I hope you had a lovely weekend. This afternoon the sun has finally come out. We’ve had a cloudy and unseasonably cold weekend here in South Carolina, but that’s kind of nice for a change. Good weather for sewing a cozy shrug!

So, what do you think? I’m not 100% sure about it, mainly because the fit is larger than I’d like. I made a size 11, as per the measurement chart in this Jalie Cocoon pattern. Probably in a thinner material, the extra fabric would be fine. But, in this heavier wool/rayon blend, I feel like a size (or two?) smaller would have come off less bag-lady.

Is this bag-lady? I’m concerned.

That’s the thing with making your own clothing, it takes more confidence You could sew something truly hideous and wear it and who would say?

Ok, you would say, wouldn’t you? I can count on you for that. Surely!

I don’t think this is hideous, and it’s certainly warm. I know I’ll be wearing it loads in this cold weather. It seems I’m constantly wanting to add or remove a wrap, so shrugs are my cup of tea.

In recent years I’ve been disappointed with the quality of sweaters and wraps I can find in stores. So much is made with acrylic, which tends to pill horribly after one or two gentle washes. I air dry all my sweaters, but there’s no helping acrylic blends. I can hardly ever find wool, which is such a practical cold-weather fiber.

This shrug is made with a fabric called Lana Bollito, a wool/rayon blend. It has an interesting nubby texture and was easy enough to sew. I didn’t use any special needles, etc. I did prewash the fabric on cold, on the advice of Kate of The Confident Stitch. That was a good call, as it definitely shrank. I’d recommend buying a little extra fabric for your project, just to be sure. Lana Bollito is available in quite a few shades, including a gorgeous olive, teal and purple. Mine is the cocoa brown. It happens to be on sale now, too!

Ok, even though I’m unsure of the fit, I think this project was a success. It’s warm and practical and was super easy to sew. Oh, I didn’t mention that yet, did I? It’s a super-easy pattern. Actually, it’d be suitable for your very first garment.

If you sew one, you can use one of these The Confident Stitch sassy labels. Let me know how it goes!