A Shrug That Will Have You Totally Hooked: Rib and Shells Shrug

This story is from our newsletter called Pattern Journal which brings a warm-hearted, wholesome story to your inbox to read every month. If you enjoy it and would like to subscribe, click here.

Coming into the office, Jan saw Carrie at the reception desk. As usual, the young woman looked adorable — her hair perfectly styled, her makeup impeccable. What really caught Jan’s eye, though, was Carrie’s short, jazzy shrug — open and swingy, with bright flashes of color that popped off a darker background.

Suddenly, there was nothing Jan wanted more than a shrug like Carrie’s. Jan always dressed well for work, but she felt her clothes made her seem decades older than her mid-thirties. Carrie’s shrug suggested new possibilities. Draped and elegant, the garment would create a glamorous, professional look, and also provide warmth without encumbrance.

“Carrie,” Jan exclaimed, “Your shrug is gorgeous! Where did you get it?”

“Actually,” said Carrie, “I crocheted it. It’s handmade.”

Jan processed this information. It was boggling to realize that anyone could crochet something that looked so perfect. Once upon a time Jan had crocheted a simple afghan and some scarves, but nothing as amazing as Carrie’s shrug.

“Do you know how to crochet?” Carrie asked. “I can give you the pattern.”

“Oh gee,” Jan began. “I used to, but it’s been years . . .”

“This pattern is totally for beginners,” Carrie said. “You just crochet a rectangle, then fold and seam. The stitches are easy to remember, so you can crochet while watching TV, and it’s done in no time! Look, I’ll print the free pattern from the Lion Brand website, you buy the yarn, and I’ll help if you get stuck. Deal?”

The softly-plied yarn, called Landscapes^®, glowed with the impressionist brilliance of a tropical ocean sunset. Carrie was a willing crochet consultant, but Jan quickly recalled the stitches and easily understood the pattern. “It’s like riding a bike,” she observed. “You never really forget.”

“So what’s next?” Carrie asked. “Something more challenging?”

“I haven’t even finished this shrug!”

“But soon you will.”

“In that case, I think I’ll make myself another one, in a different colorway,” said Jan. “I have to confess that when I bought the yarn, I just couldn’t decide which colors I liked best. So I bought some extra.”

“Really?” Carrie seemed quite amused. “How much extra?”

“Um . . . a lot?” Carrie was laughing now. “Jan,” she said, “I think you’re totally hooked.”

—

Save 20% off Landscapes^® until the end of March!

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A story by Selma Moss-Ward.

Selma Moss-Ward writes and knits in Rhode Island. You can find her work on our blog, as well as Lion Brand’s monthly newsletter, Pattern Journal, which you can subscribe to here.