The Simple Shrug

A shrug is a shawl with cuffs. It can be very comfy when used as a bed jacket or for curling up in that lounge chair with a good book. Shrugs are also good projects for nursing home gifts.

Shrugs can be made in two different ways.

The first way is single bed tuck stitch. For the standard bed, cast on the full 200 needles. Set up the machine for a favorite tuck pattern. Tuck patterns work well with shrugs because of the give and stretch inherent in a tuck pattern. Either an e-wrap cast on or a crochet cast on will work. Knit 800-1000 rows straight. Latch tool bind off. Knit 2-3 inches in 1x1 rib to fit the wrist. The average wrist will usually take a 37-0-37 needle setup. Take off in waste yarn. Rehang the shrug, tuck side facing, reducing the stitches by putting 3 stitches on each needle. You may want to start out with 2-3 needles with 2 stitches each and then hang 3 on each one. Knit one row. Rehang the ribbing on the same needles. Latch tool bind off both stitches. Sew up the cuff plus 2-3 inches into the body of the shrug. Repeat for the other end. Finish off the sides with a worm stitch or a crochet edge.

The second way is a double bed tuck. Cast on all needles in full needle rib. Choose a favorite tuck pattern and knit for 800-1000 rows. Transfer stitches to main bed and latch tool bind off. Make cuffs the same. Finish with a worm stitch or crochet edging.

One strand of 2/24 makes a beautiful double bed tuck. I have done several with a very simple pattern:
X O
X O
O X
O X

If you have several partial cones, change colors every 50 or 100 rows for a striped effect. Variegated yarn also makes a nice effect. Size depends on the person you are making this for, of course. If the person is very small, you may want to do only 600-700 rows and cast on less than a full bed. But usually a shrug is worn over another garment and is meant to be very loose fitting, being more shawl-like than cardigan-like.

For colder climates, the mid-gauge and bulky machines could be used by simply modifying the number of needles cast on and the number of rows knitted.

Questions? Contact Cathie at csanders@northtipton.com