The Holland Shrug

Michigan winters divide people into two distinct camps: those who enjoy the frigid outdoors, and those who prefer the temperature-controlled indoors. I fall into the latter category. As much as I love the natural world, there are few things that can pry me from the comfort of slippers, coffee and piles of quilts in the colder months.

Of course, between work, child rearing, and all of my attempts at being social, there’s no way I can remain the Hermit of Quilts. So I compromise by taking my coffee to go and layering up. There are a few garments that rule the world of layers, and the shrug is an all-star among them. Easy to layer onto long and short sleeved tops, the shrug provides a carefree look and a cozy experience.

The Holland Wrap was crated by following this pattern from Lion Brand. However, I added my own v-stitch pattern, which I’ll share below.

Yarn Used: 5 Skeins Lion Brand Wool-Ease

Yarn Weight: 4

Hook: 5.5 mm, I-9

V-St Definitions

Dc-V-St: 2 dc in indicated sp.

Tr-V-St: 2 tr in indicated sp.

Stitch Pattern

Chain 113

Rows 1 and 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc 1 in each st across.

Row 3: Ch 5 (counts as first tr), tr 1 in each st across.

Rows 4 and 5: Rep rows 1 and 2.

Row 6: Ch 3, dc 1 in next dc, skip 1 dc, *dc-V-St in next dc, skip 1 dc; rep from * to last 2 dc, dc 2.

Row 7: Ch 4, tr 1 in next dc, tr-C-St in each dc-V-St to last 2 sts, tr 2.

Rows 8 and 9: Repeat rows 6 and 7.

Row 10: Repeat row 6.

Repeat rows 1-10 until piece measures 32 inches.

Follow the instructions on the Lion Brand pattern to complete the shrug.

This shrug is so simple! It begins as a rectangle, which you fold in half and seam up the sides, leaving six inches at the top for arm holes. The complete instructions for doing this can be found via the link to the Lion Brand pattern.

Final words:

As with any pattern, you may need to make adjustments to get the fit you want. The pattern I followed was a one size fits all pattern, but you can adjust the base chain to make it larger or smaller. I don’t have a formula…just experiment!

What are you making this week?

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