Moss Stitch Towel Poncho with Crochet Hood

An oversized hooded cover-up knit from two identical moss-stitch rectangles. The panels are joined at the shoulders with single crochet, a roomy crochet hood is worked from the neck, and a clean crochet border finishes every edge. Wear it as an after-swim towel poncho (cotton) or as a layering wrap (wool or acrylic). Moss stitch is reversible, so the poncho looks finished on both sides.

This pattern uses US knitting and crochet terms and is written for an intermediate maker who is comfortable with moss stitch, basic crochet (ch, sc, hdc, sl st), and seaming with crochet.

Materials

Yarn: Worsted weight (category 4). 100% cotton or a cotton blend is recommended for towel use; wool or acrylic may be used for a fashion poncho.

• Yardage: 1850 (2300, 2800) yd / 1690 (2105, 2560) m
• Skein estimate (based on 185 yd / 169 m per skein): 10 (13, 16) skeins

This is a large, dense project. Buy all yarn in the same dye lot and keep an extra skein on hand for the hood and border.

Needles: US 8 / 5 mm, 32" (80 cm) circular recommended for the stitch count (worked flat). Straight needles are fine if preferred.

Hook: US H-8 / 5 mm

Notions:

• Tapestry needle
• 4 stitch markers (plus 2 locking markers for joining)
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Blocking mats and pins (or wires)

Gauge

16 stitches and 28 rows = 4" (10 cm) in moss stitch, blocked, on US 8 / 5 mm needles.

Crochet reference gauge (for hood and border, not used to size the body):

• 14 sc = 4" (10 cm)
• 13 hdc = 4" (10 cm)

Swatch at least 5 × 5" (12.5 × 12.5 cm), wash and block, then measure the center 4" (10 cm). Change needle size to obtain gauge. Moss stitch relaxes and evens out after blocking — measure the blocked swatch, not the knit-on-the-needles swatch.

Sizes

S/M (L/XL, 2X/3X)

To fit chest: 32–38 (40–46, 48–56)" / 81.5–96.5 (101.5–117, 122–142) cm

The poncho is meant to drape with generous ease; sides are left open.

Finished measurements (after blocking, one panel):

Choose the size by desired width and length, not by bust alone. For a longer towel-style cover-up, work extra moss repeats on both panels until the length you want, then follow the same joining and hood instructions.

Abbreviations

Knitting (US)

• BO — bind off
• CO — cast on
• k — knit
• p — purl
• pm — place marker
• rep — repeat
• RS — right side
• st(s) — stitch(es)
• WS — wrong side

Crochet (US)

• ch — chain
• hdc — half double crochet
• hdc2tog — half double crochet 2 together (decrease)
• sc — single crochet
• sl st — slip stitch

UK crochet equivalents (do not mix into the instructions): US sc = UK dc; US hdc = UK htr.

Pattern Notes

• Two panels are identical. Moss stitch is reversible; still treat Row 1 as RS so both panels are oriented the same way when joining.
• Cast on and bind off loosely so the hem and shoulder edges match gauge width. If the bind-off pulls in, go up one needle size for the bind-off row only.
• Do not join the side edges. The open sides are what make this a poncho. Optional ties are given at the end.
• When picking up for crochet along a row-edge, work 3 sc for every 4 rows (about 21 sc per 4" / 10 cm of length). Along a cast-on or bind-off edge, work 1 sc in each stitch.
• Turning chain on the hood: ch 2 does not count as a stitch. Always hdc in the first stitch so the count stays 60 (68, 76).
• Block both panels to the finished measurements before joining. Crochet after blocking.

Moss Stitch Pattern

Worked over an even number of stitches (American / double moss).

• Row 1 (RS): *K1, p1; rep from * to end.
• Row 2 (WS): *K1, p1; rep from * to end.
• Row 3: *P1, k1; rep from * to end.
• Row 4: *P1, k1; rep from * to end.

Repeat Rows 1–4 for pattern.

Instructions

Panels (make 2)

With US 8 / 5 mm needles, CO 88 (104, 120) sts loosely.

Work in moss stitch until the panel measures 26 (28, 30)" / 66 (71, 76) cm from the cast-on edge, ending with Row 4 of moss stitch.

Approximate row count at gauge: 182 (196, 210) rows. If you are slightly off gauge in rows, trust the tape measure, not the row count. End on Row 4 so the bind-off sits on a complete 4-row repeat.

BO loosely in pattern (knit the knits, purl the purls).

Make a second identical panel.

Weave in the cast-on and bind-off tails enough to secure them, but leave them until after blocking if you prefer to trim later.

Check: 88 sts ÷ 16 sts × 4" = 22" ✓. 104 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 26" ✓. 120 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 30" ✓.

Block the panels

Wet-block both panels to 22 (26, 30)" / 56 (66, 76) cm wide and 26 (28, 30)" / 66 (71, 76) cm long. Pin the edges straight — moss stitch rewards a firm block. Let dry completely.

Join the shoulders with crochet

Lay the panels with WS together (RS facing out), bind-off edges aligned at the top (these are the shoulder/neck edges). Cast-on edges are the hems.

