This pattern is being offered for free between July 12 and August 12 to celebrate the book launch of Geri o Shimasu! The discount is available at checkout, so please add the pattern to your cart to get it for free FREE. Alternatively, you can find it at CryptoKnits.com.

This pattern was designed to celebrate the book launch of Geri o Shimasu by Crypto Knits designer Alia Luria. My pattern EGILDA WRAP is also available for free if you join my mailing list. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

ABOUT IKEBANA PONCHO

Designed to celebrate the release of my upcoming memoir, Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin, IKEBANA is a lace rectangle seamed along one edge which can be worn as a poncho, a pullover shawl, or a scarf. It is knit flat along the long side using a simple Japanese lace pattern with columns. Binding off in an I-cord and using the mattress stitch to seam the neck gives the poncho a modern and finished flair.

Ikebana is the centuries-old Japanese art of arranging flowers, rooted in harmony, balance, and minimalism. Unlike Western floral design, Ikebana emphasizes space, asymmetry, and line—honoring each stem and leaf as part of a larger spiritual expression. It is a quiet, meditative practice that celebrates nature not only in full bloom but also in its cycles of growth and decay. This pattern echoes the elegance and restraint of Ikebana, where every stitch, like every branch, has purpose and grace.

IKEBANA can be worn multiple ways, including as a poncho with the long side to the back, the long side over the shoulder, or around the neck, either with or without a twist to simulate a stylish scarf.

ABOUT ALIA LURIA

Alia Luria is an award-winning novelist and essayist living in Tampa, Florida, and she also happens to be ME, the designer behind the Crypto Knits patterns. She is the author of Compendium, a science fiction novel, and her new memoir, Geri o Shimasu, releases August 12 from Unsolicited Press has done the same. She has also been published in Northwest Review, Frivolous Comma, and contributed to multiple anthologies.

ABOUT GERI O SHIMASU: ADVENTURES OF A BAKA GAIJIN

Geri o Shimasu: Adventures of a Baka Gaijin invites readers on a witty, unfiltered romp through 2008 Japan as experienced by Alia Luria, a self-proclaimed “clueless foreigner.” Luria dives headfirst into the quirks and challenges of Japanese culture, from decoding onsen etiquette and enduring public embarrassment to exploring the oddities of love hotels and the loneliness of bustling crowds. With laugh-out-loud anecdotes and moments of poignant self-reflection, she unpacks the universal hilarity and humanity of navigating the unfamiliar. Whether she’s fumbling through train etiquette, braving bizarre foods, or embracing the messy beauty of cultural exchange, Luria’s candid storytelling is blunt, occasionally cringeworthy, and always unapologetically real. This collection is a hilarious and heartfelt reminder of the chaotic, awkward, and transformative adventures that shape us all.

DIMENSIONS

Width: 65” (165cm) long, folded in half
Height: 20” (50.8cm)
Neck opening: 24” (61cm)

YARN

1133.5 yards (1036.5m) of fingering weight yarn at approximately 3.7 yards (3.38m) per gram.

Sample was knit from one beast mode (1200 yard / 1097m) skein of Blue Brick Huron MCN (70% superwash merino / 20% cashmere / %10 nylon) in the Findings color way.

NEEDLES

US 2.5 (3mm) circular needles with a 60” (152cm) cable, or size
required to obtain gauge
US 2.5 (3mm) DPN, optional for icord bind-off

NOTIONS

Optional stitch markers between lace repeats, tapestry needle for seaming, blocking materials, including wires for the best shaping

GAUGE

26 sts by 32 rows = 4” (10cm) in IKEBANA lace stitch after blocking
(gauge isn’t crucial for this project)

TECHNIQUES

Lace knitting
I-Cord Bind off
Mattress Stitch for seaming