This Summer’s Must Make …. The Sarah Bolero

I am so excited to introduce you all to the Sarah Bolero!

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The Sarah Bolero is the design I made for the the July 2022 edition of Crochet Foundry Magazine. The theme of this edition of the Crochet Foundry magazine is Pink Lemonade. There are some gorgeous patterns in this one and a great selection; a poncho, a top, a sundress, a bolero, and a cardigan! It really is a gorgeous issue!

Recognise the stitch?

I knew when I made my Sarah Tee last summer that I wanted to expand the ‘Sarah Collection’. So when Crochet Foundry put out their design call it was the opportunity I needed to start making another ‘Sarah’ design!

I wanted the next design that you could wear everyday casually with jean or shorts and a top. But I also wanted it to be able to transition seamlessly for a more formal event – a skirt and top for date night, a dress when you attend a wedding, or even something that maybe the bride could wear over to keep the chill off her shoulders and arms.

 

 

Do you think I pulled all of that off with this design? I hope I did…..

The slight lapel on the front panels adds a slightly formal look to this top where you can add a corsage, brooch etc when dressing it up. If you don’t want these then it is easy enough to alter when attaching your front panels to the back panel by sewing all the way along the front panel to one half of the back panel.

A first for me!

Can you believe that its as my first time designing a garment with fingering weight yarn? I also needed a C hook!! My thought when I opened this gorgeous yellow yarn was ‘OK! I can do this!’

My personal design process really helped me with this pattern because by the time I sit down to actually start creating a pattern I already know what stitches I will be using, the look I am going for and how I will have to put it all together. Not to mention the stitch multiples I need to pull it all together. So by this point I am working out my gauge and writing the pattern as I go ready to get to my testers.

Some designers will literally sit down and just decide what they are doing when they pick up a hook. I have a picture in my head. If I sit with a hook and yarn without having any idea what I am doing I end up frogging so many projects as I change my mind about stitches, don’t like my stitch combo etc. I really admire designers who can!

The Sarah Bolero Pattern pdf

Just click your preferred button below to grab the PDF Pattern for this beauty.

The Yarn

For the Sarah Bolero I used Palette Fingering Weight yarn by WeCrochet in shade Safflower.

There are 231 yards to each skein, so despite it only being 50g there is a lot of yarn hiding in there!

This yarn is 100% Peruvian Highland Wool and is so soft and luxurious to work with, yet so reasonably priced too! If you haven’t tried this yarn yet I would highly recommend it to you. The drape is just gorgeous too.

The colour range is staggering! I went and checked this morning and there are no less than 156 shades available at the time of posting this!!

I shall certainly be using this more in my future designs despite it being a hand wash, dry flat yarn.

 

 

 

The Hook Used

I used a C hook (2.75mm) in pink from the Furls Odyssey Collection which works perfectly with the Palette yarn. Without a doubt the Odyssey hooks are my favourites to work with.

• I love the weight of them – some people can’t get away with how heavy they feel compared to other hooks. But I love the weight. I helps to keep my tension and stitches consistent, especially on bigger WIP projects. I think I have 6 or 7 odyssey hooks now!
• I haven’t broken one yet! They are so durable. When I think I can often pop a pen or hook in the corner of my mouth without realising it. These hooks can take a battering. So although they are considered more luxury hooks they will stand the test of time! Unless of course you would like to drive over them, intentionally throw them against a wall etc.
• The look fabulous! You can’t deny how pretty these hooks are. And the glitter you can get in them as well as the solid colours just adds something to them.
• I can (almost) crochet all day without stopping when I use these hooks.

 

 

Skill level and assembly

This is most definitely not a beginner pattern, but it is good for intermediate crocheters.

It uses the Y stitch but once you get the hang of that you will love this stitch combo!!

This bolero is made in sections which makes the pattern much easier to follow for an intermediate crocheter. You make the back and front panels, then the arms (so you can really easily adjust the length of these to be longer or shorter!) Then you stitch them together.

I made the arms as separates because I wanted the direction of the stitch combination to be the correct way up.

 

Don’t Forget…

The only place that you can get this pattern currently is in the July 2022 edition of Crochet Foundry Magazine.

 

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