Here is a link that might be useful: CLICK HERE for

I would really like to make one of these but I'm having little luck in finding Lion Brand yarn in Canadian stores. Can someone tell me if this " Homespun" is a baby yarn or something similar to worsted weight or what could you suggest for an alternative yarn that I might be able to find. Living in Canada, I do not like to order from the States, as the shipping and customs can be very expensive.
Hope someone can help. It really looks lovely and a simple pattern. Thanx, Happy Knitter, for posting the pattern.
Thanks for any info
ivamae

Iva Mae, there is both a Homespun worsted weight and a Homespun Baby yarn. Even the baby yarn is thicker than most baby yarns. The homespun has the look and feel of hand spun yarn as it is not twisted as tightly as most yarns. I would think any soft worsted weight would do. The thing about most of the Homespuns is that they have more than one color together, to give the yarn a "tweedy" look.

Homespun is wooly and rustic looking. The strand is thicker (maybe double the thickness of worsted) and seems to be made up of several shades or colored threads.

This picture of the poncho does not look like what I saw in the news reports. I think the body was made up of a different set or pattern of stitches.

The edging looks similar but what I remember seeing did not have as much open space in the body. Maybe crocheting style had something to do with it.

{{gwi:1575189}}

Here's another version of the Martha poncho.

Here is a link that might be useful: click here for this Match

I don't want to be a party poop, but please click on the link below - having to do with bandwidth.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stealing Bandwidth

Wendy, I'm just confused. Can you help me understand? Many people post for a pattern they are looking for and many of us have responded with free patterns we have found online, and even go so far as to post the site address as a link. I have not heard that that is wrong. Is this different? Or have I been breaking the law all along?

Donna,

I had to think this one through carefully myself, after I was told about it. If you post the site address as a link, then that's different from posting the actual picture from that site, and is okay.

If you right-click over a picture and look at properties, that tells you where the picture is coming from.It's best to copy the picture, upload the copy to a server like Photobucket, and then do the img src thing from from Photobucket (or the server you pick) to get the picture to show up in your post. That way you are not using the original site's resources. That's how I understand it, anyway.

Wendy

P.S. So, is anyone planning on making a Martha Stewart look-alike poncho, now that we a couple of patterns at our disposal?

Wendy, I think I've got it after reading some of the info from the site you referenced. If I came back to this forum in a year, the picture posted most likely will not show up as the original site may have changed anyway. Thanks for clearing that up for me.

I like the Lion version better, but I don't like the edging. I don't think hers looked as open in the edging. There are some knock-offs being sold on ebay, and I actually liked one of the edges better. I am such a perfectionist, I'd like to have the actual pattern that the inmate crocheted. Wonder if Martha will still get that pattern since the look-a-likes are out there now?

Her poncho looked more dense, yet it did have open spaces. I do not remember the "turtleneck."

debbeeanne...I'm just like you. I don't want some "wannabe" poncho dreamed up by a yarn company. I want the real pattern. Otherwise, what's the point?

Let's e-mail Martha!!

I just read that on CBS yesterday morning a fiber artist named Lily Chin showed a pattern called the "Freedom Poncho" that was "inspired" by Martha's poncho. Lily is quoted that she knew it was made of granny squares. I'm no expert, but I know that poncho was not granny squares. I'm not going to give up till we get the "original" pattern!!

I agree. I would rather have the real pattern for it.

Here's the best pic I could find of the actual poncho.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1575185}}

In an on-line chat, yesterday I think, here is what Martha said about the poncho (just about the first question asked of her):

"Kathyrn_NYC: Can you tell us about the poncho you wore when you flew home Thursday night [March 3, 2005]?

Martha: A friend at Alderson made it for me. It is soft and thick and made from Lion Brand Yarn [www.lionbrand.com]. The yarn company has posted the free poncho pattern on their website. It looked very chic and everyone was surprised at how graceful it appeared. I was grateful to have something soft and warm to wear."

The text of the chat is on her website if anyone is interested.

I made the Lion Brand Poncho after reading her transcript answer. I "thought" the Lion Brand one looked more like the one she wore, but with the others "popping" up I wasn't sure. It is very easy to make and works up very fast.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Lion Brand version

Very pretty! Did you use the homespun, and if so, what color?

