Inspiration
Instant Handknit: My Shakerag Skirt
If you procrastinate long enough, the rediscovery of a project that’s been sitting in your finishing pile can seem like a present that a really nice knitter made for you.
Look what good ol’ Kay made for me: a Shakerag Skirt!
This past spring, I was knitting like the wind to finish my Shakerag Skirt in time for the Knitting Getaway at Shakerag Workshops in June, and then…didn’t quite make it. When I came upon it again last week, I was amazed that all it needed was the installation of a strip of non-roll elastic that I’d carried with me on multiple round trips to Nashville, without it ever installing itself. The waistband casing was already knit, and the live stitches were just hanging out, waiting to be bound off and sewed down over that one length of elastic. I could have been wearing this cool and comfy skirt all summer! Why am I like this?
But hey, I now have a brand-new skirt, and there’s still 3 weeks left in official summer 2023, and at least another few weeks after that of linen skirt-wearing season. So I’m going to just let myself be happy. I do finish things, just not always on schedule. Apparently even I am not the boss of me.
At this point I’ve seen dozens of Shakerag Skirts, on the internet and in the wild. It’s a breeze to knit and it looks cute on everybody. Get a few skeins of Creative Linen and see for yourself.
Like I said, it looks cute on everybody, including people with resting mom face.
Resources
- Shakerag Skirt by Nell Ziroli
- Read about my modifications to the lace hem here
- Creative Linen (Stormy pictured here)
Lovely! Is Creative Linen machine wash/dryable?
Just lovely!
Love it!! I must make one !
I have thrown mine in the washer (I suggest placing in a lingerie bag) and then partially dried it in the dryer before letting it dry flat with no problem. Warm water, regular spin.
Final summer fling and a fitting follow up to yesterday’s column.
You are not behind, you are way ahead of schedule for next year’s Shakerag retreat. I was able to catch up with a high school friend recently. We both still have nightmares about the last minute hemming of 4-H projects.
I am making mine a midi.
According to the label it’s machine washable but dry flat.
Kay, this skirt looks lovely on you! So much so that I am even considering making one for ME, a rare occurrence since I have NOT worn any skirts in years!!!!
Wonderful! I’m at the phase of life when I wear a skirt -um, never – but you’ve started me thinking!
You and your skirt do look cute and fun
Love your finished skirt! And I also love the airy top you are wearing, the whole outfit looks so comfortable!
Cute
You and your skirt look beautiful together!
I’ve made 3 this year (one for knit worthy daughter. It’s fast, like 2-3 weeks fast if you do about 2 hours a night – perfect NetFlix knitting or long road trip. The Creative Linen tests drives well for these hot humid summer days and pairs well with graphic ts for a quick grocery store run or day in the mountains.
I made this lovely skirt as it was written.
Did Nell ever create the additional hem pattern options as mentioned?
I’ve searched around a bit but I haven’t seen any.
It was my favorite summer knit!
Suzanne
I am still working on this, but if you email me, I’m happy to share the options. Happy knitting.
I made my second Shakerag (shake-rag) skirt with the lace pattern from Nell’s Chai Popover for the hem. I did three repeats and it looks sensational!
It looks great! I need to finish mine!
Question: how do you pronounce Shakerag? Is it shake-er-rag? Shake-rag? Something else?
Shake-rag!
Too late – I’ve been pronouncing it “shaker rag” all along!
Me too, Gretchen! Oh well, now we know better and can do better.
Adorable! Thanks for the giggles: “Resting mom face”
Oh, that’s just great! Love the alternate border. (I love mine – with the just-regular border, and wear it All.The.Time. But maybe I’d like to copy your border for . . . y’know . . . my next one?)
Super skirt, but the shoes!
I’m inspired to start knitting this sweet skirt.
It is super attractive on you! How encouraging…I started one in that appley green Creative Linen (really nice yarn) but got distracted knitting a back-to-school skirt for a 5 yr old granddaughter. Now I wanna put that aside and work on mine! And I love the idea of alternative hem designs! Maybe even do a slip stitch one like in your cool Linoleum Dishrag pattern?! So fun to knit. Maybe that would be pigging up the lipstick, though. But it’s fun to have a canvas to be playful even while making something so useful. P.S. Don’t forget you can wear leggings with it and get through a cool season wearing it too! P.P.S. Hm, thinking what slipstitch would look like in one color. Might be subtly interesting.
Looks fab!!! I’m working on mine but have not yet completed the lace section. Talk about long as* rows!!! I’m thinking mine will look cute with tights and a sweater (because no way will it be finished this summer – lol). I’m making mine in Oasis – a dreamy color.
Hey Sassy Sue you got me, gotta make one, been wanting to and now I got to!
Technically, I’ve made two of these but I only have one! The first one was an absolute disaster through no one’s fault but my own. I’m not going to get into the details of my failure (they’re best set aside) because ultimately, it led to an epic win! I ripped out the first one and reknit it in the correct size and now–much like a five-year-old boy with a Spiderman costume–I won’t stop wearing it. The fit is perfect, it’s got just the right amount of swing to it, and it looks fantastic. Nell wrote a great pattern and she’s totally correct when she says, knit skirts are the new sweat pants.
