Square X Shrug knitting pattern

Square X Shrug

This pattern makes a cozy shrug inspired by a combo of an Agnes B sweater and a baby blanket pattern from 1899.  I recommend circular needles that are at least 48” in length, if not longer. The shrug is knit in rounds gradually decreasing to the center of the square, then folded in half and stitched partway up the sides.  A row counter device helps to keep track of the rounds.

Materials:

10.5 gauge knitting needles

~450 yards medium weight (100 grams) yarn

Yarn needle

Needle with a large eye

Button

Row counter

Instructions:

*cast on 272 stitches then connect and K an entire round to prevent curling of the edges.

*1st round of pattern- PM, K1, P2 tog, P2, K1, P57, K1, P2, P2 tog, and repeat 3X to finish the round

*2nd round- SM, K1, P 3, K1, P55, K1, P 3, and repeat 3X to finish the round.

*3rd round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P55, K1, P1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X.

*4th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K53, P2, K1, P2, and repeat 3X.

*5th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K53, P2, K1, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*6th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K53, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*7th round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P51, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slip stitch over, and repeat 3X

*8th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P51, K1, P2, K1, and re- peat 3X

*9th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P51, K1, P1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*10th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K47, P2, K1, P2, and repeat 3X

*11th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K47, P2, K1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*12th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K47, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*13th round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P45, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slip stitch over, and repeat 3X

*14th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P45, K1, P2, K1, and re- peat 3X

*15th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P45, K1, P1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*16th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K41, P2, K1, P2, and repeat 3X

*17th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K41, P2, K1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*18th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K41, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*19th round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P39, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slip stitch over, and repeat 3X

*20th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P39, K1, P2, K1, and repeat 3X

*21st round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P39, K1, P1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*22nd round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K35, P2, K1, P2, and repeat 3X

*23rd round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K35, P2, K1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*24th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K35, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*25th round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P33, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slipped stitch over-and repeat 3X

*26th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P33, K1, P2, K1 and repeat 3X

*27th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P33, K1, P1, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*28th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K29, P2, K1, P2, and repeat

*29th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K29, P2, K1, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*30th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K29, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*31st round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P27, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slipped stitch over, and repeat 3X

*32nd round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P27, K1, P2, K1, and repeat 3X

*33rd round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P27, K1, P1, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*34th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K23, P2, K1, P2, and repeat

*35th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K23, P2, K1, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*36th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K23, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*37th round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P21, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slipped stitch over, and repeat 3X

*38th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P21, K1, P2, K1, and repeat 3X

*39th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P21, K1, P1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*40th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K17, P2, K1, P2, and repeat 3X

*41st round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K17, P2, K1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*42nd round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K17, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X ​

*43rd round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P15, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slipped stitch over, and repeat 3X

*44th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P15, K1, P2, K1, and repeat 3X

*45th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P15, K1, P1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*46th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P2, K11, P2, K1, P2, and repeat 3X

*47th  round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2, K11, P2, K1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*48th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K11, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*49th round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P9, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slipped stitch over, and repeat 3X

*50th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P9, K1, P2, K1, and repeat 3X

*51st round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P9, K1, P1, P2 tog, and repeat 3X

*52nd round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P9, K1, P2 and repeat 3X ​

*53rd round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, P2 tog, P1, K3, P1, P2 tog, K1, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*54th round- SM, K1, P1, K1, P2, K3, P2, K1, P1, and repeat 3X

*55th round- SM, K1, K2 tog, P2, K1, P1, K1, P2, slip 1, K1, pass the slipped stitch over, and repeat 3X

*56th round- SM, K2, P2, K1, P1, K1, P2, K1, and repeat 3X

*57th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*58th round- SM, K1, P2, K1, P1, K1, P2, and repeat 3X

*59th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, K1, K2 tog, P2 tog and repeat 3X

*60th round- SM, K1, P2 tog, slip 1, K1, pass the slipped stitch over and repeat 3X

Now there are only 12 stitches remaining.  Cut yarn leaving an 8” length for sewing. Thread yarn needle and weave through remaining stitches.  Pull tightly to close and secure end.   

Next fold square in half with the face on the inside.  Establish the very corner stitches and align the edges of the piece so stitches are paired with each other.  Pinning the stitches on the short edge of the rectangle helps to secure the piece. Use a length of the same yarn, approximately 12”, to mattress stitch from the corner along approximately 5” of the short side. 

When you have sewn both of the short sides turn the shrug inside out.  If you choose, the shrug may be completed at this stage.  But if you’d like to fasten the shrug in the front sew your button on the center corner point (it’s the corner formed by the two sewn sides that lays center of the chest), opposite side of the cast-on tail.  Next you will use the cast-on tail as the button loop.  To do this thread your standard needle and pin the tail down to the appropriate length.  You want it long enough tohook over your button but not so long that it stretches away from the body.  Then sew the tail down. Weave in any loose ends and voila!  Lovely shrug is complete!  

 

New needlepoints

What's getting me through hard times? Needlepoint and running.

Five by five

My latest self designed needlepoint. Because I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Another Monday another stab at the commission piece

Here we are, my day off so it's time to paint.

