Are ponchos heavy? Do they even fit under a coat?

I’m kind of torn about ponchos—I’m not sure if I’d want one or not. Some of them look really good in photos and on other people—especially women; men rarely wear them. Some are even really elegant and look cozy, soft, and very warm.
The argument about them being like a blanket or a rug you can wear, which I read in the other poncho thread, isn’t entirely unfounded, but on the other hand… Ponchos are kind of nice to look at. I suppose it also depends on how the ponchos are crocheted or knitted—there are surely tips and tricks for making sure the poncho drapes beautifully and fits just right on the body, not too tight and not too loose.
But I also think that some ponchos are relatively easy to crochet or knit. You don’t always have to make it so difficult for yourself—at least not if you’re not all that experienced at crocheting or knitting but still want a nice result.
I mean, in principle, they’re easy to crochet using granny squares—at least some of them. We’ve talked about granny squares here in the forum several times already; I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t know what they are. But if there really is someone who doesn’t know, just use the forum search function—you’ll find plenty of information on the topic.

That was a lot of talk to start with, but I also have a few questions on the topic, as you can see from the title.
My question in this context is—though I don’t know if it actually makes a difference, since I don’t have
any practical experience with ponchos—how heavy is a poncho, really? Theoretically, it can’t be any heavier than a coat or a sweater, I suppose?
But I’m only asking all this because some of the ponchos in the store look really thick and nice and warm. That’s probably great for fall, but if you want to wear a poncho in winter, you might need a coat over it, right? Then it wouldn’t just be heavy, but also uncomfortable, because you might not be able to fit into your coat with it on.
Do people even do that—wear a poncho like a sweater under a coat in winter—or do you really only wear them in the fall?

This is probably a pretty silly question, but I’ve always thought I wasn’t a poncho person. But there’s a nice poncho in the shop, and I keep clicking on it and wondering if it would look good on me, hence the question.

Does it even make a difference whether the poncho is crocheted or knitted? I could imagine that knitting might make it softer and fluffier, whereas crocheting with single crochet stitches probably doesn’t make it very flexible. I almost think you should knit a poncho rather than crochet it, even though I usually can’t get into knitting at all. Do you have any tips or insights on this topic? I seem to recall that there are also crocheted ponchos in the shop, but those probably aren’t made with single crochet—I’ll have to take another look. Well, I’d be happy if anyone would like to share their thoughts on this.

So: You won’t be able to fit a poncho under a coat—you’d probably feel like a sausage in a casing. Ponchos are more for wearing “over” other clothes, especially in the fall or spring, when it’s no longer quite cold but also not yet warm enough to go out without a jacket.
You can actually knit or crochet ponchos with just about any yarn. If you’re using very thick yarn, I’d make sure not to knit or crochet too tightly, otherwise you’ll end up with something as stiff as a “board” or, as mentioned, a “rug.”

I’m currently designing a poncho myself, knitted with standard sock-weight yarn, because that’s my favorite yarn weight. It’ll probably only be suitable for days that aren’t quite as cold yet, but personally, that doesn’t bother me.

Basically, I think ponchos look good on everyone, whether you’re very slim or a little curvier. I carry a little extra weight around the hips, which is another reason I love ponchos—they cleverly hide a few extra pounds. ;-)

 

Hello Wollness-Oase,
cool name, by the way. Thank you for all the info.
I really didn’t want that stuffed-sausage feeling, especially because I think you wouldn’t really be able to move anymore then. Nope. I don’t need that.
Okay, so only for the transitional season, but without a jacket over it.
That makes sense.
What counts as thick yarn in this context? I mean, from what thickness should you not use it anymore?
Couldn’t you fix that with a suitably large needle? So that it’s still loose enough?

The more elegantly draping straitjacket poncho from the other thread about ponchos probably doesn’t hide anything at all, I think.
But with all the other ponchos, you can probably hide a lot underneath if you need to.
Sorry for the question, I hope it’s okay, but do ponchos actually make you look flat on top?
I mean, the poncho just hangs down, so do you end up looking shapeless and uniform?
I just don’t have any experience with ponchos, hence the question.

I thought about it again yesterday
the poncho thing
Most ponchos are pretty long after all, or they do reach well down over your butt.
My problem with that, maybe someone else knows this too.
When I wear long sweaters that go down over my butt, and I sit down and maybe fidget around a bit on the chair, the collar pulls up at the front of the sweater and I start strangling myself.
Does anyone else know that, or is that specifically something that only ever happens to me?
I like long sweaters; they’re practical and warm in winter and all that.
But with a poncho that might be kind of silly, well okay, you could take it off before sitting down, I suppose.

What kind of poncho is that going to be, the one you’re making right now? It’ll be knitted then, right?
Is there an owl on it?
I haven’t seen an owl poncho yet, but there’s probably one somewhere

Hi Muetzekatze (great name, by the way ;-))
Well, at what point can you no longer use the yarn... I don’t think there’s an upper limit. I’d say you can use just about anything up to size 10 needles to make a poncho. The thicker the yarn, the thicker the poncho will be, of course.

  Does a poncho also make the top look flat…? That’s a matter of opinion, of course, and certainly depends a bit on the cut. You’re just not going to look “flat” if you’ve got a larger bust, but if the poncho has a wide collar, for example, or if you pair it with a loop scarf, you can hide a lot. 

Right now, there are still plenty of ponchos in clothing stores—why not just go out and try a few on? Then you might be able to get a better idea of whether a poncho suits you and whether you feel comfortable in it.

My poncho will be knitted, but it won’t have an owl on it; instead, it’ll mostly be stockinette stitch with a few pretty raglan lines.

Best regards
Michaela

Hi,
I wear a poncho under a coat in the winter. It’s knitted from 100% merino wool. Very warm and lightweight.

Thanks, Michaela, for the answer and the info.
muetzekatze is off to try on rugs ;) That'll be funny, now there's an idea. :)

What is raglan?

Raglan is a special way of knitting a sweater or poncho from the top down.
The side seams that result are called raglan seams. I can’t explain it any better right now, so it’s best to google it ;-)

Best regards
Michaela