Sirocco Coat in Berroco Remix Light - 386-6 - Downloadable PDF

Sirocco Coat by Amy Palmer – Knitting Pattern Summary (Berroco Remix Light, Pattern 386-6)

The Sirocco is a beautifully relaxed, open-front ruana-style coat designed by Amy Palmer and published by Berroco as part of Booklet #386. Worked in the lightweight and drapey Berroco Remix Light yarn, this garment is an ideal project for knitters who want a stylish, wearable layering piece without the complexity of traditional tailored construction. The pattern is rated Easy, making it an accessible and rewarding knit for confident beginners and adventurous intermediate knitters alike.

What Is Being Made

The Sirocco is a ruana, a poncho-like wrap coat with two open front panels that drape elegantly over the shoulders. It is a generous, oversized garment designed to be worn with ease and flow. The finished measurements range from approximately 46 to 60 inches across and 30 to 36 inches long after blocking, with four sizes available. The sample shown in the pattern photography is knitted in size 46 inches. This is a versatile, seasonless layering piece that works beautifully over casual or dressed-up outfits.

Construction and Techniques

The Sirocco is cleverly constructed as a single seamless piece, worked flat from the bottom up. This means there is virtually no seaming required, keeping finishing simple and the overall construction clean and beginner-friendly. The construction sequence is as follows:

• Back panel: Stitches are cast on at the lower back edge, and the back is worked upward in the pattern stitch until the piece reaches the desired length.
• Divide for fronts: At the shoulder line, the work is divided — a center group of stitches is bound off to create the neckline opening, and the two front panels are worked separately from this point.
• Front panels: Each front is worked downward from the shoulder division toward the lower front edge, with shaping worked via increases to create the characteristic open drape of a ruana. One stitch at the front edge is kept in stockinette stitch throughout to create a neat, stable selvedge, while the remaining stitches continue in the established pattern stitch.

This bottom-up, worked-flat, seamless approach is a hallmark of thoughtful pattern engineering — it eliminates the need for complex seaming while still producing a polished, structured result. Waste yarn is used to hold live stitches for the Right Front while the Left Front is completed, a simple and effective technique for dividing work at the shoulders.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern used throughout the Sirocco is a four-row repeating textured pattern stitch worked over a multiple of 6 stitches. It combines knit and purl stitches in an alternating block arrangement that creates a subtle, tactile surface texture with beautiful drape. The four rows are:

• Row 1 (RS): *P3, k3; repeat from * across
• Row 2: Purl across
• Row 3 (RS): *K3, p3; repeat from * across
• Row 4: Purl across

This stitch pattern is beginner-friendly, requiring only the ability to knit and purl, yet it produces a sophisticated woven-like texture that is enhanced significantly by blocking. The alternating purl rows give the fabric a fluid, drapey quality that suits the relaxed silhouette of the ruana perfectly. In addition, a stockinette stitch selvedge is maintained along the front edges for a tidy finish. A simple M1L (make one left) increase is used during the front panel shaping.

Materials – Yarn

The pattern calls for Berroco Remix Light, a DK weight yarn sold in 100-gram balls. The colorway used in the sample is #6930 Smoke, a sophisticated neutral tone. The quantity required is:

• Size 46