Feminine Lace Bolero to Knit Now

I knit this glamorous lace bolero up in a few hours once I had got used to the changes in thickness in the yarn . 

Its a super quick knit with a feminine finish. Great number to throw in to your suitcase for a holiday by the sun or to glam up your party frock. And why not knit in white or cream for a lovely wedding accessory.



Today I'm sharing the pattern for a medium size bolero. I'll include some tips at the end for making this in a smaller or larger version.

The yarn I used was : 1 x 100g ball of King Cole Opium (54% cotton , 42% acrylic).  There is approx 273 yards / 250 metres to each 100g ball.

I needed 3 sets of needles:
5.5mm straight needles
7mm straight needles
5.5mm circular needles

Instructions

With the 5.5mm needles cast on 35 stitches

Row 1 *K2, P2,* repeat from * to * to the end of the row ending with P1
Row 2  K1, *P2, K2 * repeat  from * to * to the end of the row

Change to 7mm needles  and work in this simple lace pattern until the work measures 20"

lace pattern:
K1, *YO, K2 tog* repeat from * to * to end of row

Change to 5.5mm needles and work 2 rows as follows

Row 1 *K2, P2,* repeat from * to * to the end of the row ending with P1
Row 2  K1, *P2, K2 * repeat  from * to * to the end of the row.

Bind off in the rib pattern.

OK , so you should now have a piece of work measuring approx 12.5" (wide)x 20" (long).  

folded in half

Fold the piece of work in half lengthwise (there is no right and wrong side to this piece of work) and sew together 1" at either end of long edges. 

This will make the armholes.

before the ribbed edging

Now for the ribbed edging.

Using the 5.5mm circular needle pick up and knit 128 stitches evenly around the circular long edge, being careful not to twist the stitches as you join the round. 

Work in rib K2 , P2 for 2". 

Bind off using the 7mm straight needle. 

Weave in all the ends.

So what do you do if you want smaller or larger versions of this? 

Well I would say:

Small - cast on 6 stitches less , so that's 29 stitches and only knit until the work is 17"

Large - cast on 6 stitches more , so that's 41 stitches and knit until the work is 23".

Hope you have fun knitting this lovely bolero. The main thing is that it can be knitted in any cotton dk yarn, is knit up super quick and only takes 100g!