Thursday, January 24, 2008

Shrug, I don't get it.

Can somebody please explain to me what is the deal with shrugs?

Oh, don't get me wrong. I love the look of crocheted cardigans, crochet and cardigans go together like peanut butter and chocolate, and even I can appreciate a lacy little bolero jacket to cover your shoulders in an evening gown or spaghetti tank. (Though I hope we're talking about two different boleros for that, since I haven't seen many that would go with both.)

But shrugs? The solid ones that look like regular sweaters that you cut off and tied together right under your boobs? I just do not get those at all. To me they look like the Daisy Dukes of sweaters. For one thing, they generally look like you were making a regular sweater when you ran out of yarn. And what would that missing yarn have covered? The stomach! It's like addition by subtraction -- my eye just gets drawn to what's missing. And I may be fairly comfortable with my body, but that doesn't mean I want to walk around wearing a flashing neon sign that says LOOKIT MAH BELLY!!

And even for those of us who would like to show off our tummies... Daisy Dukes, man. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

As for the shrug patterns that avoid the belly issues by not having a front part and just being sleeves connected in the back... those just don't look comfortable. Wouldn't they get all twisty and stuff?

Maybe I'm just missing something, but I don't think so. Otherwise I'd be seeing shrugs on the other addicts at the yarn store, and I can't remember seeing a single one. Yet there seems to be a rule that every crochet publication -- book, magazine, what have you -- must include at least two shrugs. Someone must be making them. Or is this some rule I don't know about, that every new designer has to crank out a shrug pattern? Kinda like hazing? And then once you're in, you sit around and drink beer and laugh at all the shrug patterns?

I wondered if this was just irrationality on my part, so I pointed the Mad Husband to a couple of particularly bad shrugs (no, I'm not posting them here, I'm the Mad Crocheter, not the Bitchy Crocheter Who Calls People Out) and he said "yeah, they're trashy." However, you shouldn't take his word for it because I'm pretty sure when it comes to crochet, he just agrees with me. I just asked him if I did a 180 and made a shrug, would he claim he liked it because he'd be worried if he said otherwise, I wouldn't make dinner? His response? "Ding ding ding."

3 comments:

Debbie D said...

I've always thought them ridiculous too! Honestly, if I'm cold on my arms odds are extremely high the rest of my trunk is a little chilly too.

Tracie said...

I have seen very few that I actually like. Very few. I would have worn one when I worked in the office only 'cause my arms would get cold but if I wore a regular cardigan/sweater/jacket then I'd feel like I was wearing too much.

I've made 2 in my crocheting history. One to try a pattern that was supposed to be so easy (it was more a recipe). I wore it twice and then sold it. The other one was for my mom 'cause she wanted one like mine but in a different yarn. She's even said it's too bulky. Oh well.

Michelle said...

I don't get it either. Plus they are only flatteringto people with no boobs and no hips. Which is hardly anyone I know. Maybe a 10 year old child?