See our Shrug Club yarns in person and support local shops
Supporting moms at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI
.Knitting Needles 555 Thames Street, Newport, RI 02840
Join us at the Martinsville Community Center on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month from 12:30-2:30. IF YOU LIVE OUT OF STATE OR CAN'T JOIN US IN PERSON, PLEASE SHIP SHRUGS TO: MARY LANGDON, 1 REDWOOD ROAD, MARTINSVILLE, NJ 08836.
1961 Washington Valley Road, Martinsville (Behind the Washington Valley Library)
We recommend starting out with a Shrug Club Kit. Email us and we will bring your kit to the Martinsville Community Center.
To date we’ve shipped and delivered over 850 Stay Strong totes to children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses. All donated shrugs are sent to moms either through children’s hospitals or by request through direct mail. They are not used in our Send a Hug fundraiser. Send a Hug shrugs are made by dedicated volunteers specifically to meet our fundraising goals.
Helpful Shrug tips
Don’t be afraid to be creative
There are so many wonderful yarns out there. Don’t be afraid to experiment. But keep in mind that each yarn, stitch pattern, needle choice and your own tension affect the outcome of your finished fabric and fit.
A stretchy garter stitch with 2 strands of bulky yarn on US19 needles will grow when worn. If your measurements are 28” x 50” laying flat, the shrug will stretch and most likely be a great sized shrug. However, a stockinette shrug in with a tighter gauge might need to have a finished width of 53-55” to be adequate for a mom to wrap up in. All tunisian shrugs need to be 55-56” wide as there is very little stretch in tunisian simple stitch.
Keep in mind our intention, wrapping these moms in a great big hug. When budgeting your yarn - and time - focus on the width (wrist to wrist) measurement. Even a finished length of 27” is bound to stretch some when worn and if you run short on yarn, you can always add an accent yarn to finish off your length (top to bottom measurement when worn) and make an awesome collar! So casting on and working horizontally is a good way to get started until you know how much yarn you’ll need to get the correct finished measurements. Shoot for 53” - and take notes of what worked and what didn’t. Only you will know what works for you.
Measure your finished fabric and take note of how it drapes when worn. Make adjustments on your next one. If measurements are between 50-55” x 28-30” it will make a great shrug for our donations.
As a brand, we are hoping for some uniformity. Please consider lofty bulky yarns and double stranding to create a cozy fabric. Our Shrug Club kits are a great way to get started but there are several good choices in big box stores like Michael’s and JoAnn Fabric as well. Lion Brand Homespun, Scarfie and Shawl in a Ball combine nicely as do Loops and Threads Barcelona, Facet Stones and Red Heart Dreamy and Unforgettable. You can always email us or join our monthly zoom with questions.
Super hero capes for our Bear Buddies
Use your fingering weight or dk weight leftovers to help suit up our tiny bears with superhero capes before they head out to comfort critically ill or injured hospitalized children.
Using US8 knitting needles and holding 2 fingering weight strands together (OR single strand of dk weight), cast on 12 stitches leaving a 6” tail that will become one tie of the cape. Knit 2 rows.
Continue next 2 rows until cape measure 2 1/2 “
Row 1: knit 2, purl 8, knit 2
Row 2: knit.
At 2 1/2” (about 12 stockinette rows), Knit 2 more rows
Bind off as follows: knit first stitch, yarn over clockwise from front to back, bind off the yarn over. Knit next stitch, bind off as usual. Continue binding off in this manner, rotating a yarn over bind off with a regular bind off until all stitches are off your needles. This stretchy bind off will cause the bottom of the cape to flare out, giving the cape a little shape. Cut a 6” strand of yarn and attach to top of cape to complete the set of ties. Please place a knot on the ends of both ties.
Knit Shrug Pattern
2 skeins Lion Brand Homespun, 1 skein Loops and Threads Facet Stones, and US19 29” circular needles
Holding 2 strands of Homespun, cast on 76 stitches. Knit in garter stitch for 6 rows. Cut one strand of Homespun, attach one strand of Facet Stones.
Begin stockinette portion:
Row 1: Knit row.
Row 2: Knit 3, Purl to last 3 stitches, Knit 3.
Continue these 2 rows (creating stockinette stitch with 3 stitch garter border) until you run out of Facet Stones, ending with a full row of stockinette. Attach Homespun to end of Facet Stones and complete the last few rows in garter stitch leaving enough yarn to loosely bind off.
Lay shrug with wrong side up. Fold corners toward center and lace 2 small seams to form “sleeves”. See photo below. These laces can be removed if the mom receiving your gift would prefer to use her shrug as a throw.
Half Double Crochet Pattern
Thank you for designing this pattern for us Terry Fraser
3 skeins Lion Brand Homespun - 185 yards each
Size P crochet hook
Chain 77 stitches - this makes your foundation chain of 75 plus 2 for turning.
Row 1: Half double crochet in the 3rd chain from the hook. Repeat in every stitch across row. Chain 2 for turning.
Row 2 -30: Double crochet in the 2nd stitch from the hook. Repeat in every stitch across row. End of row 30 chain 1 for turning.
Row 31-35: Single crochet in the first chain from the hook and in every stitch across the row. Shrug will measure approximately 48" wide x 32" long.
Edge each side with single crochet stitch (3 - 4 rows on each side). Finished shrug will now measure 50" x 32".
Make 2 chains 100 stitches each and use to lace "sleeves" closed. You can make a third tie to use as a closure.
See photo below for finishing instructions.
