fingering | Crochetology.net

I started work on this bolero in January 27 and finished just now. Although I have actually finished this three days ago and had it washed and “road-tested” yesterday, only now can I proclaim this bolero complete. I decided to add a few more finishing touches to it – in particular, some flowers along the neckline.

Bolero crocheted in silky cashmere fingering yarn.

I am very happy with the outcome of this project. As described in “Making a Paper Pattern,” I used a drawn pattern for this bolero based on my own body measurements with attention to the quality of the fabric made out of silk cashmere fingering yarn and the free form technique.

The back of the bolero showing the uneven hemline.

That experiment has proven to be very useful but I now also realise that some adjustments need to be made, in particular, how the garment drapes when it has an open neckline.

There is a tendency to drape towards the back given the weight of the fabric in that area, thus there being less coverage a the front. My typical “solution” to this “problem” is joining the front sections of the garment, as in this case, and in the case of the cotton cashmere bolero which I completed a few weeks ago, also with the aid of the paper pattern.

If I were to make a bolero that has an open front and with the front side sections just over the shoulders and the armpits, then I must consider the weight of the garment – more weight in the front section and less at the back will make sure that the bolero stays in place and not drape backwards.

Detail of the bolero's neckline.

Another way is the shape of the garment itself. Recently, I saw a construction shape that is rather fit around the armpits and shoulders, resembling a shrug more than a bolero. I am generally uncomfortable with tops that are tight at the armpits but there might be a way of using a similar construction that feels more comfortable.

The bolero's hemline in detail.

Perhaps that can be my next project.

In the meantime, I’ve started work on what I hope will be a pair of French knickers crocheted using silky camel lace yarn.

Crocheting with two strands of silky camel lace yarn.

I re-wound the yarn into two strands and hope to work with these strands held together. The result is a more manageable yarn weight yet still soft and light.

The pattern for the “French Knickers” is an old pair of shorts which I dismantled. I studied the four sections of the shorts and drew the pattern on paper.

Camel knickers - a work in progress.

Hopefully, this will result to a comfortable pair of camel knickers!

Photographs showing the Silky Cashmere Bolero in progress may be found at:

Silky Cashmere Fingering from Lotus Yarns

Silky Cashmere Fingering
Fibre: 55% Silk/45% Cashmere
Yardage: 400 yards/20oz (365meters/55grams)
Hook: Aluminium crochet hook 4/0 (2.5mm)

The yarn came in hanks, and at fingering weight, can be easily unwound from the hank (either on a swift or the back of a chair) and made into centre-pull balls. Although I haven’t yet managed to make a decent centre-pull ball because the tail end of the yarn was always disappearing into the ball as it gets bigger. Maybe next time.

The yarn is viciously soft and shiny – thanks to the combination of silk and Mongolian cashmere. The yarn also has similar qualities to a thread that I am quite familiar with – rayon. Rayon is artificial silk (viscose) and is quite shiny too. However, Silky Cashmere has resiliency that rayon doesn’t have.

I started using this yarn following a necklace pattern that I designed (originally for cotton) some time ago. Then I enlarged this pattern to make a shrug/scarf. I thought that this was a good way to get to know the yarn better, using only small quantities of the yarn for testing.

Five motifs completed.

Now what I have in mind for this yarn at the moment is a lacy bolero made up of motifs joined together in the free-form way. I completed five motifs following charted patterns in Duplet 112 and Duplet Swimsuit 3.

Motifs from Duplet crochet magazine.

The motifs are then arranged on the table in the order that I intend to join them. I thought of the largest motif going on the upper back of the bolero and the smaller motifs on the shoulder/upper arm and the smallest motifs for the sleeves. The motifs are all different.

The motifs as joined.

Before joining the motifs together, I made a ch-mesh outline around the motifs. I prefer to work the mesh of the type “dc, ch 3, dc.” Then I started joining them beginning along the upper portion of the bolero (the shoulder line). I decided to keep ths line fairly straight so the bottom portion may be irregularly shaped and could be more visually interesting.

Detail of the motif on the right sleeve of the bolero.

The motifs selected for the bolero have strong edges reinforced by sc’s. I need good sturdy motifs and not light ones. I selected flat motifs for the back and shoulders and the last two motifs at the cuffs have 3-dimensional flowers. I wanted to keep the main body of the bolero fairly flat while the ends of sleeves can have a more 3-dimensional design.

Detail of the motif on thee left sleeve of the bolero.

Detail of the motif on the left sleeve of the bolero.

Hopefully, I will be able to make a size and fit that takes advantage of the mild resiliency of silky cashmere fingering yarn. This means a bolero that’s a bit fitting around the arms and shows off the lace design against the skin.

Detail of the motif on the back of the bolero.

I didn’t use any needle joining for the motifs. This time, I used wholly crocheted joins. Work is much faster this way and teaches me to join irregular shaped motifs.