Tahki Yarns Breakers Shrug Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns Breakers Shrug Pattern Summary

Project Overview

The Breakers Shrug is an intermediate-level knitted bolero designed by Joan Beebe. This garment is worked primarily in the round using circular needles, creating a sophisticated shoulder wrap that spans from cuff to cuff. The shrug features a structured back panel with decorative cable work, complemented by coordinating sleeves that extend the full length of the garment.

What Is Being Made

This is a knitted shrug—a short, open-front shoulder garment that provides warmth and style without the commitment of a full cardigan. The Breakers Shrug is available in six sizes ranging from Small to 3X, with finished measurements spanning 50½ to 60½ inches from cuff to cuff and a center back length of 15 to 21 inches (excluding border). The design creates an elegant, fitted silhouette suitable for layering over dresses or casual wear.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate knitting techniques that add visual interest and structural integrity to the finished piece:

• Cable work: The back panel features cable stitches (C2B and C2F) that create twisted, rope-like textures running vertically through the design. These cables are worked using a cable needle to manipulate stitch placement.
• Worked in the round: The shrug construction utilizes circular needles and double-pointed needles to create seamless fabric in circular rows, reducing finishing work and creating a polished appearance.
• Picked-up stitches: Sleeves are created by picking up and knitting stitches directly from the side edges of the back panel, a technique that ensures proper proportioning and eliminates seaming.
• Decreasing and shaping: The pattern includes decreasing techniques such as sk2p (slip, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) to create tapered shaping in the cuffs.
• Yarn overs: Decorative yarn overs are incorporated into the back panel pattern to add lace-like details and visual texture.

Stitches Used

The Breakers Shrug employs a combination of fundamental and decorative stitches organized into distinct pattern sections:

• Back Panel Pattern (25 stitches): This foundational pattern alternates between right-side and wrong-side rows, incorporating knit and purl stitches to create texture. The pattern includes cable crosses (C2F and C2B), yarn overs for lace detail, and decreases (k2tog, ssk) that work together to form the decorative cable motif.
• Body Pattern: Worked on the larger needles, this pattern creates the main fabric of the sleeves using the established stitch pattern repeated across the increased stitch count.
• Cuff Pattern: The cuffs are worked in ribbing (alternating knit and purl stitches) on smaller needles, creating an elastic edge that hugs the wrist.
• Cable stitches: C2B (cable 2 back) and C2F (cable 2 front) are the primary cable techniques, each requiring a cable needle to temporarily hold stitches while crossing them over active stitches.
• Decreasing stitches: Multiple decrease methods including sk2p, ssk, and k2tog are used to shape the garment and create decorative decreases within the pattern.

Materials and Tools

The Breakers Shrug pattern calls for specific materials and equipment to achieve the intended gauge and finished appearance:

• Yarn: Tahki Yarns Coronado, a blend of 90% cotton and 10% silk, in color #01 white. This yarn is supplied in 50-gram balls with 121 yards (112 meters) per ball. The pattern requires 8 to 13 balls depending on size, making this an ideal yarn for warm-weather wear with a subtle sheen from the silk content.
• Needles: The pattern requires two sets of needles in different sizes. Size 5 (3.75 mm) needles are used for the cuffs and initial cast-on, including both straight needles and a 32-inch circular needle or double-pointed needles. Size 7 (4.5 mm) needles are used for the body and border work, also available in straight and circular formats.
• Additional tools: A cable needle for executing cable crosses, stitch markers