YOU can’t walk down any high street or through any market without seeing ponchos. The 70s hippie fashion is back with a vengeance. The Web can help you walk, talk and make ponchos of all descriptions. For the mad and obsessed, here are some sites to help you get back to your roots.

At hipforums.com you can chat with other ex- and current ‘hippies’ and swap poncho patterns in their ‘showthread’ section. You won’t be alone. At teenfashion.about.com, poncho wearers can get accessory advice. If you aren’t convinced of the strength of this trend, visit http://www.fashionera.com/Trends/fashion_ trends_05_gentex_autumn_2004_winter_2005.htm. They are flying off the shelf at a pace even the gurus couldn’t predict.

However, the hippies stole the fashion from the indigenous peoples of the Americas. So brushing up on history is also a good place to start – and it may inspire your designs. Visit http://www.artisano.com/ , http://www.ecuador-wildlife.com/Highlands/otavalo.htm or http://www.mayantravel.com/culture.htm to learn more about poncho culture.

If the history of the poncho is more to your taste, visit www.fashion-era.com and check out their coats and cloaks section. Of course there are famous ‘ponchos’ – like Poncho Sanchez – the king of Latin Jazz scene. Visit http://www.latinjazzclub.com/LatinJazzKing.html to find out more.

Ponchos and children go hand-in-hand. If you don’t have the patience to teach crocheting or knitting, you might want to try this clever paper bag poncho project at http://www.kinderart.com/multic/poncho.shtml .

However, although they are often cheaper to buy, you may want to knit or crochet your own – or one for someone else (Christmas is just a few months away). Crochet patterns are available at http://www.craftown.com/baby/pat4.htm, knitted ones at http://www.craftown.com/baby/pat4.htm , http://www.chicknits.com/minichic.html or http://www.knittinggeek.com. Check sizes and yarn types before starting out.

Searches always turn up something bizarre. You can find a site totally dedicated to the arts at http://www.poncho.org/ – it is the fund-raising arm of the Pacific Northwest Ballet company, among others. Poncho here stands for Patrons of Northwest Civic, Cultural and Charitable Organisations. Clever concept.