Shrug from the Modern Twin Set Pattern

Alison found this really cool cotton yarn at a thrift store. It was vintage Vendome yarn: Vendome Raps 100% cotton yarn. While we haven't found much information about this yarn, we decided that I should make something with it. The color is amazing; it's a beautiful green, a little emerald, a little leaf. A lotta fabulous. Generally, I hate working with cotton yarn. Most days I would rather poke out my eye with a knitting needle than work with cotton. But this yarn is different. It was soft, didn't dry out my hands, and looks so pretty made up - it has a bit of a shine.

Vendome Raps 100% cotton yarn.

With the yarn in hand, we had to find a pattern that would work for the weight and the amount of yarn we had. We decided to go with the shrug from the Modern Twin Set pattern. The Shrug required 6 ounces of a worsted weight yarn. With the holidays coming, we decided that the Modern Twin Set shrug would be the perfect pattern for this color and this yarn. (The color is all over the place in these pics. My little camera was having such a rough day - it couldn't decide where to focus. The color in the pic above is the closest to the actual color.)

Shrug in progress. Lifelines in use.

I was excited about the shrug, so I started knitting. It went pretty fast. It is a 2 x 2 rib, so mistakes are easy to identify and easy to fix. I added lifelines because I sometimes forget to look back on what I have just knit to make sure everything is in pattern. I don't mind fixing stitches, but I don't want to drop back to the beginning of the project because I don't  use my crochet hook to stop the stitches from raveling back to the beginning.

Knitting completed. Now it's just waiting to be sewn up.

Now I have to seam the shrug sleeves together. I'm a little nervous about it. I am looking at videos and websites trying to figure out what type of seaming to use. I will post pics once I have finished it.

Bound off edge - done in 2 x 2 pattern.
I used a stretchy bind off so the back will stretch,
and hopefully not distort, when the shrug is worn.

Happy knitting!

Kristen

Free Monthly Pattern Download for October (crochet)

We have been on a crochet roll lately....

We are offering a circle hat and bag pattern this month. Based on the granny square design, these should be fun projects to make your own.

Information on the yarn is a little scarce. It looks like this may have been a rug yarn. According to a conversion chart I was looking at here, the sizes 5 and 6 crochet hooks would be equivalent to a modern H and I (US). Other patterns found online required a size J hook when working with this yarn. It would make sense to have the stitches a little smaller and tighter for a purse, as compared to a rug. It's hard to look cool and put together if there are items spilling out of your purse as you walk down the street.

Click on the pattern link or check out the "Free Monthly Pattern Downloads" page to be taken to the free pattern compliments of eStitched.

Happy crocheting!