Crochet Clothing Projects Part 2 - My "Shroat"

Okay, so as I mentioned in my last post, I took the plunge last year and attempted some crochet clothing. It was this pattern on Ravelry that made me decide to give it a go.

Making a "shroat" (shrug/coat) for me was going to be a bigger investment in time and money than the little one I had made for my daughter. I finally decided to get some Paton's Washed Haze Aran (since I was enjoying using it for Oliver’s Rainsong Blanket – which wasn’t finished at the time, by the way!) and, I'm not sure how, but I worked out that I’d need 10 x 50g balls. I got a great deal on ebay for $30. I finally settled on a 10mm hook. I tried with my 16mm one (the pattern calls for 15mm) but the stitches it produced were just ridiculous. Too loose, too hard for me to manage. (In hindsight, though, looser stitches may have been better in the end...)

Okay - so this is how you make it:

The idea is that you start with a shrug. That was really easy - just a rectangle that you fold in half, stitch up the sleeves, and slide in your arms.


Hard to take photos of myself wearing it!

Then you run stitches in a circle around the back-of-the-neck and around and down to the bottom at the back, and back again. This adds a collar and a ruffle on the bottom - a "shracket" - a shrug/jacket.

Okay, you with me so far?

THEN (if you still want to keep going!) you can add more to the back (and a little at the front - that was the confusing part for me!) and you end up with a "shroat" (a shrug/coat).

AND/OR you can add more length and add ties and make your "shracket" into a "shrap" (a shrug/wrap).

For mine I went with the shroat idea and decided to keep going until I'd used up every ball. I really like the length.

These next few photos were taken a couple of days ago - more than a year after the photos above!

I was having trouble taking photos of myself... ha ha... not my best photo...


So Miss Rosie took this one for me...

And this one...

I hope this gives you and idea of the finished item!
 

The pattern is okay but a little confusing in places. An ol’ crochet pro would probably have no problems following it, but not me. More than one time I wasn’t sure what they meant, and so I panicked and just... stopped making it for a while! I ended up sending messages to a couple of fellow Ravelers asking for help, and they kindly replied. (If they are reading this – thank you!)

In the end I just had a go, and it worked out. And the other Ravelry-ers were right - it IS very quick. And it is VERY easy.

Only problem is... Rosie was right! It doesn't keep you warm because of all the holes in it - unless I wear it with something long-sleeved underneath! And with the yarn I used it is actually quite a warm coat so it ends up all a bit hot-cold if you wear it just with a cami underneath.

I know, this is such a terrible problem! ;-) It is too WARM up here for me to wear it very much! Oh, how awful to live in a place where the average maximum temperature in winter is 25 degrees! :-) The evenings can be cool, but, like I said, not cool enough for the long-sleeve top and shroat combo, and too cool for the shroat on its own. :-P

So, a bit of a silly project then? Not necessarily. It was still a really great learning experience. I never, ever thought I'd make my own crochet clothing. And now I have. So, it's all good. :-)

Now about the pattern... Ravelry provided a link to the pattern, but the link no longer worked. I then googled and searched and googled some more and eventually found a link that sort-of worked. The website is a bit dodgy - sometimes it will load up for you, other times it says it can't access the webpage. If you want to try the website, follow this link here. Let me know if it doesn't work and I will try to track it down for you.

I have also just found out that the pattern can be purchased here.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post today. My first two crochet clothing items have now been shared on this blog - only a year after I made them! :-P

Till next time, have a happy, hooky day,
Caz :)