Knitted Shrug ~ Feelin' Groovy

There have been so many things keeping me from my loom this month…I’m definitely feeling a bit loom deprived lately! Ngaire has been doing all the posts for almost a month!I decided that my outdoor dining set needed a revamp and this funky 70’s inspired fabric was just the thing! I’m not the worlds’ fastest seamstress by any means, so making the cushions for six chairs took me a week. My poor wee Janome sewing machine was really put to the test as the outdoor weight fabric and the heavy gauge thread really tested its’ limits. I’m pretty happy with my groooooovy cushions! My evenings were spent knitting this fun shrug. I used my own handspun merino in a lovely coral colour. The yarn was spun around the time I was asked to take early retirement from my job; a stressful time to say the least, so the yarn is nowhere near perfect, this piece was destined to be mine. Here it is being blocked on my ironing board.The shrug was constructed by knitting the sleeves first, then the back. The sleeves were sewn together and added to the back on circular needles. Then the fun part began, the collar sides and back frill were knit in the round, finally the frill was added to the sleeves. This was a really fun project! I took it to the end of the season Ponderosa Pot Luck Dinner on the 10th and it received rave reviews. I told my tale about why the spinning was not up to standard and was stunned when the hostess came up to me and asked to buy it! I was thrilled to see it go to a good home! I found this pattern free on the net at http://www.redheart.com/, it was named Comfy Shrug.I recently received a nice big 12 pound order of Tencel; lovely for me, but sadly I made this large (for me) order as my supplier will no longer be carrying it! I’ve stocked up for a good long while, and have plenty of ideas for future shawls and scarves!I do have a short warp on Lily Louet….another GCW Test piece…..Overshot with Borders is next on my agenda.