the knitter to manage multiple yarn colors simultaneously and maintain even tension across floats
• Increases or decreases to shape the capelet from the neckline or hem as construction dictates
• Use of stitch markers to track pattern repeats and shaping points throughout the round

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Brodie, a DK weight yarn with a fiber content of 95% Cashmere and 5% Extrafine Merino Wool, sold in 50g / 154-yard balls. This fiber blend is exceptionally soft and warm, making it an ideal choice for a garment intended to feel like a warm hug. Three colorways are used:

• MC (Main Color): 170 Cream — 4 (5, 6) balls depending on size
• CC1 (Contrast Color 1): 185 Obsidian — 1 ball
• CC2 (Contrast Color 2): 214 Blue Lagoon — 1 ball