Here on Vancouver Island, arbutus trees are everywhere. They shed their bark all summer long, and in the fall, robins flock to them, feasting on the ruby red berries. They’re a tough tree, choosing poor sandy soil over the rich loam of the west coast rain forest, perching on rocky outcrops, leaning towards the ocean. Both the colour of this yarn and the texture of the lace reminded me of the arbutus and made me think of sitting beside one on a grey fall morning, cup of steaming tea in hand, watching the waves on the ocean together. This is what I’d want to wear on such a morning - something cozy and warm and soft.

The body section of the Arbutus shrug is worked flat (knitters can choose to use a provisional cast-on or pick up stitches along the CO edge later on). Once the body section is complete it is blocked, and then the border ribbing is attached in the round. The armholes are then seamed, and the tapered armhole border is added using short rows.

This pattern is designed to be worn with plenty of positive ease – about 6-8”/15-20 cm, but if you want something extra-roomy, feel free to go up a size! Or, if a wrap is more your style, there’s a recipe included for that, too!

Sizes
XS (S, M, L, XL) to fit bust sizes 32-34 (36-38, 40-44, 46-50, 52-56)”/81-86 (91-97, 102-112, 117-127, 132-142) cm.

Yarn Requirements
750 (950, 1150, 1350, 1550) yards/686 (867, 1052, 1234, 1417) metres of DK weight yarn.

The sample yarn is Crooked Kitchen Yarn’s Bluebelle Pure DK (100% non-superwash BFL, 252 yards/115 grams) in the Bittersweet colourway. This yarn is on the slender side of DK, so please take this into consideration if substituting yarn.

Gauge
Lace pattern: 17.75 sts and 35.5 rows = 4“/10 cm on smaller needles, lightly blocked.
Ribbing along body edge: 17.5 sts and 26.5 rnds = 4”/10 cm on larger needles, lightly blocked.
Ribbing along armholes: 27.5 sts and 36 rows = 4”/10 cm on smaller needles, lightly blocked.

If necessary, adjust needle size to achieve specified gauge.
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Needles
3.75 mm (US 5) circular knitting needles, at least 16”/40cm in length
3.75 mm (US 5) circular knitting needles, at least 32”/80cm in length
4 mm (US 6) circular knitting needles, at least 32”/80cm in length

Notions
Stitch marker
Tapestry needle

Note: the model is 5’7” with a 38” bust. She is wearing a size small. The measurement schematic shows the shrug folded in half.