Pattern’s done! Written for several sizes and any length. Charts, diagrams, big photo album.

March Update: Pattern is in the editing and testing phase now.

I’m revisiting and updating a lace bolero I designed about 5 years ago. See Minuet Bolero project. It attracted a lot of attention at the time, garnering a “Hookalicious Award” from the Crochet Liberation Front! I wore it everywhere.

Back then, I wrote pages and pages of the pattern before getting bogged down: I’d sort of “freeformed” my way around the perimeter of the filet. That made this pattern unmanageable.

While teaching Tunisian Filet Lace at the CGOA conference in 2014, I suddenly envisioned a new Minuet Bolero I wanted to make, with three differences:

• Use Tunisian filet stitches in place of the regular filet to help streamline it (make it an easier pattern to write and size).
• Make it longer like a vest; less cropped.
• Use my Lotus yarn for a more polished finish. And, a deeper color instead of the almost neon effect of the key lime one. I’ve been wanting to design something to wear with this Cherry Red color and the Chinese New Year, and Valentine’s Day, is the perfect time.

In fact, the Minuet Bolero jumped to my mind as a perfect design to use when I first acquired the Lotus yarn line. The other yarn I used (key lime color) came out kind of stiff and chalky, giving the bolero a casual look up close. It has been fantastic worn over t-shirts.

I’m thinking this less cropped Lotus version will have a more sophisticated look.

Sketched the plan Feb 3. Actual crocheting started Feb. 6. Initial rounds of border completed and blocked Feb. 11. Tonight I expect to complete the final border rounds, and possibly also test a way to size up to Large-1X, and maybe 2X and larger.