Circle Shrug Bolero Knitting Pattern

Circle Shrug in Plymouth Yarn De Aire

What is Being Made

The Circle Shrug is a one-size-fits-most bolero-style garment designed to fit an average woman. This shrug features a circular construction method that begins at the center back and expands outward through strategic increases. The finished dimensions are 39 inches from sleeve to sleeve in width and 29 inches in total length, with 6½-inch sleeve length measured from the underarm. The shrug's circular silhouette and airy construction make it an elegant layering piece suitable for various occasions.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several advanced techniques that create both structure and visual interest. The shrug is worked entirely in the round using a combination of double-pointed needles and circular needles, beginning with a small cast-on at the center back and expanding outward through strategic yarn-over increases. This radial construction method allows the garment to grow symmetrically from a central point. The pattern incorporates lace stitch work that creates decorative openwork sections throughout the design. Stitch markers are essential tools used to track pattern repeats and increase points as the work expands. The pattern requires careful attention to yarn-over placement and decreases, including techniques such as knit-through-the-back-loop adjustments where consecutive yarn-overs occur.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch (st st): Used for foundational fabric sections with a gauge of 9 stitches and 13 rows over 4 inches on size 15 needles
• Lace Stitch: A 12-round repeating pattern worked on a multiple of 8 stitches with a gauge of 2.75 stitches and 3 rows per inch on size 15 needles. This stitch features yarn-overs (yo), knit-two-together decreases (k2tog), slip-slip-knit decreases (ssk), slip-one-knit-two-together-pass-slipped-stitch-over (sl1, k2tog, psso), and knit-three-together (k3tog) to create decorative openwork
• Make One (m1): Used for strategic increases during the initial expansion rounds
• Yarn-Over (yo): Creates both decorative eyelets and functional increases throughout the lace pattern

Materials

This project requires 5 skeins of Plymouth Yarn De Aire, each weighing 100 grams, in color 3360. The yarn is worked on US size 15 needles, including one set of double-pointed needles and four circular needles in lengths of 16 inches, 24 inches, 32 inches, and 40 inches. The pattern also calls for 12 stitch markers to track the expanding sections as the shrug grows from its circular center outward. The progression from double-pointed needles to increasingly longer circular needles accommodates the growing stitch count as the shrug expands.