On the bind-off edge of each panel, place markers to divide the neck from the shoulders:

• 20 (26, 32) sts for the right shoulder
• 48 (52, 56) sts for the neck
• 20 (26, 32) sts for the left shoulder

Check: 20 + 48 + 20 = 88 ✓. 26 + 52 + 26 = 104 ✓. 32 + 56 + 32 = 120 ✓. Check: 20 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 5" ✓. 26 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 6.5" ✓. 32 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 8" ✓. Check: 48 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 12" ✓. 52 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 13" ✓. 56 sts ÷ 16 × 4" = 14" ✓.

Right shoulder: With US H-8 / 5 mm hook and RS of the front facing you, join yarn with a sl st at the arm-edge corner of the bind-off. Working through both layers (one stitch from the front panel and one from the back panel together), sc across the next 20 (26, 32) bound-off sts, stopping at the neck marker. Fasten off.

Left shoulder: Join yarn at the neck marker on the other side and sc through both layers across the remaining 20 (26, 32) shoulder sts to the arm edge. Fasten off.

The center 48 (52, 56) sts of each panel remain open as the neck. You now have a two-layer poncho, open at both sides, with a 12 (13, 14)" / 30.5 (33, 35.5) cm slit at the top.

Hood

The hood is worked in rows of hdc, beginning at the left front neck, across the back neck, and ending at the right front neck. The two ends of each row become the face opening; the top is seamed later.

Pickup row (RS of back facing, garment as worn): Join yarn with a sl st on the front neck bind-off, 6 (8, 10) sts in from the left shoulder join (toward center front). Pick up and sc:

• 6 (8, 10) sc along the left front neck to the left shoulder join,
• 48 (52, 56) sc across the back neck bind-off,
• 6 (8, 10) sc along the right front neck, starting at the right shoulder join and working toward center front.

60 (68, 76) sc. Turn.

Check: 6 + 48 + 6 = 60 ✓. 8 + 52 + 8 = 68 ✓. 10 + 56 + 10 = 76 ✓.

Hood fabric:

• Row 1: Ch 2 (does not count as a st), hdc in each sc across. 60 (68, 76) hdc. Turn.
• Row 2: Ch 2 (does not count as a st), hdc in each hdc across. 60 (68, 76) hdc. Turn.

Repeat Row 2 until the hood measures 12 (13, 13)" / 30.5 (33, 33) cm from the pickup row.

Close the crown: Fold the hood in half with RS together so the two front edges meet and the last row is folded on itself. Matching stitch to stitch, sc (or sl st) through both layers across the folded top edge to form the center-back/crown seam. Fasten off. Turn the hood RS out.

The remaining unworked front-neck stitches — 36 (36, 36) sts; 48 − 6 − 6 = 36 ✓, 52 − 8 − 8 = 36 ✓, 56 − 10 − 10 = 36 ✓ — sit at the base of the face opening.

Crochet border

Use US H-8 / 5 mm throughout. Join new yarn with a sl st wherever a round begins; ch 1 at the start of sc rounds (does not count as a st). Work with RS facing.

A. Outer edge (the poncho silhouette)

Begin at any hem corner. Work 1 sc in each stitch along both hems (cast-on edges) and 3 sc for every 4 rows along all side (row) edges.

When you reach an outer corner (the four hem corners, and the two points at the outer ends of the shoulder joins where the edge turns from front side down onto back side), work 3 sc in the corner stitch so the border lies flat.

Continue until you have gone all the way around the outer silhouette: front hem, up one front side, around the shoulder-point onto the back side, across the back hem, up the other back side, around the other shoulder-point, and down the remaining front side. Join with sl st to the first sc.

• Round 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, working 3 sc in each corner sc (the center st of the previous 3-sc group). Join with sl st.
• Round 3: Repeat Round 2. Fasten off.

B. Hood / face opening

Join yarn at one side of the remaining front-neck edge. Sc evenly around the entire face opening: remaining front-neck sts (1 sc per st), up the first hood front edge (1 sc per row-end; about 2 sc for every 3 hdc rows), across the crown-seam end if it is exposed, and down the second hood front edge. Join with sl st.

• Round 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc around. Join with sl st. Fasten off.

Do not work 3-sc corners on the face opening — a smooth oval sits better around the face.

Finishing

Weave in all remaining ends on the WS.

If the hood crown seam feels bulky, steam it lightly (hover the iron; do not press moss stitch flat).

Optional side ties (make 4, or 2 long ties): With hook, ch 40 (or 16" / 40.5 cm). Fasten off, leaving a 6" (15 cm) tail. Attach a pair of ties to the front and back side edges at about waist level on each side, using the tails to sew them on. Tie as desired when wearing.

Optional underarm tack: For less drape at the arms, sc the front and back together for 2" (5 cm) starting 8" (20.5 cm) down from each shoulder join. This is not required.

Give the joined poncho a light steam or a short mist-and-dry so the crochet borders settle. Do not stretch the moss fabric out of the blocked measurements.

Wear notes

Pull on over the head. The 12 (13, 14)" / 30.5 (33, 35.5) cm neck plus the open hood face is the dressing opening; moss stitch has little stretch, which is why the neck is cut generously.

Cotton versions will grow slightly when wet and return toward blocked size as they dry. Wool or acrylic versions hold their blocked measurements more closely.

Pattern math summary (all sizes): Panel CO 88 (104, 120) at 16 sts / 4" → 22 (26, 30)" wide ✓. Shoulder + neck + shoulder 20 + 48 + 20 (26 + 52 + 26) (32 + 56 + 32) ✓. Hood pickup 60 (68, 76) held even for 12 (13, 13)" ✓.