Valley Yarns Lake House Shrug Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Lake House Shrug

What Is Being Made

The Lake House Shrug is a lightweight layering piece designed by Kirsten Hipsky that combines the comfort of a scarf with the functionality of a shrug. This garment features an open center back, making it ideal for wearing over sleeveless tops and t-shirts to add warmth to the arms and shoulders without the bulk of a traditional cardigan. The shrug is constructed using a simple "seamed scarf" structure, which makes it an accessible project despite its advanced beginner difficulty rating.

Finished Measurements

The Lake House Shrug is available in four sizes with the following finished dimensions:

• Size 1: 14.5" wide × 37" long
• Size 2: 16" wide × 38" long
• Size 3: 17.5" wide × 39" long
• Size 4: 19" wide × 40" long

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several key techniques that contribute to both its visual appeal and wearability. The garment is worked flat on straight needles, meaning it is knitted as a single rectangular piece rather than in the round. The construction utilizes lace techniques to create the stretchy, decorative ribbing that characterizes the piece. The finishing process involves seaming, where the cast-on and bind-off edges are sewn together to form a tube. Importantly, the seaming is only partial—the center 13 to 16 inches (depending on size) remains unseamed, creating the open back that defines a shrug's silhouette and allows the garment to drape elegantly over the shoulders.

Stitches Used

The Lake House Shrug features a repeating pattern stitch that creates its distinctive lacy texture. The pattern is based on a multiple of 5 stitches plus 2 and repeats over 4 rows:

• Knit (k): The fundamental stitch that forms the base of the fabric
• Purl (p): Used to create textural contrast and definition within the pattern
• Purl 3 together (p3tog): A decrease stitch that reduces three stitches to one, creating the lacy openwork effect
• Yarn over (yo): An increase stitch that creates deliberate holes in the fabric, essential to the lace pattern and contributing to the stretchy quality of the ribbing
• Stockinette stitch: Referenced in the gauge information, this basic stitch (knit on right side, purl on wrong side) may appear in portions of the finished garment

Materials

The Lake House Shrug is designed to showcase the luxurious qualities of Valley Yarns Goshen, a worsted weight yarn with a sophisticated fiber blend. The yarn composition is 48% Peruvian Cotton, 46% Modal, and 6% Silk, creating a silky-soft fabric with excellent drape and breathability. Each skein contains 50 yards and weighs 50 grams. The pattern calls for 4 to 5 skeins depending on the chosen size, with the sample shown in size 16" × 38" requiring 4 skeins in Navy colorway.

Knitting needles required are US size 7 (4.5mm) straight needles. The pattern specifies two gauges: 20 stitches and 28 rows equal 4 inches when worked in the pattern stitch, while 18 stitches and 28 rows equal 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the finished measurements specified in the pattern.

Construction Summary

The Lake House Shrug begins with a cast-on of 72 to 102 stitches (depending on size), worked with a 1-yard tail for seaming purposes. The entire body is then worked in the four-row repeating pattern stitch for the desired length (37 to 40 inches depending on size), ending on a row 1 of the pattern. The piece is bound off loosely with another 1-yard tail reserved for finishing. The two long edges are then sewn together using the tail ends to create a tube, but only the first and last 12 inches are seamed, leaving the center section open. This open section allows the wearer to slip their arms through while the seamed portions wrap around the shoulders and back, creating the characteristic shrug silhouette. After seaming, all loose ends are sewn in and the finished piece is lightly blocked to