All You Need to Know About The Sunset Cove Shrug

This post is about the construction of the Sunset Cove Shrug. This crocheted shrug is made using a mesh stitch and easy construction. Want the pattern? Scroll to the bottom for the link.

I finally released my Sunset Cove Shrug. The time between me first posting the photo of the shrug and actually releasing the pattern felt like forever! When I made the shrug I did not have it in my mind to make a pattern. Actually! I had just begun dabbling into pattern making (well, I am still a baby in that area)!

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A story of insecurity

The sunset cove shrug was made to cover my insecurities as my wife and in-laws were coming to town and had mainly one thing on their minds: BEACH. Days before their arrival I finished the first shrug. Here is a picture of the first run

By the way, the yarn I used for this was Lion Brand Yarn’s 24/7 Cotton. This yarn absorbs water really well making it great for summer sweat and beach days!

I was quite pleased with it and it served its main purpose of giving me that confidence walking around on the beach without feeling too exposed. After spending time in it I felt like there was something off. It would slide off my shoulder and pull down longer than I had wanted it to.

Related post: Free Crochet Pattern – Cameron Coverup

What was wrong

I soon felt like the only thing I liked about the prototype was how I made the cuff around my wrist and the beautiful lace detail. Nevertheless, the shrug took well to social media and I eventually had an order for a custom-made shrug. Now I do not usually make custom orders anymore but since this was my wife’s friend I was more than happy to make it 🙂 this also gave me the opportunity to correct the flaws in the shrug as I remade it.

The fix

I was determined to fix the fit of the shrug as having it slide off the shoulder was the main issue I experienced with my prototype. After doing so I worked on forming a sleeve portion because adjusting the length had compromised the width. It was so frustrating! This is where I learned the valuable lesson of simply taking a break. Despite deadlines, we must always remember that if under stress and pressure we are less productive. I took a break and rest for a while, sure enough, a solution came and I was able to finish the shrug just as how I envisioned it to be!

Interested in more beginner-friendly summer crochet projects? You might like these designs:

Siffleur Top – An easy crochet box top that has an exposed inverted triangle peekaboo design in the back making it extra breezy during the summer heat.

Eva Summer Top – sleeves top made with an easy lace-like design

Catalan Beach Tank – this is an Etsy bestseller! This beginner crochet top whips up really fast and easy, the perfect beginner project. The sleeveless top features a low back V-cut.

Side note, fixing crochet mistakes might seem a bit daunting and impossible without ripping out stitches. If you are dealing with size issues, this post about fixing crochet mistakes by cutting crochet fabric – yes I said cutting! – might be helpful.

Getting the pattern out done

Moving along with the process, I attempted to do the necessary math work for the pattern and sent it to testers. Oh my goodness guys! I have so much respect for those who can do this effortlessly. I am still trying to properly figure out all this math associated with pattern writing. It is honestly the most time-consuming of my whole pattern write-up process.

The pattern did not turn out the way I wanted it to for my testers especially issues with length and sizing for larger sizes. I needed to once again make adjustments, again I took a little break to rest my mind before proceeding with the pattern process. I believe it is just all a part of the process of learning and making. Today was very special because I released the Sunset Cove Shrug out to the world. A symbol of trial and error and never giving up. 🙂

Until next time my maker friend!

Abigail