Off The Hook: Blooming Bolero

I've had this granny square bolero project on my to-do list FOREVER. Seriously! The pattern came out in the May/June 2008 issue of Crochet Today!, and I've just now finished it up. Luckily, I still have a few weeks of summer left to wear it some before the crisp fall weather heads our way.

I love the playfulness of the colors and the traditional (and yet stylish update) of the granny square motif.
It was a fun pattern to work up and would be a great stash bustin' project for sure! Although, I have to admit I splurged on some new yarn for this one...

A lot of times with patterns, I like to change the colors used, but I loved this color scheme so much that I tried to match my hues as close to the original pattern as possible. I used Rowan Handknit Cotton in black, celery, sugar and bleached. I had purchased Yacht for my blue color, but decided it was a bit 'too blue' for the look I was going for. (Go figure... lol!) I ended up pulling out a pretty periwinkle color out from my stash. The yarn has been discontinued, but it is Tahki Yarn's New Tweed in 18 (purple, blue and silver).
Based on the pattern's yarn requirements, I bought two skeins of each yarn color, but ended up needing only one skein of each, except for the black, which I indeed needed two of.

I only had to make a few small adjustments to the pattern to get the fit right. On the sides, there was a set of cluster stitches on every row which decreased the overall number of stitches. I left those out after the first row and simply continued with the regular granny stitch from that point on to keep the sweater from getting too tight.

I also had to reset the sleeves a few times to keep them from bunching in the back.

Next time I make this sweater, I'd like to make it just a little longer in length. That will be an easy fix since all it will take is adding an extra row of the granny stitches along the bottom before working on the tie band.

Project Details:
Pattern: Blooming Bolero from the May/June 2008 Issue of Crochet Today!; Note: Erratta available here.
Size: Small
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton in black, celery, sugar and bleached; Tahki Yarn's New Tweed in 18 (discontinued)
Difficulty: Beginner level sweater project. The ties make it easy to fit the sweater to you!
Skills: Weaving in (lots and lots of) ends, garment construction, setting sleeves, granny squares

I'm so happy with this little sweater. The colors are so fun, and it is just the perfect size for keeping your shoulders warm on cool summer evenings.

So, do you guys have any fun projects you are working on now?

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