Weddingbee Blog

I’m a knitter. Yup, I’ll admit it - I love knitting baby booties as much as the next granny. Although, my patterns have not reached far beyond “long, straight things,” really only a smidgen past “socks”, which, I know are not particularly easy. Then again, they are much smaller and therefore, in my opinion, much harder to screw up!

Then why, might you ask, am I taking up yet another DIY wedding project that I myself will wear on our wedding day? No, not wedding socks or a wedding beanie - why, a wedding cardigan! As it gets quite cold out in the country from my experience, I figured I’d need something to take the chill off - even with it being the beginning of October in California (aka home of the rather long Indian Summer).

No, I’ve never knitted a sweater of any size in my life. Yes, I am crazy for thinking about doing it now - and especially in the expensive materials I would like to craft it in. I mean, it’s our wedding day - why not wear cashmere or alpaca!? Of course, it would still be only a fraction of what I would pay for in a store - but still, it’s quite the spendy project for a first-time-sweater-knitter.

The Ribbed Shrug by Pam Allen @ Interweave Press

Therefore, I’ve researched and found what I think will be a cheap, easy solution: Pam Allen’s Ribbed Shrug from Interweave Press. I could only find a small photo of the original magazine release, but I was able to find several other FO’s (that’s Finished Objects for you non-knitters out there) to share with you.

An ivory colored Ribbed Shrug.
Image via westieluvr on Flickr.


The very same Ribbed Shrug in a hand-dyed rose Silk/Mohair blend yarn.
Image via mybelle23 on Flickr.

It’s got a nice simple pattern with very few complicated increases or decreases, uses a relatively small amount of yarn (aka less $$), and has a nice stylish touch: the ruffles on the sleeves. I love how simple the lines are on this shrug - it will complement the clean lines of my gown, but also add a nice texture to my outfit.

The beginning of a Ribbed Shrug in a beautiful cream Sport Weight Yarn.
Image via Hedgehog Knits.

I plan to knit this in something a bit more formal, rather than the basic acrylic Patton yarn the pattern calls for, I’ll use a nice lofty mohair. I ran to my LYS (Local Yarn Shop) on my lunch to pick up 5 skeins of a soft white Sublime Kid Mohair. It’s sooooo soft and fluffy, with it’s blend of 60% Kid Mohair, 35% Nylon and 5% Cashmere. I think it will add a touch of romance to the ruffles on the sleeve - it should turn out a bit more like the shrug pictured below (the runner up pattern).

A frothy, yummy, concoction of a shrug in Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri yarn.
Pattern and yarn available @ kpixie.

In changing out the Patons Katrina yarn for the lofty and delicate Sublime Kid Mohair Blend, I had to make a few adjustments to the pattern. For the curious knitters: The Mohair was a much smaller weight, but I kept it on the same 10.5’s and cast on the same 134 stitches. However, when it came time for the decreases that would create the ruffle, I k6tog for each k3tog. I’m totally digging how it’s turning out so far!

My shrug so far!

Are there any other knitters with wedding projects out there?