The Birth of a Poncho

This kind of counts as stash knit-down because I am using yarn that I bought last year, intending to make a sweater.  I didn't like how that sweater was turning out, so I started making another sweater.  When I split that one for the front and back and tried it on, I knew I was never going to like it.  It was baggy on the top and too form fitting on the bottom.  My tummy does not need anything form fitting.  Soooo.....

I want to make a poncho.  It has to have lots of cables, saddle shoulders (for interesting construction) and a turtleneck.  I have not found a pattern to satisfy these desires.  Therefore, I must design something.  Famous. Last. Words.

The first thing that one needs to know when designing anything is gauge.  My particular gauge with this yarn and with the needle I want to use is seven stitches per inch.  That's the fairly easy part.

The second thing one needs to know is body measurements.  I measured around the top of my body, with my arms at my side and got 42 inches.  I don't want my poncho to cling to my body, so I figured in four inches of positive ease to start, with it increasing to a yet undetermined circumference later.

Now comes the fun part - the math!  It's fairly straightforward.  I need to have 23 inches per side, at seven stitches per inch. That means I need to multiply 7X23 to get 161 stitches.  I need to divide the stitches up between two saddles of still-unknown size and design, plus the stitches I will cast on for the neck opening.  I need to figure out which cable and filler designs I will use and I need to figure out how to make slits for my hands to go through.  I'm wondering if an afterthought sort of thing would work?

I really want this to work.  I can see it so clearly in my head.  I just need to make it come out of my hands.

 This is the yarn.  It's Wool of the Andes in Firecracker Heather.

 This is the book I'm using to get ideas for the cables.

This is an idea for the saddles.