Going to the Mountains Poncho Knitting Pattern: Yarn Recommendations

Fallen in love with the Going to the Mountains Poncho knitting pattern but have no idea what yarn to use? Continue reading for color recommendations using Big Sky Yarn Co yarn (the yarn that I used), for affordable yarn recommendations, and for a list of resources to search for other yarns that will work for the pattern!

The Going to the Mountains Poncho is a fun, simplistic knit that creates the coziest, snuggliest winter accessory. It’s basically a perfect-fitting blanket available in five sizes.

I designed the poncho using Big Sky Yarn Co’s Squish DK weight yarn in Hayride, a cream base with blues, greens, and browns (representing a mixture of snow, grass, and trees on the mountains); and Hayride, a rich brown color (representing the dirt trails). The poncho looks great in most solid, tonal, and variegated yarns.

My main recommendation when selecting colors for your poncho is to select contrasting colors that you love. If you want to be able to see the colorwork well, you do not want to use colors that fade into one another. Speckled, lightly variegated, tonals, and solids will all work well together. However, if you choose to work with a speckled or variegated yarn, I recommend that your contrasting color be either a tonal or a solid.

Note: All yarn images are from the credited websites.

I used Hayride + Pecan.

Big Sky Yarn Co Colors

Here is a handful of other color pairings that I would select from Big Sky Yarn Co. Update: Big Sky Yarn Co will have yarn kits available for the pattern launch on November 8th!

Cherry Ice + Farm Truck

Holy Smokes + Kindred Spirits

Cabin Fever + Toasted Pecan

Happy Accident + Toasted Pecan

Cowboy + Gramp's Coat

Pumpkin Spice + Toasted Pecan

GI Joe + Toasted Pecan

Get Real + Toasted Pecan

Happy Place + Big Sky

Porch Sittin' + Farm Truck

Alternative Yarns List

Can't afford hand-dyed yarn? I completely understand! That is A-OK! Here I've selected a list of more affordable DK weight yarns that would also work well with this design! (Note: I am not affiliated with any of the links -- I am just providing this list for your reference.)

I've provided a few bits of information on each yarn for your own comparison. All prices shown are USD and do not account for shipping costs. The list is ordered from least expensive to most expensive per gram. For the sake of comparison, I've written everything in terms of 100 grams.

The yarn that I used was: 100% Wool; 231 yards/100 grams

Bernat Softee Baby

100% Acrylic; 259 yards/100 grams; $4.29/100 grams

Loops + Threads Joy DK

100% Acrylic; 273 yards/100 grams; $4.50/100 grams

Lion Brand Modern Baby

50% Acrylic, 50% Nylon; 231 yards/100 grams; $8/100 grams

Knit Picks Upcycle Reserve Alpaca Blend

50% Alpaca, 30% Silk, 20% Tencel; 241 yards/100 grams; $10/100 grams

Knit Picks Swish DK

100% Wool; 246 yards/100 grams; $12/100 grams

Patons Classic Wool DK

100% Wool; 250 yards/100 grams; $13/100 grams

Knit Picks City Tweed

55% Wool, 25% Alpaca, 20% Tweed; 246 yards/100 grams; $14/100 grams

Biggan Design 8-Ply Soft Merino Wool

100% Wool; 230 yards/100 grams; $14/100 grams

Knit Picks Gloss DK

70% Wool, 30% Silk; 246 yards/100 grams; $16/100 grams

Knit Picks Capra DK

85% Wool, 15% Cashmere; 246 yards/100 grams; $20/100 grams

To perform your own search for affordable yarns, here are a couple places to start:

Yarn Substitution Website

Knit Picks Website

Webs Website

LoveCrafts Website

Michael's Website

Premier Yarns Website

Have you made a yarn selection for your Going to the Mountains Poncho colors? If so, what have you chosen? Cassie and I would love to hear about it in the comments below, on Instagram (be sure to tag @snickerdoodleknits and @bigskyyarnco), and on Ravelry (link your yarn and pattern on your project page)!

Learn more about the Going to the Mountains Poncho knitting pattern here.