Solano Plaid Poncho | Project PDF + WIF

This is the time of year when an extra layer starts to feel cozy. This poncho is woven doublewidth in plain weave on a four-shaft loom (although you could weave it narrower on a two-shaft loom and seam the panels together). Robin wove hers using a locally grown sportweight wool that she dyed using local plants. You could do the same, or you could weave one using Harrisville Shetland.

About the Project

For many years, Robin Lynde saved the poncho she wore in high school, always intending to re-create it. (She jokes that people are amazed she can still wear her high school clothes—but a poncho is hard to outgrow!) For the new version, she designed a plaid reminiscent of the original but updated with fresh colors, using a yarn she has long loved for weaving. The wool comes from Solano County, where she lives, and each year she selects fleeces at the Timm Ranch shearing, skirts them on-site, and has the fiber processed at Mountain Meadow Wool Mill in Wyoming. She then dyes the yarn with plants grown on her farm.

Because the project requires only small amounts of color, the natural variations of plant-dyed yarn suit it well. Lynde chose to weave the poncho in doubleweave so it would be a single piece of fabric, though it could also be made in two pieces and seamed.

After years of waiting, she finally brought the project to life—because what is a poncho, if not the coziest blanket one can wear in public?

Contents

• Solano Plaid Poncho Project Instructions PDF
• WIF

Details

Structure
Doublewidth.

Equipment
4-shaft loom, 26" weaving width; 8-dent reed; 1 shuttle; 4 bobbins.

Yarns
Warp: 2-ply sportweight wool (1,515 yd/lb; Meridian Jacobs), Natural and Coreopsis (rust), 352 yd each; Hollyhock (green), 176 yd; Black Walnut (brown), 264 yd.
Weft: 2-ply sportweight wool, Natural, 232 yd; Coreopsis (rust), 255 yd; Hollyhock (green), 153 yd; Black Walnut (brown), 204 yd.

Other supplies
Wool wash; sewing thread in a contrasting color.

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 26".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 68".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing) 45½" × 54" with 4" twisted fringe.

Visit our help article for more information on WIFs, including what they are and how to use them.

About Robin Lynde: Robin Lynde raises Jacob sheep and promotes sustainable local wool production. She teaches weaving and created Meridian Jacobs Farm Club for fiber enthusiasts.

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