The pattern calls for size 5 for the garter border, and 7 for the body, but I don’t understand why they would want to do that. Size 6 for both is working out fine. I swatched several sizes of needle with this yarn, and anything bigger seemed too loopy to support the weight of the poncho when finished.

I’m using US 6 needles throughout, and it’s coming out OK in size but very small with the lace pattern. I love the way the one in the pattern looks, but this is coming out 1/3 smaller, much fussier-looking, and harder to do. She mentions that it will enlarge with the blocking, but because of allergies I use acrylic, not sure if that’s going to work.

Many people in the projects pages for this pattern seem to have changed the collar, and I wasn’t wild about it either. Providentially, I discovered a great video for a different kind of collar on YouTube -- in Russian -- but I turned off the sound and just watched avidly. She was an excellent teacher, so I figured it out and I love the way it looks! The pictures exaggerate the size of it, so I’ll take better ones later. It looks much better in person!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyR_eyqKBQQ

And after the ribbing, I’m adding a cowl in brioche. Still using size 6, wondering if I should change, but I don’t want the cowl so baggy it lies flat.

I like to learn new things with every pattern, and I learned so much from this one!

1) I learned that way of enclosing the ragged edge of a bound off neckline from a YouTube video

2) I wanted the collar to stand up and then fall, so I made it ribbing and then brioche

3) I did one of those sewn bind-offs, or Italian bind offs, there are several different names for them, and ways to do them. They often do them on the edge of socks.