The Allotment Shrug Pattern

I treated myself to two sets of mini skeins from John Arbon Textiles Virtual Mill Weekend. They are entitled Down the Allotment and have beautiful earthy tones. I wanted to design something that would really show them off and this is what it turned into. This shrug is worked from the top down, I have striped the yarn as it came out of the bag, before it splits for some back shaping and then the arms, with more stripes and an Icelandic cast off.

Difficulty

Knitted top down on a circular needle you will be making stitches, completing wrap and turns and knitting in the round on sleeves using either double pointed needles or a small circular. There are only knit and purl stitches throughout.

Yarn and Notions

Double knitting yarn (light worsted / 8 ply). 

I have knitted a size 5 and used two packs of mini skeins from John Arbon Textiles in the Down the Allotment range. They were 100g each pack with 224 meters / 245 yards. I alternated the mini skeins which were 10g each up until dividing body and sleeves then wound them into 5g balls to match the sleeves stripe for stripe. A self-striping yarn would look fantastic in this, just check the meterage / yardage in the table below for the size you are knitting.

Meters: 260 (325, 395, 470, 495) (550, 620, 680, 745)

Yards: 285 (355, 430, 510, 540) (600, 680, 745, 815)

Needles:      4mm (US 6) 60 or 80cm circular needle

                     Either five 4mm double pointed needles or a small circular needle for sleeves

Optional: Three stitch holders or lengths of yarn

Two moveable stitch markers, tapestry needle

Measurements

To find your size measure from underarm to underarm across the back, measurements are the finished size, the shrug should be a snug fit so go down a size if you are between sizes

Centimetres: 28 (33, 38, 43, 48)(53, 58, 63, 68)

Inches: 11 (13, 15, 17, 19)(21, 23, 25, 27)

This pattern has been technically edited and tested but we are all human so if you encounter any errors please let me know.