I recently finished a bolero shrug that I’ve been working on for a while.  It wasn’t a difficult project, but just took me a while to finish because it was one of many ongoing projects.  I’m pleased to finally have it completed.

Closeup View of Bolero Jacket

Front View of Bolero Jacket

Back View of Bolero Jacket

The bolero jacket pattern is from the Simply Soft Pattern Book by Debbie Bliss.  Although the book is designed to be used with the corresponding Simply Soft yarn, I chose to use Mano del Uruguay yarn instead.  I fell in love with the deep red and burgundy colors in the yarn that I chose.  I felt that since the pattern for the jacket was essentially just stockinette stitch, I needed a yarn that provided some depth and character to it.  A solid color yarn would have been too boring.

I enjoyed knitting this jacket/sweater.  The pattern uses short rows to create a full collar that really adds so much to the design.  Additional detail includes a longer rib on the sleeves, which you could choose to roll-up if desired.  I enjoyed the pattern for the jacket, but the yarn was not my favorite.  Although Mano del Uruguay produces a beautiful yarn, my problem is with the consistency of the yarn.  There is great variance in the thickness of the yarn.  At times the yarn became so thin that it was like knitting with sport-weight yarn.  Other times the wool was so thick it felt like a chunky yarn.  The thicker sections I could tolerate, but the thinner sections really bothered me.  I feel that it weakens that section of the jacket and made the stitches not look as crisp.

There are several patterns in the Debbie Bliss Simply Soft book that I would try.  There is a Patterned Yoke Jacket for a baby that looks nice and there are several sweater and shrug patterns that I find appealing.  At this point I’ve started another project, but once I get it is completed I may start on another Debbie Bliss design.  I find her patterns easy to follow and her designs are always appealing.  Next time I may even choose one of her yarns to go with the pattern.  You simply can’t lose with her soft, cashmere yarn.

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