Shapeshifter Shrug - Part 3

This is the final chapter of the Shapeshifter Shrug project.  Here are the other two parts:

• Shapeshifter Shrug - Part 1
• Shapeshifter Shrug - Part 2 

I was waiting on my buttons to come from Hong Kong (an eBay purchase).  They came in last month, so I finally sewed them on.

Here is the completed shrug, sans buttons:

Finally Seeing the Light Again

Here are my buttons (they are just as they looked in the eBay pictures):

Asian Buttons

These are mother-of-pearl flower-shaped buttons.  When you look at the reverse side, you see the outside shell striations.  Very neat and natural looking.

The thread I used to sew on each button was embroidery thread.  I have a ton of it, even though I don't do much cross stitch or embroidery..

I Said There Were a Ton!

 One container I've had since I was a teenager (friendship bracelets) and the other two are from a yard sale.  I bought the two bottoms ones for a total of $5.  Awesome deal.  They really do come in handy, so it was a good purchase, even if I'm not cross stitching.

I chose a dark green and started sewing.  I had 18 buttonholes, so it took me a bit to sew them all on.  But once I finished I was happy with the results:

So, What'cha Think?

Here is a close-up of the ends with the buttons:

Perfect-o!

That is the sleeve of the shrug above.  You can wear this a few different ways, but I could only think of two ways.  I looked on the internet for some help and here is a montage of the different ways (not all ways are feasible, but funny none-the-less):

As a Shrug

As a Scarf

As a Shawl

Here are the funny ones:

As A Neckwarmer (if you were a giraffe)

As a Torso Warmer (Vince's favorite)

As a Hoodie

Back of the Hoodie

The shrug is really the best and normal way to wear it, but it was funny trying to come up with alternate ways to do it.  The Little Green Riding Hood (aka the Hoodie) is my favorite funny way to wear it.

It was a bit disappointing that there aren't more ways to wear it.  I spent awhile knitting it and it's like a convertible car that you really can't put the top down.  Anyway, I am proud of, even if I can wear it one way.

I have a few handmade items on the horizon that I am making for Christmas, so stayed tuned!

Shapeshifter Shrug - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the Shapeshifter Shrug.  I am almost done I can almost feel how cozy this will be.  I have completed both parts of the shrug, the left and the right. (In case you missed it, here is Part 1).

The next step is to connect these two halves with a knit stitch called the Kitchener stitch.  There is no way to easily explain how this stitch is done, but I can tell you that the blog The Purl Bee does it with some great instructions.  Basically, you are taking a blunt needle and the same yarn and weaving in the stitches that are on the needle and holder (those are called "live" stitches) to create a stitch that looks like the knit side of your work.  This creates a seamless join.

I had to have the instructions up on the screen the entire time I did this and had the computer cursor on the step I was doing each time.  This took concentration and a quiet house. (Sorry Vince, no TV and no talking!)

Here is the work-in-progress from last week.  Once this was complete I weaved in the loose ends and took a break for about a week.  Ha, the next step I wanted daylight and plenty of time so I waited until the following weekend (this weekend) to block.

Blocking is something that you do at the end of a project to make all the hard work you just put into knitting look fabulous.  This means that all the stitches that puckered and all the curling get smoothed out for a professional look.  I did this step when I knitted the Lace-Up Fingerless Gloves for Christmas last year.

I start out by laying out a towel on the floor.  I measure and arrange (by stretching, if necessary) my shrug to the dimensions that look good to me.  I chose 23" wide.  I took safety pins and stuck them through the edge and into the rug. 

I then used a spray bottle to generously mist the fabric.  I used my fingertips to massage the mist into the fabric and to ensure it is evenly wetted.

I then stretched it to my measurements and pinned all the way around the shrug.

Next, I covered it with a second towel and placed books on top of the entire surface area of the shrug.  I up-ended two TV snack trays and placed those on top of the books along with a box and a bin.  I used whatever would evenly press down on the fabric.  I will come back and check on this in a few days.  It is ready when the fabric is fully dry.

Last week I went button shopping.  I changed the pattern a bit and did not make it as long as the pattern was originally written.  As a result, I did not need as many buttonholes as planned.  Instead of 20 buttonholes, I only needed to make 18.  That being said, I needed 18 buttons.  I thought Joann's would have just what I needed, so I headed there and I discovered two things:

1. That Joann's did not even have 18 of the same button (unless I bought two bags of the bag-o-buttons and those are plastic and are not going anywhere near the shrug that took me a month to knit).  Yeah, I'm snubbing the bag-o buttons.
2. That even if Joann's did have that many buttons in a button I liked, it would've cost me a fortune.  That is even taking into account using coupons.  Nice buttons were priced anywhere between $2.99 to $8.99.  Some had only one to a card and some had up to four on a card.  

So, I went looking on the internet and there are several online stores that had some great buttons that you could buy in bulk, but they were still too expensive.  I then got a Eureka! moment and went to eBay.  

I found a lot of 50 flower-shaped white mother-of-pearl shell buttons for a total of $7.05.  That is with shipping.  The only thing is, is that it's coming from Hong Kong and will take 4-6 weeks.  Hey, I don't care, it is still in the 90's here in Florida, I can live a bit longer without the shrug. 

I love eBay!