Knitting Your Own Bolero - Knitting Boleros

A DIY Bolero for that Certain Something

Do you love to knit, but the typical hats, scarves and mittens aren't extraordinary enough for you? Then maybe the boleros here at Crazypatterns are just the right project for you to try your hand at something completely new. For this, you can rely on helpful instructions that have been carefully compiled by the members of our community and guide you through the production process step by step. In addition, the guides contain numerous pictures that show you your steady progress and ensure that you can spot mistakes immediately. Our boleros are perfect for a casual look that you can wear at home, as well as for a day at the office by combining it with a chic business outfit. If you make the stitches extra large and airy, you can even wear it as a light jacket on the beach without any problems.

What Exactly Is a Bolero?

The typical feature of the boleros is its length. Because it always ends just below the chest at about waist level. The fancy jacket is usually worn open, but is also available with buttons, with a zipper or to wrap. If it is made of silk or another shiny fabric, it complements evening wear or a chic business outfit. If you knit your own bolero, you can either wear it with everyday clothes and quickly throw it on during a balmy summer evening. Or you can choose a very delicate material to complement a long, elegant dress with your homemade jacket. The open, short jacket has the great advantage that it not only warms, but always perfectly shows off the clothes underneath.

The Bolero as a Trendy All-Rounder

Boleros are a great and fancy garment that can be combined perfectly. The trendy jackets fit almost any figure and ensure that the female assets are elegantly posed. For example, it is ideal with a beautiful flowing dress and in this way can achieve a visual stretch for smaller women. This was exactly the original reason why the bolero was invented in the first place, when it first appeared in the 19th century. However, the versatile garment also looks great on tall and slender figures and not only serves as a pretty eye-catcher, but also allows for an appealing vertical subdivision.

Bolero Knitting Pattern and Tutorials for Knitting Boleros

Not only for novice knitters it is advisable to knit the bolero according to a tutorial, even the professional will save a lot of unnecessary work with the help of a bolero knitting pattern. As with a cooking recipe, the same applies to knitting patterns: if you carefully follow the instructions, you will achieve a perfect result. But of course, you can also modify the knitting pattern and adapt it to your dress size or a different wool thickness. The given stitch and row counts will then only serve as a practical reference point. In addition, our knitting patterns contain descriptive pictures that will also help you as a guide when knitting your own boleros.

The Right Material for Boleros

Before you decide on a material for your bolero, you should think about what you want to combine the waist jacket with. After all, a jacket made of fine wool or mohair is more suitable for the thin, strapless summer dress. However, if you want your self-knitted Figaro jacket to warm your shoulders at the barbecue and harmonize with a pair of jeans, you're more likely to choose a thick wool yarn. If you like to knit designs, use a single-colored wool. With a two- or multi-colored yarn, your self-knit bolero will get a fresh, colorful touch without any extra effort.

Knitting Boleros for Beginners and Advanced Knitters

Especially the knitting of a bolero is a handicraft, which not only the professional masters, but also a layman can accomplish. While the advanced knitter can decorate their short jacket with sophisticated designs with the help of the pattern, the knitting beginner should rather reach for the simple knitting pattern. The fewer stitches you have to count and the less often you have to increase or decrease, the easier the knitting will be. However, with every bolero that you want to knit according to a pattern, it is important that you make a gauge. To do this, cast on 20 to 30 stitches, depending on the thickness of the wool, and knit 10 to 20 rows. Then measure your sample and see if your wool behaves the same as the yarn in the pattern. If it does not, you will need to cast on more or less stitches than indicated.

Knitting a Bolero in One Piece? Here’s How!

If you want to make it easy, knit the short jacket in one piece. To do this, always start at the sleeve cuff and then knit up and increase until you reach the middle of the back. Then knit the same number of rows but decrease stitches and finish the sleeve of your bolero with a cuff again. Finally, sew the sleeves together and the waist jacket is finished.

If you want to knit a sleeveless bolero in one piece, simply make a wide scarf. The length of the scarf depends on your dress size. As a rule of thumb, the scarf should fit loosely around your torso, overlapping about ten centimeters at the front. The width determines how long or short your Figaro jacket will be. Of course, we also have many knitting patterns for scarves ready for you - just look around in the corresponding category of Crazypatterns!

Writing and Selling Bolero Knitting Patterns

Do you not only like knitting, but maybe you even create your own knitting patterns? Then you can earn a little pocket money with us if you are willing to share your designs with others for a fair fee. All you have to do is summarize your bolero knitting pattern in an easy-to-understand tutorial and include as many descriptive pictures as possible. To sell your pattern on our portal, it's best to read our guide to selling patterns. There you will find a detailed explanation of how to proceed.

Want Help Knitting a Bolero? We’re Here for You!

Sometimes questions arise while reading a knitting pattern or you encounter a problem while knitting that you can't solve on your own. In this case, we are also happy to help you with any questions you may have. You have the possibility to post a question about bolero knitting in our forum. Or you can discuss different knitting patterns and tutorials with the community on our Facebook page. You are always a welcome guest there, both with questions and with suggestions. If you are interested in new tips or tricks, we recommend our YouTube channel. New videos are posted there regularly to inspire you with innovative ideas for knitting. And on our help page, you'll find lots of interesting tips to help you with your project.

By the way, our portal is not only about knitting. If you also like doing other handicrafts, you are in good hands with us. In addition to the various knitting patterns, we have a whole section just for tailors and sewing enthusiasts. We also have a separate section for crochet, and for passionate crafters we also have many patterns and examples. Just zap through! You will be thrilled.