Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled
This Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled Shrug is copyrighted by I Need It Crochet. You may not copy, share, change, or sell the pattern itself. Also, you may not claim this pattern as your own. All pictures contained in this pattern fall under the copyright and may not be used.
Finished items made from this Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled Shrug belong to you, and you may do what you wish with them. If you choose to sell them on Etsy, I would very much appreciate it if you credited me as the pattern designer.
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I’m thrilled to be sharing this crochet shrug pattern with you at long last! The design has been living in my head for years, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pour out of my brain and onto my hook.
This piece is the perfect combination of comfort and style. Elegant and cozy, the center back design features two twisted rope cables bordering a dramatic, eye-catching braided cable. The edging is finished with a lovely, textured rib stitch. Pop it on over any outfit and take a walk through town. Or curl up with it on the couch and open your favourite book.
If you’ve never worked with cables before, this is a great pattern to learn with! I have added plenty of pictures to help you along the way.
How To Crochet The Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled
Here are the steps to making a basic crochet shrug. Even if you’ve never worked a crochet shrug pattern before, you’ll see that it is actually very easy!
These are the basic steps for making a shrug. For more details, check out the crochet shrug pattern below!
- Crochet a large, wide rectangle.
You want the rectangle to be wide enough to reach from elbow to elbow, and tall enough to cover at least your entire back.
- Fold the rectangle in half lengthwise.
Fold the bottom up to meet the top.
- Sew the sides.
You want to sew the sides, but leave a hole on each side for your arms to get through.
- Add a trim.
Adding a trim to the outside edge gives the project a finished look ad helps the shrug sit nicely on the shoulders.
- Weave in your ends.
And you’re done!
Finished Sizes:
Instructions given to fit size X-small/small; changes for medium/large, X-large/2X-large, 3X-large/4X-large, and 5X-large/6X-large are in ()
XS/S (M/L, XL/2XL, 3XL/4XL, 5XL/6XL)
To fit Bust: 33”-37” (37”-42”, 42”-50”, 50”-58”, 58”-66”)
Shoulder Width: 14”-15” (15 ½”-17”, 17 ½”-18”, 18”-18 ½”, 18 ½”-19”)
Finished Length: Customizable. Length on model shown is 32”.
Gauge:
See gauge swatch instructions below. Be sure to always check your gauge. It will save you much time and heartache.
Materials:
I used Caron Cotton Funnel Cakes, which is a 100% Cotton, #4 Worsted weight yarn.
Any yarn of similar weight would work.
Approximately 1200 (1300, 1400, 1500, 1600) yds.
5mm Hook
6mm Hook
Stitch Markers
Yarn Needle
Scissors
Measuring Tape
Abbreviations:
Sk = Skip
St = Stitch
Ss = Slip Stitch
Ch = Chain
Sc = Single Crochet
Dc = Double Crochet
Tr = Treble Crochet
Fpdc = Front Post Double Crochet
Bpdc = Back Post Double Crochet
Fptr = Front Post Treble Crochet
Notes:
Ch1 and ch2 at the beginning of a row/round is never considered a stitch.
Ch3 at the beginning of a row is considered a dc.
The model above (that’s me) has a 38” bust and is wearing a size M/L.
Choose your size according to your bust and shoulder measurements. For a look like mine, choose the size closest to your measurements. For a cozy, oversized look, choose the next size up.
Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled
Gauge Swatch
The instructions below will create a gauge swatch that is 4 ¼” (8 ½”) wide by 4 ½” (9 ”) high. If you are making a larger size and/or you sometimes find your tension is off, I recommend making the larger swatch. But, of course, that is completely up to you. Also, the width of your swatch is much more important than the overall height. So if your width is on point, but your height is off, I recommend using the hook that gives you the correct width.
With 5mm hook
- Ch 15 (29). Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. Turn. – 14 (28) st
- Ch1. Hdc in 1st st and each st across. Turn. – 14 (28) st
Repeat row 2 until you have a total of 12 (24) rows. Your swatch should measure 4 ¼” (8 ½”) W by 4 ½” (9 ”) H.
Instructions
This shrug may look complicated, but the construction is simple. We will begin by making a large rectangle, which we will fold in half to sew the armholes. Then, we will join the yarn on the outer edge and work in the round to create the ribbing. The sleeves are finished off with a simple sc.
Body
Begin with a yarn tail about 16” long.
