Melange Yarn: Campside Poncho in Merino Pure Yarn

This week’s blog post is about my experience knitting a poncho with merino melange yarn.

ALICIA PLUMMER, AND HER DESIGNS

Alicia Plummer, a teacher, knitwear designer, and author based in the USA, caught my attention on social media in 2021. I liked her work, and so applied for one of her test knits – the Sunset Tank. The entire experience proved fulfilling and wholesome, and I also got to learn a few techniques in the process. Wanting to knit more of her works, I decided to get the Poncho pattern. In this process, I sadly encountered issues with payment gateways. Alicia suggested donating an equivalent amount to a worthy cause in India. This act of kindness endeared me to her, and I will always remember how kind her heart is. There are good people everywhere; I know Alicia is one of them even though I have never met her personally.

The Campside series comprises approximately 11 pieces, from poncho to shawl to cardigan. Each item showcases the signature eyelet design, aiming to evoke a relaxed, outdoorsy vibe.

UNDERSTANDING THE CAMPSIDE PONCHO

In Alicia’s words, the Campside Poncho is ‘about being who you genuinely are, celebrating that, relaxing in your own skin and accepting and loving those around you in return. Relief. Ease.’ I resonate with this sentiment. The poncho embodies a feeling of winter coziness, sipping on some soup, allowing one to live in the moment fully. The pattern is available to purchase here –https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/campside-poncho

Some important features and requirements for a size B are:

• Dimensions – Chest: 150cm with 25-50cm of positive ease.
• Recommended yarn – 5 skeins of DK weight yarn. Alicia used Julie Asselin Leizu DK (90% Merino Wool, 10% Silk; 238m per 115gm hank).
• Recommended needles – The body is knit with 4.5mm circular needles, and the rib is knit with 3.75mm circular needles.
• Gauge to be achieved – 20 sts and 24 rows in a 10 x 10 cm square, knitting stockinette stitches with the larger needles.

The poncho is worked in two pieces (front and back), bottom up flat. After this, the shoulders are seamed along the edges.

WHAT I USED TO KNIT THE CAMPSIDE PONCHO

I imagined the poncho would be with a white shirt and boyfriend jeans, and looked for a denim blue colour yarn. Luckily, I found the perfect blue in Merino Pure yarn by Heartbeats Yarns, and I got it from here – https://www.pradhanembroiderystores.com/view_product_details/6408

This is a light DK 4-ply yarn, made out of 100% merino wool. The meterage is about 100m per 50gm ball, which is just about the same as what Alicia’s yarn has. There are about 30 colours available, of which I used the darkest blue (#MNP12).

Now, this yarn has something called the ‘Melange Effect’. Different coloured fibres are mixed together and spun into yarn, to create a yarn with shade variations and depth of colours. The yarn contains fibers in a basic color (in this case, dark blue) and a few fibers in different shades highlighted (I could identify multiple shades of blue, cyan, grey, and black colors) in each skein. A chat with the Heartbeats representative also helped me to understand that melange effects make the yarn’s tensile strength and hairiness better.

One can achieve a gauge of 19sts and 28 rows in a 10 x 10cm square, with  the recommended 4.5mm needles. I could achieve a gauge of 19sts and 29 rows.

I was also able to knit to the correct dimensions of the poncho – Chest: 140cm, Length: 50cm, with no amendments to the original pattern.

The yarn is Oekotex Class 1 certified, which means it is absolutely safe even for babies. Products made from it are machine washable, which is always a plus.

MY OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE PATTERN

1. I really like knitting ponchos because I don’t have to knit sleeves. I get bored when I have to repeat the same thing, so ponchos provide a nice break from the usual 🙂
   

   

   

2. The signature eyelet design was quite fun to knit, and there was enough variation in the pattern to keep my momentum going. However. There are different charts to follow for each section of the poncho. I chose not to print them out and go digital, but that was chaotic. At one point, I thought I had seriously messed up with the placement of the eyelets, since I accidentally scrolled way too fast. Thankfully that was not the case, and I was right on course. It’s best to print the charts to keep a track.
3. The 2×2 ribbing blends well into the eyelet pattern, and helps to give a vertical look to the otherwise wide poncho. I did have some challenges picking up stitches for the collar and the side panel ribbing, due to the dark colour of the yarn. A lot of patience and bright lights helped with this. I also added a contrasting grey coloured round to finish the collar.

   

   

4. The pattern is quite simple to follow through as there are no complicated stitches. It would work very well for a beginner knitter who is looking for something more challenging.

NEXT FEW STEPS

The most important step is of course to block the Campside Poncho, to set the bust circumference and the drape correctly. Once I complete that, I will search for some cute buttons to seam the sides.

MY OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE YARN

1. Merino Pure knitted up really well, I didn’t observe any yarn splitting as such while working with basic metal needles.
2. Working with this yarn in November was rather nice, it felt warm while Pune was going cooler.
3. The melange effect really enhances this poncho – it appears dark blue in color, but with each body move, it highlights other colors. The darker shades give it some depth, while the lighter shades give it some shine.
4. This particular colour requires a lot of light to work with, either natural or a strong artificial one. Low light will result in eye strain and headaches for sure.

I love the way this poncho turned out! It is very warm, feels soft and light, and is a unique poncho that would be great to wear or gift. As always, I have to say that this blog post only shows snippets of what I made, so that I can maintain some level of suspense for this year’s drop. If you’re a knitter, and are looking for a beginner level poncho to make, certainly this one is the way to go. And as always, it goes without saying, if you aren’t a knitter and want a poncho like this, you know which bee to contact haha.

Have you ever tried working with an Alicia Plummer pattern? What are your thoughts about her patterns? Let’s talk in the comments!