This was completely free-handed. The stitch I used throughout is half-double crochet, chain one, half-double crochet. I always worked into the chain space, not into the actual stitches. Basically, I crocheted a rectangle, which I then folded in half and sewed into sleeves (just like the Lovers Knot Shrug.) This stitch and yarn combo wasn’t as stretchy as the Lovers Knot was, so it wouldn’t meet in the middle of my chest like I wanted. To make it do so, I extended it out across the front. Then, I made the extended out part wider on the top and bottom as I felt necessary. I tied the whole thing with a ribbon to keep it closed. I intended to sew buttons to hold it, but the ribbon came out so well that I decided to keep it.
The yarn I used here is something made by Bernat. I didn’t save the label, so I don’t know the name. It came in a HUGE skein that I bought on sale a few weeks before Christmas. It’s light blue with some sort of shiny thread in it that sparkles. Like I said above, it doesn’t stretch much. If I made this shrug again, crocheting a little more loosely and with a stretchier yarn, it would probably come out more like the Lover’s Knot shrug and I could hold it together with a pin. I may try that out in the future. I really like the way this stitch looks.
