Martha Stewart's poncho
the new fashion trend?

Apparent demand for item
crocheted for her by fellow inmate

Martha Stewart Returns to Work At Omnimedia

Stephen Chernin / Getty Images

Stewart smiles as she holds up the much publicized poncho she wore when she left prison during a speech to an audience of her employees and the media on her first day back at work since leaving prison.

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updated 3:20 p.m. ET March 7, 2005

NEW YORK - This was one time Martha Stewart wasn’t trying to set any fashion trends -- but she may have done so.

As she was welcomed back to work by employees at her media company in New York Monday, Stewart showed them the gray-and-white knit poncho she wore when she left prison in West Virginia on Friday.

She said it didn’t come from a fancy store -- but had been crocheted for her by a fellow inmate, who gave it to her the night before she left.

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It was seen live on television around the world, as Stewart boarded a plane for New York following her release. Since then, Stewart says, there’s been a flood of e-mail and other messages, asking about the poncho and the pattern.

She says she’ll try to get that pattern from the prison inmate, who worked with yarn from the prison commissary.