Start Small

I decided to start small on the shrug project by making a miniature shrug for K's American Girl doll. I figured it's a good way to try out my ideas on a small scale and see if they work before committing the time and yarn to a full-size garment. 

And it seems it was a good plan! I've already discovered that one of the ideas I had concerning the sleeves isn't a great one. At least not in the sense of making a garment with little or no seaming, anyway. This is how I was going to make the sleeves, originally:      

But to achieve the look that I want (i.e., the back piece having vertical rows instead of horizontal, if that makes sense to you. :) See the completed work here for clarity), I realized that this sleeve shaping wouldn't work well for a shrug. A sweater...sure! Though making the sleeves first is probably a bass-ackwards way of doing it. :)

Who knows? Maybe the mini-shrug will turn out cute enough for me to share the pattern for other American Girl dolls! :)