How to Knit a Stylish Bolero with Alpaca and Silk Yarn

You’ll Need:

350; 400; 400; 450; 450g of yarn (80% Alpaca, 20% silk; 60m/50g);

Double-pointed knitting needles size 4.5;

Circle knitting needles size 4.5.

Size Options

Available sizes: S; M; L; XL; XXL.

Used Patterns

Bead Pattern

1^st row: 3 knit stitches out of 1 stitch, turn;

2^nd row: 2 purls, 1 yarn over, 1 purl;

3^rd row: purl;

4^th row: knit;

5^th row: purl;

6^th row: knit2tog, draw the 1^st stitch through the 2^nd stitch = 1 stitch.

Rib Pattern

4; 0; 2; 4; 0 knit stitches, 3 knit stitches, *3 purls, 3 knit stitches*; repeat from * to * on 48; 54; 54; 54; 66 stitches, 6; 3; 3; 4; 2 purls, 0; 2; 4; 4; 0 knit stitches, 0; 3; 3; 4; 0 purls, *3 knit stitches, 3 purls*; repeat from * to * on 48; 54; 54; 54; 66 stitches, 3 knit stitches, 4; 0; 2; 4; 0 purls.

Stitches Control

Stockinette stitch with knitting needles size 4.5: 17 stitches x 22 rows = 10 x 10 cm.

Increases/Decreases Notes

Do not make increases/decreases on the edging 3 stitches from both sides.

Instructions

Cast on 116; 122; 134; 140 stitches. Make 4 cm of rib. In the next right side row: 3 purls, M.1, 8; 9; 10; 11; 12 purls, M.2, 8; 9; 10; 11; 12 purls, M.1, 8; 9; 10; 11; 12 purls, M.3, 8; 9; 10; 11; 12 purls, M.4, 8; 9; 10; 11; 12 purls, M.5, 8; 9; 10; 11; 12 purls, M.4, 3 purls.

Work according to this description to 11; 11; 13; 13; 13 cm. Bind off 2 stitches from both sides. There are 112; 118; 124; 130; 136 stitches left.

At 11; 11; 13; 13; 13 cm and 21; 21; 23; 23; 23 cm decrease 1 stitch at every space of purls, making 12 decreases in a row. Don’t forget about the increases/decreases note above! There are 88; 94; 100; 106; 112 stitches on the knitting needles.

After knitting to 41; 41; 48; 48; 48 cm and 51; 51; 58; 58; 58 cm, increase 1 stitch at every space of purls, making 12 increases in a row. You should get 112; 118; 124; 130; 136 stitches.

At the same time, at 51; 51; 58; 58; 58 cm height, cast on 2 stitches from both sides and make them purl on the right side. In total, you should have 116; 122; 128; 134; 140 stitches.

At 58; 58; 67; 67; 67 cm height (full vertical pattern repeat), switch to the rib pattern. Make 4 rows and bind off the stitches loosely. You should get about 62; 62; 71; 71; 71 cm long cloth.

Assembly

Fold the bolero along the long side and sew up the outer 11; 11; 13; 13; 13 cm, leaving space for armholes. Cast on about 66-78 stitches along the edge of the armhole with knitting needles size 4.5 (the quantity of stitches should be a multiple of 6).

Make 1 circular row of knit stitches, then, 4 cm with 3 x 3 rib. Bind off the stitches loosely.

Fasten the second armhole in the same way.