Sooooo Excited to finish this sweater. I started in late June of this year when my friend and I estimated it would take 100+ hours to finish. Ha! I have no idea how long it really took but I just finished it last week. Hooray. And it's a beauty. So excited to go through my closet and see what I can wear it with. I have a couple of Summer-sh skirts and am planning to make a red wool skirt, that I think would look just brilliant with this teal blue. For the photos the sweater was paired with bone colored wide-leg trousers. They are one of the prototypes for my Miss Fisher pants. More on those later. They still need some work to perfect.
Here are the details:
- Pattern - 1930's Stitchcraft November 1938 PDF Knitting Pattern - Vintage Jumper with Large Bow - from 1940's Patterns on Etsy
- Yarn - Mystery Yarn purchased from Salvation Army - Such a score! I think it's a cotton/silk or bamboo/cotton blend. It's very nice, soft with a gorgeous sheen. the Bow was knitted from Luna by Tahki Stacy Charles (Also found at Salvation Army) and made from super kid mohair, silk and lurex. The lurex gives it a subtle sparkle. (there are two balls of the Luna with bonus yarn at Re-Crafting Co. in case you are interested)
- Buttons - Vintage plastic buttons from Re-crafting Co. in Alameda
- Needles - I used size 2 and 3 modern needles.
- Skill Level - Advanced/Expert - Not for the faint of heart or for arthritic hands
The Pattern itself was quite tricky. I needed a stitch counter and a good memory for patterns. As this was a vintage pattern, the yarn suggested was going to be much different from mine. I knew mine needed to be bigger since my bust is 36"+ and this pattern was made for a 32"-34" bust, so the yarn worked out perfectly. I did have to experiment on different needles as the needle size the pattern referenced was not even close. The pattern did advise that this would be the case.
The front was definitely more work than the back. I added short-row horizontal darts to increase the length over my bust to help the bust fit nicely. Since the pattern was on the small size, it definitely needed more fullness in both directions. I had no idea how to do this; it is not suggested in the pattern. While in Recrafting Co. one afternoon, I asked the owner if she knew how to do that and she directed me to a book on her shelf - Vogue Knitting - The Ultimate Knitting Book. This book has instructions for several types of darts in addition to about 1000 more knitting techniques. It was just what was needed and a true bargain for the price of $8. My copy was published in 1989 but it's been updated since then and can be found, easily, on Amazon.
Someone once told me that they a pair knitted socks on the same needles at the same time. This is a brilliant idea, because the socks will be identical when you finish. So that's how the sleeves were knitted for this sweater. They were also shortened to elbow length, because I did not have enough yarn to make them full length. This was actually better for me, in the end as I prefer shorter sleeves.
There were many times I ripped out rows and started new after making a mistake. The real key to this sweater was patience. And, that placket was a mind boggler. Finally figured it out, but it did take me several tries - underlap, overlap & Buttonholes.
The Bow was the most challenging. Since my yard was totally different from the suggested angora, I used two plies of the mohair blend and found the first two tries kind of stubby and short. So I regrouped and increased/decreased on every other row instead of every row. Whew!
Now, moving onto something a little less complicated.....
My NEW knitting project is also from a 1930's pattern. This time, purchased from Vintage Visage (Also on Etsy). This pattern is actually a reproduction of a knitting magazine and has 11 patterns. I love the contrast bow and belt of this one and the short sleeves as well. May not want them quite as puffy. We shall see.
Until Next Time, Happy Knitting (and Sewing too)!
