FO: Girls' Simple Openwork Shrug

We were in NC this past weekend for my niece's wedding. Abby wanted to wear her Caprice Sundress to the brunch the next morning, but she thought her shoulders might be a bit cold. Of course she could have worn her wedding sweater, but she wanted to run and play with her cousins and thought a shrug would be better (and yes, my almost 5 yo dd really voiced all these opinions on her own!). So, this Simple Openwork Shrug was born.

Girl's Simple Openwork Shrug

Project details:

Hook: Brittany 4.5mm hook
Yarn: Classic Elite Flash 'Pink Tweed'
Size: This fits my 5 yo who wears mostly sizes 5-6. It was 22 inches x 10 inches before sewing.

Pattern: My own - designed to match stitch pattern of NY Yarns Caprice Sundress.

Ch 90 , must be a multiple of 4 + 6.

Row 1: Dc in 4th chain from hook, (dc in next ch) twice, *ch 1, skip one ch, (dc in next ch) 3 times, repeat from * across.

Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as dc, ch 1), *3 dc in ch-1 space, ch 1, repeat from * across, dc in top of turning ch.

Row 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in ch-1 space, ch 1, *3 dc in ch-1 space, ch 1, repeat from * across, dc in 3rd ch of turning ch.

Repeat rows 2-3, ending with row 2, for a total of 20 rows, or as wide as you need shrug to be.

Fold in half, bringing the top of final row to the foundation chain.

Holding right sides together, sew 20 stitches in from each end to form sleeves. Weave in ends.

Felted Clutch Purse

I'm not the gal who collects purses. I use bags and totes to carry my stuff. If I don't want a big bag, I put my license and a credit card in the back pocket of my jeans. But, this time, I need a clutch. My dh has won another award and we are invited to a snazzy dinner at the Boston's Four Season's Hotel with the CEO & Board of Directors for his company. I have my sister and another babysitter lined up. I found a dress - it's a dark navy sleeveless sheath dress with a matching jacket - and minutes ago UPS delivered my shoes. I just needed a purse. So a few days ago I had an idea for a felted clutch. I hunted through my stash in search of dark navy wool, but instead found Cascade 220 Quatro Black/Blue plied yarn. I thought it might be dark enough and set out to just wing it. My goal was a clutch about 8.5-9" x 5". So what do you think?

Felted Envelope Clutch

Hook : K (closer to 7.0mm)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Quatro
Prefelting dimensions:
12" x 19" unfolded,
12" x 11.5" folded, flap open,
12" x 8" clutch
Postfelting dimensions:
8.5" x 9" flap open,
8.5" x 5.5" clutch

Ch 36 (until I had 12 inches)

Row 1: hdc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, ch 2, turn. (34 hdc)

Row 2-33: Repeat row 1 until fabric measures 15-16" (or desired length)

Row 34: hdc dec over first 2 stitches, hdc in next 30 st, hdc dec over last 2 stitches, ch 2, turn. (32 hdc)

Rows 35-40: repeat row 34 six more times. Fasten off. (20 hdc).

Fold bag bringing row 1 to row 31 (3 rows before the first decrease row). Whipstitch the side seams. FELT! Embellish with vintage pin. Here I use my dad's college ring given to my mom before he left for WWII and later made into a pin.