Free Crochet Poncho Pattern with Video, Uptown Poncho
This knit-look free crochet poncho pattern now comes in a Kid’s Sizes too. You can now make a Mommy and Me set. How cool is that?
Some of you had requested an asymmetrical crochet poncho pattern, so this one is for you. I hope you like it. Please leave your feedback. I love hearing from you.
The crochet poncho is designed using the herringbone half double crochet stitch to give it the look of a knit fabric. You can watch this video and learn how to work the beautiful stitch. A full video tutorial for the poncho is given at the end of the blogpost.
I love the cream color but it was a pain capturing it in pictures. No matter how hard I tried, one side would look brighter than the other and stayed blurry. After taking almost 400 pictures like a crazy woman, this is what I got! I swear, the poncho is far prettier than the pictures.
This is a beginner-friendly poncho pattern that is made from a simple rectangle seamed on the sides. Unlike my lacy Elise Poncho, this design is warm and chunky. I added a lacy hem to complement the solid body of the poncho.
This free crochet poncho pattern was tested using a wool blend worsted weight yarn. A DK yarn will work great for this poncho too, but keep in mind that you might need extra yardage if your yarn is thinner.
You might also like my FREE Elise Poncho Crochet Pattern.
Free Crochet Poncho Pattern-Uptown Poncho
You can pin it for later here.
Materials
- Worsted weight(size 4) yarn. I would suggest a wool blend yarn for good drape. Lion Brand Wool-Ease in color Fisherman was used for the sample poncho.
- Hook J(6mm). Use any size hook to attain gauge.
- Tapestry needle to weave in the ends.
- 1-1/4 inch wooden buttons- 4 for size S/M and 5 for the bigger sizes.
Finished Size
The measurements give the size of the rectangle before seaming.
S/M- 64 inches long and 22 inches wide
L/XL-66.5 inches long and 23 inches wide
2XL/3XL-69 inches long and 24 inches wide
Yardage
S/M – 6 1/2 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease of 197 yards each
L/XL: 7 1/2 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease of 197 yards each
2XL/3XL: 8 Skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease of 197 yards each
Gauge
13 hhdc and 11.5 Rows= 4 inches
Stitch Abbreviations
ch- chain
hhdc- herringbone half double crochet
dc- double crochet
beg- beginning
Stitch Explanations
Herringbone Half Double Crochet(hhdc): YO, insert your hook into the next st, pull up a loop through the st and the first loop on your hook, 2 loops left on your hook, YO and pull through the remaining 2 loops on your hook.
V- st: (dc, ch 1, dc)worked into the same st.
Lacy Shell: (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 2, dc, ch 1, dc)worked into the same st or ch-space.
Crochet Poncho Pattern
Note: Stitch counts for bigger sizes are given in the order S/M(L/XL, 2XL/3XL)
Ch 211(219, 227). Initial chain should be a multiple of 8+ 3 for the lacy hem pattern to work.
Row 1: 1 hhdc in the 3rd ch from hook and each ch across to end. Turn.—–209 (217, 225)hhdc
Row 2: Ch 2 (counts as a hhdc), 1 hhdc in each st across to end. Turn.——-209 (217, 225)hhdc
Repeat Row 2 45(48, 53) more times. Your work will measure close to 16 1/2(17 1/2, 19) inches
Do not fasten off. Turn and work the Lacy Hem below.
Lacy Hem for Crochet Poncho
Note: The lacy hem is 5-1/2 inches wide for all the sizes.
Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as 1 dc here and throughout), (dc, ch 1, dc) in the same st as beg ch-3, ch 1, sk 3 sts, 1 sc in next, *( ch 1, sk 3 sts, 1 lacy shell in next, ch 1, sk 3 sts, 1 sc in next), repeat from * to last 4 sts, ch 1, sk 3 sts, (1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in last st. Turn.——25(26, 27) full shells + 1 half shell on each end
Row 2: Ch 1, 1 sc in the same st as ch 1, ch 2, V-st in the next sc between shells, *(ch 2, sc in ch-2 space of next shell, ch 2, V-st in the next sc between shells), repeat from * until you work a V-st in the last sc, ch 2, 1 sc in beg ch-3. Turn.—–26(27, 28) V-sts
Row 3: Ch 1, 1 sc in same st as ch 1, ch 1, lacy shell in ch-1 space of the next V-st, *( ch 1, 1 sc in next sc on top of shell, ch 1, shell in ch-1 space of the next V-st), repeat from * until you have worked a shell into all the V-sts, ch 1, 1 sc in last sc. Turn.—–26(27, 28)full shells
Row 4: Ch 3, 1 dc in the same st as ch 3, ch 2, 1 sc in the ch-2 space of next shell, *(ch 2, 1 V-st in the next sc between shells, ch 2, 1 sc in the ch-2 space of next shell), repeat from * until you work a sc in the ch-2 space of the last shell, ch 2, 2 dc in last sc. Turn.——-25(26, 27) V-sts
Row 5: Ch 3, (dc, ch 1, dc) into the same st as ch 3, ch 1, 1 sc in next sc on top of shell, *(ch 1, 1 shell in ch-1 space of next V-st, ch 1, 1 sc in next sc on top of shell), repeat from * until you have worked a sc in the last sc, ch 1, (1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in beg ch-3. Turn.——25(26, 27) full shells + 1 half shell on each end
Repeat Rows 2-5 once and then Rows 2 and 3 once. Do not fasten off. We will continue with the working yarn once the poncho is seamed. Fold the rectangle along its length, leave a 13 1/2 inch opening for the neck and using mattress stitch, sew for about 10 inches. The rest of the length is left open for the sleeve slit.