With 5mm hook (or the hook used to obtain gauge)
- (Right Side) Ch 119 (135, 159, 183, 209). Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. Turn. – 118 (134, 158, 182, 208) st
- (Wrong Side) Ch1. Hdc in 1st 45 (53, 65, 77, 90) sts. Bpdc in next 4 sts. Hdc in next 4 sts. Bpdc in next 12 sts. Hdc in next 4 sts. Bpdc in next 4 sts (see Figure 1). Hdc in each st to end. Turn. – 118 (134, 158, 182, 208) st
Figure 1
- Ch1. Hdc in 1st 45 (53, 65, 77, 90) sts. *Sk 2 sts, fptr in next 2 sts (see Figure 2). Working in front of 2 sts just made (see Figure 3), fptr in the 2 sts previously skipped (see Figure 4).** Hdc in next 4 sts. [Sk 3 sts, fptr in next 3 sts (see Figure 5). Working in front of 3 sts just made, fptr in 3 sts previously skipped (see Figure 6).] Repeat from [ to ] (see Figure 7). Hdc in next 4 sts. Repeat from * to ** (see Figure 8). Hdc in each st to end. – 118 (134, 158, 182, 208) st
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
- Repeat row 2 (see Figure 9). Figure 10 shows what your project will look like after you turn. – 118 (134, 158, 182, 208) st
Figure 9
Figure 10
- Ch1. Hdc in 1st 45 (53, 65, 77, 90) sts. *Sk 2 sts, fptr in next 2 sts. Working in front of 2 sts just made, fptr in the 2 sts previously skipped.** Hdc in next 4 sts. Fpdc in next 3 sts (see Figure 11). Sk 3 sts, fptr in next 3 sts (see Figure 12). Working behind 3 sts just made (see Figures 13 & 14), tr in 3 sts previously skipped (See Figure 15). Fpdc in next 3 sts (See Figure 16). Hdc in next 4 sts. Repeat from * to ** (see Figure 17). Hdc in each st to end. – 118 (134, 158, 182, 208) st
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17
Gauge Check: Your project should be approximately 34” (39”, 46”, 53”, 61”) wide. If your project is an inch or two wider than expected, it shouldn’t change the look too much. If it is narrower than expected, or more than 2” wider, I would try again with a different sized hook.
Repeat rows 2 – 5 until your rectangle is 26” H, or until you have reached your desired length, minus about 6″. Be sure to end with a repeat of rows 2 or 4. Bind off, leaving your yarn tail about 16” long.
Note: The height of your rectangle will change the look. For the shrug shown on the model, I worked until the rectangle was 26″ high. Once the ribbed edging was added, the finished shrug sat at about 32” below the shoulders. If you would like your shrug to be longer or shorter than the one pictured, simply add or subtract rows. Be sure to always end with a repeat of rows 2 or 4. Your project should look similar to Figure 18.
Figure 18
Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled
Sewing The Sleeves
- Lay your rectangle out so that the right side is facing up and the top row is farthest from you.
- Fold the rectangle in half, bringing the top down to the bottom. (See figure 19)
- Decide how large you would like your sleeves to be. I wanted my arm holes to be 10” around, so I placed my stitch marker 5” down from the fold. Use a locking stitch marker to pin the two layers together. (See figure 20)
- Place another locking stitch marker at the corner, again pinning the two layers together. (See figure 20)
- Repeat for the other side.
- Use your long yarn tails to whip stitch the two layers together from the corners, up to the arm holes. You should now have something resembling figure 21.
Figure 19
Figure 20
Figure 21
Finishing The Arm Holes
Turn your shrug right side out. Join your yarn anywhere on the edge of a sleeve with the right side facing you and sc evenly around the edge. I find that my edges come out even if I sc in the following manner: 1 sc in the end of the 1st row, 2 sc in the end of the next row. Repeat that pattern until all rows have been worked. Once you have made it all the way around the sleeve edge, ss to the 1st sc and bind off. Repeat for the other sleeve.
Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled
Outer Edging
For the edging we will be working in the round, joining at the end of each round, and turning. Begin by joining your yarn anywhere on the outer edge with the right side facing you.
Important Note: When working the outer edging, I increased my hook size by 1 mm (going from a 5mm to a 6mm). This is because the ribbing stitch tends to pull in a bit tighter than the hdc rows we worked in the body. If you use the same size hook as you did for the body of the shrug, your ribbing will be tighter, causing the edging to pull in and the body to poof out. Therefore, I recommend you increase your hook size for the ribbing as I have done.
Using 6mm hook (or 1mm larger than hook used to obtain gauge)
- (Right Side) Ch1. Sc in 1st st and each st around. Ss to join to 1st st. Turn. – 236 (268, 316, 364, 416) st
- (Wrong Side) Ch3. Dc in next st and each st around. Ss to join to 1st st. Turn. – 236 (268, 316, 364, 416) st
- Ch2. Fpdc in 1st st. Bpdc in next st. *Fpdc in next st. Bpdc in next st.** Repeat from * to ** around. Ss to join to 1st st. Turn. – 236 (268, 316, 364, 416) st
- Ch2. Bpdc in 1st st. Fpdc in next st. *Bpdc in next st. Fpdc in next st.** Repeat from * to ** around. Ss to join to 1st st. Turn. – 236 (268, 316, 364, 416) st
Repeat rounds 3 and 4 until you have a total of 9 rounds (counting from round 1).
- Ch1. Sc in 1st st and each st around. Ss to join to 1st st. Bind off.
Weave in your ends, and you’re done!
I hope you love your new crochet shrug, and I look forward to seeing all of your beautiful pictures on Ravelry!
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If you enjoyed The Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled, you may want to check out my other designs!
Free Crochet Shrug Pattern – Cozy Cabled
And until next time… Happy Hooking! 😉
Once you reach the edging fir the arms and the rest if the shrug what is considered the right side? The back of the shrug with the design or the front of the shrug with the opening?
The right side of your work is always the side that will be showing When you wear it. So in this case, it is the side where you can see the cable design.