I love that alternative lace design idea. Yours looks great! I’m very happy with the way mine came out and will probably make another. That change of lace option gives me more incentive too.
It’s beautiful!!! It looks great!!!
Well~ I just bought the pattern. Now to wait for Rowan Creative Linen in Stormy to return to MDK.
I’m thinking you may have it all! It’s the color of all my clothes too.
I’ve been thinking of knitting my second skirt with the Love Note sweater lace pattern for the hem. In my size, the stitch count works out perfectly! The only issue is that lace chart is top down, so may need to modify for a bottom up skirt.
I love this idea Holly! It’s very easy to substitute another border to this skirt.
That’s so clever!
We are almost all “like that”: making choices and decisions that are best-I-can-do-right-now fit with our abilities, energy and goals and the competing demands on our time. So glad you’re enjoying the skirt and your good friend’s kindness.
And… what perfectly even stocking stitch!
I’m working on my Shakerag Skirt, using some mystery linen I’ve had hanging around for years. It continues to be a pleasure to knit & I can’t wait to wear it. I expect I’ll knit more of them & use your variation for the next one.
Well, I swatched for it a couple months ago…but I will get back to it, I promise myself.
This may not be the right place to comment, and I likely missed the original posting of shakerag. But what is shakerag? Is it a style, a pattern, an idea? Thank you, cuz I’m confused.
This is Shakerag Workshops: https://www.shakerag.org/ And here’s where the name comes from: https://www.shakerag.org/about/history Kay and Ann host the knitting getaway at Shakerag Workshops, and the event and place have inspired a Field Guide top pattern by Amy Christoffers: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/patterns/shakerag-top/ and the skirt by Nell Ziroli featured in this post.
It’s a place name, Shakerag Hollow near Sewanee, TN. There is an artists colony/workshops series there every June called Shakerag Workshops. MDK hosts a weekend there each June called the MDK Knitting Getaway at Shakerag Workshops.
I appreciate the clarification. Thank you both!
While I’ve been a fiber crafter off and on since I was a child at my grandmother’s knee (and crochet hook!) over sixty years ago and discovered spinning and weaving nearly twenty years ago, I’m relatively new at knitting. That’s when I discovered this website and I love checking in every day. It’s a challenge and I’m learning!
YOU OWE ME A COKE
So tempting, but I promised myself I’d finish my Blossom Shakerag top first – and it’s only a third-ish done. I do love skirts in the summer, so much cooler!
Marsha Jo
I am a plus size.Haven’t read and figured out pattern yet. Will I be able to do a 2x skirt. Yours is adorable. Will probably wait to later in winter to make. I’m starting Christmas projects right now.
All the sizing info is on the Ravelry page here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shakerag-skirt It’s a nice range of sizes.
I see alot of colors are not available right now Will it become available later?
Yes we’re always restocking this yarn! I believe we have an order in now so should be coming soon.
I can’t explain why you are like this, since I can’t explain why I am also like this. But I do know we are not alone!!! 🙂
And the skirt looks amazing, by the way
Your skirt is perfection procrastination! I’m procrastinating even further; I bought the pattern immediately but haven’t had time to get serious about knitting it. It’s been a busy busy summer and I’m not complaining!
Absolutely beautiful! Now if I had anyone around me to teach me how to knit or crochet and understand the lingo/pattern talk maybe I’d get somewhere besides a scraf, pot wamer, and a blanket (all by the way not square and how to ppl remember the row counts and when to change row pattern or in a row when to. I get lost. I wish my town had a community of the wise women to teach the younger crowd. To keep it going and keep creativity alive.
Find yarn shops that do virtual lessons. For Yarns Sake in Oregon does some. I don’t know if other do.
You can extend the seasonal wear of any skirt/dress by LAYERING. I hate the shape & feel of pants so always wear some legging/or thicker tights under my skirts/dresses all winter long (even over skinny jeans). Also has benefit of hiding my unmentionables when I’m bending over chasing errant balls of yarns or kittens!That skirt is beautiful & needs all year display! May I suggest fair isle patterned tights/leggings (w/complementary colors) to jazz up your skirt in colder months?
So beautiful I hope to make one great job God bless
That is so cute!!
That is gorgeous and looks soo comfortable too? X
What is the hem pattern you used? I purchased the Shakerag skirt pattern but do not see that hem pattern and I would like to knit it.
My skirt is sage green- I love it!!
Beautiful skirt! You look wonderful in it
That is a really great looking skirt. I need to finish two projects before I go there.
Excellent! Yours looks fab! I’m working on mine, a few rows at a time. I’m almost through the lace section and have discovered I made a “design feature” that I’ve decided to leave as is. (I knitted the in-between rows as all knit stitches, totally missing the fact that there was supposed to be a purl at the end of each repeat, woopsies.) I’ll keep cranking away and look forward to wearing it next summer.
I feel the need for a new skirt!
As the weather cools, you can wear it with tights or leggings. No need to confine it to sumeer!
Very nice skirt, Kay. It looks great on you!
Does anyone else remember when Princess Diana came to the US and wasn’t wearing pantyhose? How freeing that was, to think we could wear a dress/skirt and not pantyhose! It is actually my goal never to wear them again, but I do like to wear skirts now.