Septennial Twist

Septennial Twist Shrug by Kelly O

What is Being Made

The Septennial Twist is a knitted shrug designed by Kelly Ordemann as a celebration of Ginger Twist's seventh anniversary. This versatile accessory features soft draping fabric and comes in two sizes to accommodate different body measurements. The shrug is designed to layer over dresses, tops, and other garments, providing warmth when temperatures drop while maintaining an elegant aesthetic that transitions seamlessly from casual to formal occasions.

Design and Construction Technique

The Septennial Twist employs a distinctive sideways knitting construction method. The garment is knit as a flat rectangle from side to side, then folded in half and partially sewn to create defined armholes. After the main body is assembled, stitches are picked up around both the sleeve and body openings to finish these edges with ribbing. This construction approach creates a garment with excellent drape and allows for flexible sizing adjustments.

Stitches and Finishing

The pattern utilizes ribbing as the primary finishing technique for the armhole and body openings. The ribbed edges provide elasticity and a polished appearance while helping the shrug maintain its shape during wear. The sideways knitting construction combined with the ribbed finishing creates a garment with balanced stretch and recovery.

Yarn and Materials

The Septennial Twist is designed to be knit with two complementary yarns held together simultaneously. The first yarn is Ginger's Hand Dyed Yakety Yak 4-ply, a blend of 60% Superwash Merino, 20% Yak, and 20% Silk, offering 366 meters or 400 yards per 100-gram skein. The second yarn is Ginger's Hand Dyed Leading Lady Lace, composed of 72% Fine Kid Mohair and 28% Silk, providing 420 meters or 459 yards per 50-gram skein. The pattern shown uses the Voyager colorway and requires 3 skeins for the smaller size (85 cm / 33.5 inches) and 2 skeins for the larger size (100 cm / 40 inches) of Yakety Yak, with corresponding quantities of Leading Lady Lace. Holding these two distinct yarns together creates the beautifully soft and draping fabric characteristic of this design.

Yarn Weight and Difficulty

This pattern is worked with 4-ply and lace weight yarns held together, creating a sport-weight fabric with excellent drape. The project is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with some experience who are comfortable with techniques such as picking up stitches, working ribbing, and managing two yarns held as one.