“All forests have their own personality. I don’t just mean the obvious differences, like how an English woodland is different from a Central American rain forest, or comparing tracts of West Coast redwoods to the saguaro forests of the American Southwest… they each have their own gossip, their own sound, their own rustling whispers and smells. A voice speaks up when you enter their acres that can’t be mistaken for one you’d hear anyplace else, a voice true to those particular tress, individual rather than of their species.”
― Charles de Lint, The Onion Girl

This is a pattern for a top down knit cape and is worked in the round with a bit of short row shaping at the neck, a steek, and using the stranded colourwork technique.

The cape begins at the top of the hood from a provisional cast-on and worked flat with short rows until top of hood is complete, then a steek may be cast on to work the rest of the hood (and then cape) in the round. Finally the button bands and hood bands are worked.

Please see schematic for all approximate finished sizes and choose the size with most comfortable positive ease to fit around the widest measurement around your bust and arms.
#sizeinclusive

This pattern is intended for more experienced knitters comfortable with using multiple charts with complex patterning and also increasing and decreasing a number of stated sts across row/rounds. (In addition, there are a number of rounds with long floats, you may tack as usual or us the Ladder-back/Invisible Jacquard technique, instructions included in the pattern).

yarn:
Shetland 4ply by, Gathered Sheep Yarns; Fingering; 100% Pure Shetland Wool; 233yds (213m) / 55g
approximate yarn amounts:
MC (Rust) - 4 (4, 5, 6, 7, 8) skeins
To make cape longer, sizes 2 - 6 add 1 skein of MC.
CC1 (Coffee Beans) - 1 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2) skeins
CC2 (Off White) - 1 (1, 1, 1, 2, 2) skeins
needles:
2.75mm (us no 2) circular 60in/152cm
3.25mm (us no 3) circular 40in/101cm
gauge:
28 sts x 28 rows = 4in/10cm measured over stranded stockinette on larger needles
28 sts x 32 rows = 4in/10cm measured over single-coloured stockinette on smaller needles
Some knitters work stranded and single-coloured at different gauges. Change needles, as needed, to keep gauge the same throughout.
approximate finished size:
finished circumference near bust (to cover bust & arms; buttoned) - 38.25 (45.5, 54.75, 65.75, 73.25, 77) in / 97 (115.5, 139, 167, 186, 195.5) cm
Intended to be work with approximately 6 - 10 in/15 - 25.5 cm positive ease
Please, see schematic (in images) for finished measurements.
additional tools:
needle to weave in ends, waste yarn for provisional cast-on, st marker/removeable st marker or safety pin, additional st markers as needed between repeats,
18mm buttons 6 - 8 (Sample buttons from Gathered Sheep Yarns made by Knopfdesign), 2cm wide (or so) ribbon to cover steek (optional) approximately 3yds/m in length