Yes, I used the Homespun in Bella Vista. Not the color they suggested, but I liked it better. I made another one for my niece last night. I dropped the hook size down to a J and did 17 body rows and then added the trim. Looks really cute.

I got an email from Lion stating that they had a knit version of the poncho. What a disappointment. While they do have a knit pattern, the picture they show is of the crocheted poncho. I am left to imagine what it might look like. Isn't that silly?

I am having problems finding the Lion Brand yarn in our city in Canada. The web site lists Walmart stores but the one I went to had no Lion Brand at all. I'm wondering if the pattern couldn't be adjusted to work with a nice soft worsted. Any ideas?
ivamae

The Lion Brand Homespun is a "bulky" yarn, which would be a little thicker than worsted weight. I really don't know what you would do to adapt the pattern to worsted weight. Maybe others can help.

If you don't mind ordering on the Internet, you might try Herrschners. I have ordered from them and had good experiences. The Homespun is on sale now for $4.77/skein. Of course shipping is involved, unfortunately.

I'm not much help...just some thoughts. Good luck.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Lion Brand Homespun yarn

Michaels has Homespun yarn. A.C. Moore probably has it, too.

Ivamae....I wonder if Walmart would order it in for you? I have gotten them to special order things for me.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will try Michael's but it is at the other end of the city and I'm not driving right now due to a broken ankle and big airboot
ivamae

I'm glad to see a better picture of the poncho. I am making the bernat pattern with worsted yarn. So far I am real happy with the look. I had compared the bernat yarn at the store with the worsted yarn and I decided I wanted a different look than the lumpy yarn. not to mention the cost. So far the first row of the scollop has been the biggest problem but no big deal. I say make and enjoy everyone.

I looked at the Bernat yarn and didn't like it either. The store I went to, did not have Homespun. What size hook are you using to have the right tension? thanks for any info.
ivamae

I took the bernat one apart. I felt the neck was too high. I doing a slight vairation of it and the Maggie's Crochet one using red heart 4 ply yarn and a K hook so far I like it much better. I keep going back to the lion brand one and think I will try it next. I like the border on it best of all the patterns. I am thinking of trying the knit one also. they have posted a better picture and it looks interesting. Since I may be teaching a knitting class in a few weeks this may be a good class project. Will have to check it out. Must say one of the ladys in my crochet class in using the home spun yarn and it does give a completly different and thicker look than other yarns. This would explain how this pattern could look so thick in the one Martha was wareing.

Have now made the lion brand one with red heart 4 ply yarn. it is shorter than I think they intend for it to be, but still works out nice. It could be lengthened if one wanted too. I still like this pattern best of all the ones I have seen so far.

I'm a beginner crocheter. Having a real hard time getting my poncho long enough even though I upped my hook a size. Would like to add some rows before I start the shell trim. But then, how would I adjust the shell rows??? Can a veteran crocheter out there help?

I made this poncho longer by adding rounds to it. The Lionsbrand pattern states that you should have 60 blocks at the end of 20 rounds. I can't remember exactly how many rounds I made, but I made sure that I ended with blocks in multiples of 3 (63, 66, 69, 72). When I crocheted the first round of the edging, I figured out the number of blocks was not going to work out and so I took out at least 3 rounds of blocks - I think I ended up with 72 blocks. Then I re-crocheted the first round of the edging and it worked out.

The scalloped edging wound up working out beautifully (there were 24 scallops and the last round of the edging consisted of 72 shells).

In retrospect, to lengthen the poncho, you'll need to add 6 rounds at a time for it to work out. I think the original pattern of 20 rounds with 60 blocks probably makes 20 scallops, so when you add 6 rounds, you get 2 additional scallops and that keeps the poncho balanced. So when I added 12 rounds I got 4 additional scallops.

Good luck!

Avalon

Thank you so much, Avalon Mist. Math was not my best subject but I understand your explanation of the multiples.
Greatly appreciated.

Hello, I'm new to the forum and love to read about everyones projects. I have made 2 of the Lion Brand Martha
Ponchos. I have trouble with doing the scallops both times.
I follow the directions exact and both times I get scallops
that don't lay flat or arn't as big as the ones pictured in
the pattern. The origional Poncho worn by Martha, the scallops were not so open looking and I like those better.
Is anyone else having trouble with the scallops and is there a better scallop edging pattern out there ? I love the scallops in the picture from the link that was shared
with us by atcsgames. Now those are great Scallops !!