Stone Ridge Ruana
Back in October, my friend ChiWei of One Dog Woof came to stay with me upstate during the Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool Festival. It's a sensory overload kind of weekend, full of (obviously) yarn, colors, beautiful autumn weather, cider donuts, running into fiber friends, and wine (haha). We kicked off the weekend with tacos and margaritas in Woodstock with dear friends Toni (TL Yarn Crafts) and Vanessa (Vanessa Knits) and others, then headed for the festival where we shopped the never-ending aisles of fiber, watched a sheep shearing, and bumped into so many other lovely designers and makers (shoutout @rose_knits @lnsandbe @sere_k_nity @premknits @truestitchesbrand @niree_knits). The final event of the weekend was a little reception hosted by the wonderful ladies at LoveKnitting where we got to spend more time chatting with others in the community and also where I met and fell in love with Jake of Kenyarn. Amongst all of the fun and chaos, ChiWei and I both saw and instantly drooled over a woven ruana we wanted to recreate in our own crafts. She chose Tunisian crochet, and I chose knitting, and the Kingston and Stone Ridge Ruanas were born. It took us another seven months (oops) to finally get them designed, worked up, photographed, and ready to release, but the process of collaborating with a friend and interpreting the same garment in two different crafts was so fun. Read on for the free Stone Ridge Ruana knitting pattern, purchase the printable, ad-free PDF here, or shop the yarn kit from Lion Brand here.
Interested in ChiWei's Tunisian crochet ruana? Grab the kit for the Kingston Ruana here.
Our design process started with a sketch and some estimates on measurements. Being the brilliant engineer that she is, ChiWei created this paper mock ruana with dimensions off of which we could work.
The next step was choosing the yarn. Lion Brand had recently released Beautiful You, a #2 fine weight premium acrylic, that we selected due to its lovely drape. We chose the color Pumice Stone for its neutral versatility and sophistication. Both of us were a bit hesitant to use such a thin yarn because we have such tight schedules, and the smaller the yarn generally means the more time consuming the project will be. I'm happy to report though, that doubling the yarn and working on size US 11 (8mm) needles makes this project a pretty quick one given the size and drama of the finished piece.
While the Kingston Ruana uses the Tunisian simple stitch, the Stone Ridge Ruana similarly uses only one technique - the knit stitch! It's literally all you need to know in order to complete this gorgeous, fashion-forward piece. If you can cast on, knit, and bind off - this is the project for you! Even for a more intermediate knitter like myself, having a simple project on my needles like this is so incredibly satisfying. I loved having it available to work on during evenings when I just needed to rest my brain and zone out in front of the projector. While the garment itself is completely seamless, the strap does need to be sewn on at the top and bottom but just a few whip stitches is all it takes.
What I love most about these ruanas is that they look so elegant and yet are SO comfortable and easy to throw on. You can toss these babies over a t-shirt or a tank and instantly dress up your look. They are both pictured wrapped here, but you can also wear them open with the panels simply straight down the front and they still look so high-end. While we started with the same dimensions, different crafts produce different fabrics that react differently when worked up - especially on such large-scale pieces. While ChiWei's Kingston Ruana is a bit more cropped due to the sturdy nature of Tunisian crochet, the knit Stone Ridge Ruana has more stretch and the fabric therefore has more drag, which elongated the finished piece. I'm always a bit nervous when creating a big, loose knit, because the finished piece almost always does not match the original gauge swatch. I did take that into consideration with this piece and even provided the pre- and post-blocking gauge. Since the final piece is so stretchy and the drape of this yarn is so wonderful, you really don't need to block it since it will naturally fall into itself as it's worn, but a light steaming (which is what I did) will help it look super professional.
MATERIALS:
6 (7, 8, 8) skeins Lion Brand Yarn Beautiful You in Pumice Stone (165-150)
Size US 11 (8mm) circular knitting needles, 29”/75cm long
Stitch holder
Marking pins
Tapestry needle
FINISHED SIZE:
Back width: 43.5”/110cm (XS/S), 48”/122cm (M/L), 52.25”/133cm (XL/2XL), 56.75”/144cm (3XL/4XL)
Back neck: 4.25”/11cm (XS/S), 5”/13cm (M/L), 5.75”/15cm (XL/2XL), 6.5”/17cm (3XL/4XL)
Front panel width: 19.5”/50cm (XS/S), 21.5”/55cm (M/L), 23.25”/59cm (XL/2XL), 25”/64cm (3XL/4XL)
Length: 22.25”/57cm (XS/S), 23”/58cm (M/L), 23.5”/60cm (XL/2XL), 24.25”/62cm (3XL/4XL)
*Ruana pictured in size XS/S
GAUGE:
12 sts + 23 rows = 4”/10cm in garter stitch, double stranded (unblocked)
11 sts + 19 rows = 4”/10cm in garter stitch, double stranded (lightly blocked)
ABBREVIATIONS:
*All Two of Wands patterns are written in standard US terms
CO – cast on
K – knit
Rep – repeat
St(s) – stitch(es)
Notes: Ruana is worked from the bottom up the back, then sts are bound off for the back neck and the front panels are worked continuously from the top down one at a time. Strap is worked separately and sewn onto the ruana. The measurements of the finished piece are taken with the ruana laid flat and lightly blocked, but due to the loose knit nature of the finished fabric, it will have quite a bit of drag and will stretch when worn (as pictured). Yarn is held doubled throughout. Pattern is written for four sizes: XS/S (M/L, XL/2XL, 3XL/4XL).
With yarn held doubled, CO 120 (132, 144, 156) sts.
Back:
K each row (garter stitch) until work measures 18.5”/47cm (19”/48cm, 19.5”/50cm, 20”/51cm) when laid flat (unblocked) – approx. 106 (109, 112, 115) rows.
Next row: K 54 (59, 64, 69), bind off 12 (14, 16, 18), K to end of row.
Place sts worked BEFORE the bind off on a stitch holder and continue with only the sts worked AFTER the bind off that are currently on the needles. (54, 59, 64, 69 sts on needles)
Continue for front:
K each row until panel measures 18.5”/47cm (19”/48cm, 19.5”/50cm, 20”/51cm) when laid flat – approx. 106 (109, 112, 115) rows.
Bind off.
Place sts from stitch holder back onto needles and rejoin yarn at the neck edge.
K each row until panel measures 18.5”/47cm (19”/48cm, 19.5”/50cm, 20”/51cm) when laid flat – approx. 106 (109, 112, 115) rows.
Bind off. Secure and weave in all ends.
Strap:
Leaving a long tail for seaming and with yarn held doubled, CO 4 sts.
K each row until work measures 3.5”/9cm – approx. 20 rows.
Bind off, leaving a long tail for seaming. Secure and weave in all ends.
Block ruana and strap lightly. The ruana will naturally grow in length and width when worn due to the loose nature of the fabric, but blocking everything a bit will help when attaching the strap.
It is best to try on the ruana and pin the strap in place before attaching it to make sure the placement is correct. It should be attached to one of the front panels (shown on the left panel) vertically near the natural waist, approx. 4”/10cm in from, and parallel to, the center front edge.
Sew the strap in place at the top and bottom using the CO and bind off tails. Secure and weave in any remaining ends.
Purchase the printable, ad-free pattern here.
Purchase the kit from Lion Brand Yarn here.
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The pattern and photographs of this design are the property of Two of Wands. This pattern and design are subject to copyright, and are for personal, non-commercial use only. You may not distribute or sell this pattern or any items created using the directions in this pattern without consent. Please visit my policies for more information.