I'm trying to move away from the wormy color, introducing more green and ultimately bring the piece lighter. I'm also trying to incorporate more movement by using a paintbrush dipped in water amd the manner that I use my roller.

Each step gradualy builds up the paint.

Here you can see the painting panel onto which I nailed my canvas.

As always, it has to get hideous to get better. Barf. This stage looks like barf tho.

Yeah... Still not liking this much at all. I revisited the Oriental carpet that was the inspiration, and I think my colors are off. That's why I mixed up the orangey peach tone that you see above. Going to wait for this layer to dry. Then attack it again.

We're getting there but I would like to move away from the mauve.

This is getting pretty sticky to work on. Check out the closeup of the paint below, it's as viscous as taffy.

Gah! Lost my draft

Shoot. Just imagine a lot of insight into the creative mind. Bleh!

This is the commission piece for Maureen.

That's not it. Double shoot! I lost most of my work in progress pics, too!

There's this.

Then there's this... Dinner is the same palette as the comish.

Today is just not my day. Backwards progress.

Recent Needlepoints

Instead of the commission I should be working, instead of the recent draft of my story, instead of making my bed... I've been needlepointing. 

The purple piece is a canvas I picked up from my favorite favorite shop Golden Gate Needlepoint on Sacramento Street at Presidio. Dangerously close to my own shop. Talking isn't doing, good words to live by.

The pink gun I traced onto blank canvas and added the cursive L'oreal slogan. Je le vaux bien! I find this funny because instead of translating to "because I'm worth it" it really more accurately translates to "because I deserve it." Ha! Because I fucking deserve it!!! Plus a gun. 

This is beginners's art. Gun + words = profound meaning. So deep, man. Or it's just aesthetics. I admit I did feel weird stitching a gun, especially since I was working on it at my shop and customers kept asking to look at it. I promise I won't go postal! Trust me, stitched guns are the only guns that I support. But I'm out of thread and must wait to finish the piece. Now that is probably something that I deserve. 

Scavenger

 Why hello free canvases on the sidewalk! Let me not pass on such a fine opportunity for free materials. And thank you Sarah Blake '06 for discarding your work. Maybe many years in the future someone will X-Ray this canvas and find your crane. 

For those who are curious, I pulled the pre stretched canvas from it's frame and nailed it to one of my boards so I can work it with my rollers without getting an funny outlines from the canvas bars.

Here we go, trying something new.

I'm thinking about Maureen's oriental carpet here. 

We're doing a custom piece for her, this scavenged canvas is not necessarily it, but Maureen's carpet is my starting point colorwise.

This is a very different technique from my usual, right? I realized I needed some thick paint to cover the crane, so hello paintbrush application of your standard Utrecht brand bright white acrylic. Paintbrush and canvas? Hello classicism. I like how the wet paints are blending.

Goodbye Christmas

Sometimes it's very hard to part with a painting. This one especially. But now it has a new home where I trust it will be loved.

Completed!

 Only 11 months of my life! Will make a great tapestry once the pros block it for me.

More abstract needlepoint

This is a project from the back-burner. A needlepoint created by printing my painting Russian Dolls onto mesh. Enough with the painting for the day!

Revisit

Sometimes I have to change things up. Like this painting. I no longer like it. So it's getting a redo.

Orange you glad?

Today's piece is going to be just my favorite colors. I was reading about Egyptian Blue on wikipedia (fascinating, it and Han Purple are to 2 first synthetic pigments) so that's where I started. I predict this'll get a lot uglier before we're thru.

Apologies for the pictures, the wood panel is 36"x48" and hard to photo on my easel.

Color me epiphanized

It's a slow day at the shop and I found this article about Kristy Gammill on honestlywtf.com.  Her work intrigues me.  Like me, she's 34 years old (but with teenagers- WOH!)  Quelle surprise, I love her pallette and technique.  And looking at her paintings instantly triggered an epiphany about my own work. I think my paintings are masculine.  What's that mean huh? 

Busy work...

Time to gloss! (A little Giants MadBaum February on the wall)

Mixing colors cont...

Last time this was pinky red... Now it's very green. Or a bit Christmassy which I don't mind but there's still work to do.


tentatively titled "Camo"

The studio today

Red & orange... Named today after something the guy at Blow Up Lab said- "Out of Gamut".

To do list done

Finally dropped paintings at The Blow Up Lab for scanning... In case you don't know:

Blow Up Lab
1257 Folsom St, San Francisco
(415) 861-1200

They are great for scanning artwork.

Staged

A home for sale from my friend & realtor Sherri Howe staged by Jamie Boatner... Like the art?

Mixing colors

This is my process: open my paint drawers + find something I haven't used recently. Then use it. Naples yellow, miceous oxide, primary magenta, interference green... It continues.

Paintings sold = painting supplies replenished

Suit 5 Salon sold 2 more of my pieces (2 back round about Nov), most recently "Cal Fight Song" + an untitled piece. So... Bought some new wood panels. This is the first effort today. I like to work a couple pictures simultaneously.

Don't know what a smalt is, but it's hue is beautiful blue gray. Of course I still mix it. For some reason color straight out of the tube is glaringly "color out of the tube".

Ah! "Yves Klein quick fix" 16"x20"