Another Tanit-Isis Shrug...

I love my houndstooth shrug immensely, even with it's imperfections, so I was ready to cut into my "real" fabric.

This is a lovely piece of mohair/silk knit that my mother gave me. I believe she picked it up at Waechter's Fine Fabrics while on a visit to North Carolina. It is absolutely divine, and I wanted to make it into something special, but not so special that I wouldn't wear it often.

And that I why I chose this pattern. I think it works as well with jeans and a tee shirt as it does with a black pencil skirt and red lipstick. This time I left the sleeve length as drafted (this is the size medium). It's definitely a little longer than a 3/4 sleeve, more like bracelet length. I like it.

For the closure, I again didn't want to risk a buttonhole in this fine knit, so I sewed on a wee snap and attached a pretty lace covered vintage button over the snap. The color of the knit is quite unusual - lilac in some lights and pale pink in others - so I was surprised to find this button that coordinates so well, both in color and style.

I am completely thrilled with this shrug and I know it will get a lot of wear, but there will be more to this story... I still have a yard of this knit, and while I was considering finishing options, I posted my conundrum on Facebook and Ann suggested facing the edges with silk chiffon, rather than using the bands as per the pattern.

I tried out a few options and I really like the look of the chiffon facing, particularly with some crystal seed beads decorating the edge. I'd like to make this again, in a more special occasion version, doing just that.

Tanit-Isis Vintage Shrug

So, after the teaser on Saturday, were you dying to know where you can get your hands on this adorable shrug pattern for yourself? I suspect many of you actually recognized it. 

My failed attempt to look as cool as Tanit-Isis. At least you can see the drapey sleeve.

The pattern is from the lovely and talented Tanit-Isis, and is available for free on her blog. I know, how awesome is that?! Click here for the pattern.

I made this out of a houndstooth burnout knit from FabricMart. Since the pattern only has one seam , matching the "stripe" of the houndstooth was effortless as long as your layout was on grain. the edges are all finished with self-fabric bands, which makes for a very easy and quick make. From printing to wearing this took me about 2 hours, but that includes some kvetching about what fabric I wanted to use.

The shrug fastens with a button on the neckband. The pattern calls for a buttonhole, but this knit was way too thin to support a buttonhole well, so I just used an elastic loop. Isn't the button pretty? It is vintage glass and seemed appropriate for this.

The only trouble I has was that this knit isn't particularly stretchy and I should have taken that into account and made my front band a bit longer to compensate. I have some rippling around there that isn't very attractive up close. I'm pretty sure it isn't going to stop me from wearing this though.

I did make one alteration to the pattern, which was to lengthen the sleeves. I generally like a 3/4 sleeve personally, but I wanted to wear this over long sleeves. I just extended the sleeve length to the full width of the fabric, tapering in to the wrist. I love how snug this sleeve is, although in my not very stretchy knit, it is a little tricky to get the band over my hand. Live and learn. The 3/4 length wouldn't have this problem, even in a particularly stable knit, and the style is unfitted enough that the stretch isn't needed for fit. So, this was a trail of the pattern, and I intend to use it for a lovely soft mohair knit my mother sent me. I'm not sure that I want to finish the edges with the bands in that fabric, so I may play with some different finishes. I'll keep you posted with what works for me.