Knit a Super Simple Cozy Cowl Shrug

Just yesterday I was thinking about Fisherman’s Rib, which is a variation on 1 x 1 ribbing, so I guess it’s appropriate that I share this pattern today.

The Saturday Shrug is a lovely and really easy pattern from Jackie Rose available on Ravelry. It’s all 1 x 1 ribbing worked in the round, with a worsted weight yarn and a mohair held together to make a bulky weight yarn. So while 1 x 1 ribbing is a little slower to knit than plain stockinette, it will still go pretty fast because this project is worked on size 9 US knitting needles.

There are lots of variations you can make of this simple cowl/shrug too. The pattern page on Ravelry shows it with wide stripes of two different colors, as well as with a solid broken up by narrow stripes.

You could make it all one color, or use multicolored yarn, or bust your stash and add a bunch of wild stripes.

As meditative as this project would be to work, you might find yourself wanting to make more than one.

It looks like a great winter accessory that can stretch down across the shoulders or be worn more as a cowl (thus me referring to it as a cowl shrug because it can be both or either).

I was going to mention you could also play with the yarn weights, if you have a lot of worsted weight yarn you wanted to work through you could hold two of those together for more of a super bulky project. Then I noticed she actually has another version, called the Sunday Shrug, which is a worsted and bulky yarn held together for a super bulky gauge.

That one looks even warmer and more cozy than the first one, and would be a great way to use up a bit of stash combining yarns. These would make great gifts, or you can just make a bunch for yourself in all your favorite colors from your finished projects.

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Knitwear designers can get inspiration from almost anything when it comes to re-creating a color scheme, an image or a texture in stitches. Sometimes the inspiration isn’t always obvious in the finished project, but sometimes it’s more literal.

That’s the way it is with the Tin Ceiling Blanket from Purl Soho. Not just because the inspiration is in the name, but if you’ve ever seen one of these old ceilings you can see that the design of the blanket is quite similar to the pattern of the tin tiles.

This is also a good example of the idea that you don’t have to use fancy stitch patterns or lots of color to make a big impact with your knits. This single-color blanket (designed by Gianna Mueller and inspired by a washcloth and towel set designed by Sandi Rosner) is made completely with knits and purls, other than slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to make neater edges.

The pattern is written out row by row, but there’s also a chart, which means this project is a great opportunity to practice reading a chart where you can check your work against the written pattern if you need to.

It comes in two sizes, a crib blanket and a throw. The yarn used in the sample is an organic cotton sold by the cone, which is a great way to get a large quantity of yarn and have fewer ends to weave in. In fact, you can knit either size of the blanket with just one cone of yarn, which isn’t inexpensive but makes you a great, sturdy, heirloom quality but still washable blanket you’ll use for years to come. (Of course you can use any sport weight yarn you like to make this blanket.)

Check out all the details and grab the free pattern from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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