Why is this pattern free? This garment was meant to debut at STITCHES United in March 2020. While the garment was completed in time, somehow writing the pattern has dragged on for months. Thus the designer is doing penance by offering this pattern for free. If you like it, please support Leading Men Fiber Arts or another independent yarn producer.

Styling: This garment should work well over a halter top, swimsuit, or other sleeveless summer garment. It works best with a curvy figure; less well with a small bust.

Pattern is worked center-out in a versa lace version of feather and fan.

Techniques you already know:
lace: yarn overs, right- and left-slanted decreases
1×1 ribbing; knit 1, purl 1
knitting center-out in the round

Techniques you may be learning:
y-increase (just one round near the beginning)
double yarn-overs
reversible decreases in ribbing
center-out reversible cast-on

Bolero starts in the center back. Armholes are parked on waste yarn and opened up later. Sleeves are worked top down. To work ad finitum, work about an inch past the sleeve opening, then go back and add sleeves. After sleeves are completed, finish bolero with remaining yarn. Since the front ties are done last, it is easy to alter their length based on how much yarn remains. Different sides of the octagon are bound off at different times. The upright part of the garment is the larger side of the octagon.

Can also be worked as a reversible octagonal shawl by leaving out the sleeve openings and binding off all eight sides at once.

Pattern is essentially gauge-less, since you simply increase until the garment is the correct size and work sleeves top-down until they are the desired length.

Video support is on the designer’s blog and YouTube channel.

This e-booklet file is half-sheet formatted with all the pages in normal order including the blank inside covers. If you have a smaller tablet or you read off your smart phone, you shouldn’t have to zoom as much. You can also print this size if you print on 5.5 x 8 inch paper — i.e. half-sheet. If you’d like a center-fold booklet, use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC and choose the “booklet” option when you print to regular 8.5 x 11 paper.