Quickie Finished Object: Ribbed Lace Bolero
Pattern: Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher of 10 Feet High
Size: 21″ wide, 18″ long. Sized (I hope) to fit an eight-year-old girl with a 14″ shoulder-to-shoulder measurement
Yarn: Nashua Handknits Cilantro (70% cotton, 30% acrylic; 136 yds. per 50 g. skein)
Yardage: 2.75 skeins
Source: Monterey Yarn
Needles: Denise US11 and US9 circular
Gauge: 4 stitches per inch in ribbing, slightly stretched
Notes: I loved this bolero at first sight, but I am not someone who wears mini-sweaters, so I sent a picture of it to my eight-year-old niece, Lucie, and asked what she thought of it. She replied, “I love I mean love the bolero” and requested one in blue. A few very enjoyable hours of knitting later, and voila!
Kelly’s pattern (more of a recipe, really) is quite simple and produces an elegant result. I had to do the cable transition row just before the final ribbing a few times before I got it right, but this was mostly my fault, as I had switched the knit/purl order on the foundation row of ribbing and had to alter the pattern to match. Also, I kept dropping stitches.
My friend Rebecca keeps singing the praises of Cilantro, so I’d been looking for an excuse to try it out. I love it! It’s very soft and squooshy, but it’s also very elastic, which is why I was able to model the bolero. LOTS of stretch there. This makes it a great yarn for kids’ garments. According to the label, it’s supposed to be washed by hand and dried flat, but I sent my swatch through the washing machine and drier and observed no ill effects.
Once this is finished blocking, I’ll send it off to Lucie and hope for the best. If she likes it, I may manage to convince her to send me a few modeled shots to post here.
August 15th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
What a cute little bolero and a lot of stretch too! I hope your niece likes it. It’s super cute.
August 15th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
I haven’t seen that pattern before, but it is SO cute - I’d be tempted to keep it for myself it I were you! Actually, I have some yarn that I’ve been wanting to use for a quick project, maybe this bolero is the answer…
August 16th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Yay for Cilantro! I told you, it’s like knitting with marshmallows. You make it look so good–and easy! Great color choice, beautiful pattern– Lucy will be thrilled…
August 19th, 2007 at 8:20 am
I love the way the bolero curves across the back, and arms, and doesn’t look bunchy at the underarms. It’s beautiful! Lucie will like it!
August 22nd, 2007 at 8:13 pm
You did such a great job on this! It’s adorable and the color is such a pretty sky blue!