Adding Sleeve Edging
Now pivot your work and work along the shorter side of the rectangle to add shells to the sleeve edges. Place a marker at the base of the 3 half shells on the edge as shown in pic 1 above. You will work shells into these marked spaces.
Work 1 more sc in the corner where you have your working yarn, working along the side of the lacy rows, ch 1, 1 shell in the first marked space, ch 1, 1 sc in the middle of the 2 markers, ch 1, shell in the next marked space, ch 1, 1 sc in the middle of the 2 markers, shell in the last marked space, ch 1, 1 sc at the base of the 3rd hhdc row.
Continue working one shell per 4 rows on an average until you reach the arm slit (pic 3), work sc distributed evenly along the side of the slit, 2 sc at the base of the slit and sc distributed evenly down the second side of the slit (see pic 4), continue to work shells across the backside of the poncho until you hit the hem and fasten off.
Finishing
- Weave in any tails left.
- Sew the wooden buttons onto the seam.
You might also like my free Elise Crochet Poncho Pattern that features a 3D stitch.
You can find more such free patterns on Allfreecrochet.com.
Pin it for later:
I love the look of the poncho. I just wanted to say it looks like it would also work as an adorable breastfeeding cover! I am thinking a lighter yarn for a more breathable place for the baby. Just a thought. Looks really cute. Nicely crafted.
Cheers
I’m not good at crochet, so I looked this pattern over before I bookmarked it. I must say that your directions seem to me to be by far clearer than most crochet patterns that I’ve attempted. (Some successful, some, not so much.)
Thanks for sharing this lovely poncho.
Hi Mary, thank you so much for your kind words. I am glad you like my work,
Love, Love, Love!!!
Having a problem with the gauge though. Using a J hook the length comes to 87″ for a S/M.
I tried a 5 mm hook and still too big. I am using the exact same yarn as pictured; worsted weight 4. My stitches are relaxed so as not to stretch the wool but not loose. What do you suggest?
Wow, you are almost 20 inches off! You will have to go down hook sizes and check your gauge. If you are not using a wool blend yarn, that could also be one reason your project is turning out bigger, but definitely go down those hook sizes.
I’m having the same issue. My gauge is spot on but the length for L is 78 inches! Using a J hook. Using a worsted cotton/acrylic yarn (4).
To figure out what the length should be… Would I measure from shoulder down to wrist?
If your gauge is 13hhdc= 4 inches like mine, it should measure 69 inches. Did you make a gauge swatch to measure gauge? Also, if you are just measuring your chain, know that it will shrink considerably after you start working the stitches.
Hi Shehnaaz:
Your Uptown poncho is one of the best I’ve seen in a very long time! One question: You mentioned that the sample is made with Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Fisherman; do you still have the instructions for various sizes using the Thick and Quick? I’m going to make a couple of Christmas gifts for friends living in very cold climates and would love to get a head start.
Thank you in advance!
I think it’s not the thick and quick, but worsted weight wool ease
Love the pattern! I am allergic to wool. Would Lion Brand Heartland yarn be a good yarn substitute? Thank you!
Yes, I guess it would work.
I’m currently making this poncho, I’ll have to do a lot more than 50 rows to get it the right size though, but looking forward to seeing how it looks when finished 😊
Hi, please could you let me know how long the medium size should be, before adding the lace border. Mine is measuring 77 inches thinking it’s going to be too big!! Love the pattern. 😊
It should be 16 1/2 inches. It is already mentioned in the pattern. It must have taken you so much time to make it that big.
Sorry, should have said the width is measuring 77 inches is this too big!! 🤔
Yep, too long. My Medium is 64 inches. If you were off by just 4 inches, that would have been okay.
Aah, thank you, I’ll have to start again!! 😔
Hi! I love this pattern. I’m just wondering if you’d be able to help me adapt it slightly to be a babywearing poncho? It would need to have approx an 8inch horizontal slit (like an xxxl buttonhole!) on the back. Many thanks!
You can try reducing a few inches from the length and width of the 2T size found here: https://crochetdreamz.com/kids-crochet-poncho/
Hiya, thanks so much for your reply! What I mean is making a poncho for myself, but with a slit in the back so that when I wear my baby in a sling on my back his head can pop out! That way it keeps us both warm, and if we go into a shop I can take it off without having to take the whole sling off too 🙂
Mmm, I am sorry, I haven’t really tried one like that.
Hello, sorry if I’m being stupid here but what is the lacy shell you mention in the pattern? I can’t see where it says what this is? I can see it is a half one at each end but note what a full on is, and I’ve not come across it before.
Never mind, I’ve just bought the pattern and the instructions are there! Thank You
It is given under Stitch EXplanations at the beginning of the pattern.
Lacy Shell: (dc, ch 1, dc, ch 2, dc, ch 1, dc)worked into the same st or ch-space.