Knitting

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Finally Finished Something

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prima shrug maggie paceThis month was supposed to be my month of finishing, then a crafty injury kept me from knitting — at all — for more than a week. I have to tell you it was pretty darn boring!

I allowed myself to take up needles again yesterday, and I think it went pretty well. I finally finished one project. This is the Prima Shrug by Maggie Pace, which is the subject of a workshop at CreativeBug. I didn’t watch the workshop, and I did change the pattern a bit. It was supposed to be all k1, p1 ribbing but I did the collar in garter stitch instead because lining up the ribbing on the collar with the ribbing on the sleeves was driving me crazy!

I also used a different yarn, some worsted weight Malabrigo I had lying around. So I didn’t get the self-striping effect, but it sure is pretty. I also made my collar a little shorter than hers, mostly because I really wanted to finish it last night, but I think it’s long enough. It doesn’t come up on my neck, and I like that.

I am, apparently, incapable of taking a shrug selfie today, so you’ll have to settle for the project-on-a-bed picture. It’s still pretty. Just wish it were warm enough today to wear it!

What have you been working on lately?

Comments

  1. Wow, Sarah, I love how your shrug came out. That color of Malabrigo is beautiful!

    I had my knitting laid out in a relaxing pace with only a couple of projects to finish all summer. But I recently learned a friend of our’s is expecting a baby, so that adds a project to my list 🙂

  2. I’m also shrugging! Trying to finish off a cabled shrug (from Lion Brand) got a few more rows to do, then second cuff and the neck ribbing. Started it last year, but had to rip it out because I ran out of yarn, so had to try and find something similar!

Have you read?

Stitch a Simple Sack Hat that Looks Like a Turkey

If your family is the sort to do a turkey trot for Thanksgiving, or even just to take family pictures, you’ll want to get started knitting up some Turkey Sack Hats with this pattern from Underground Crafter. 

The pattern uses super bulky yarn and is rated easy. It’s knit flat but there are a few skills in here around the shaping of the eyes, which includes changing colors, working bobbles and doing a wicked purl 3 together decrease. Twice. 

But that’s all in one row, and the rest of it is pretty simple. The beak is worked separately and sewn on, and the side of the hat is stitched up to make it into a hat. 

What’s great about this one is that it comes in 10 sizes, ranging from newborn to adult large, so you really can make one for everyone in the family. And because it uses super bulky yarn you can knit a bunch pretty quickly if that’s a thing you’d like to do. 

It’s also fun because you could use this base pattern to make different animals or for different holidays. Make it all in orange and stitch on a jack o’lantern face for Halloween, or make a white one that’s a snowman, for example. 

In any style this would also be a fun gag gift for that person in your life who has everything or doesn’t want gifts, or if you do a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange at work or elsewhere. 

And make sure whether you’re making it a turkey or some other character that you include the pom poms at the top! They’re just so cure and a great way to add a bit more color to the project, and they’re easy to make. (See also: ways to make a pompom with yarn.)

You can grab the free pattern at the Underground Crafter website. 

[Photo: Underground Crafter]