Pattern Review: 1940s Pin-up Jumper

-


I have just finished making the '40s pin-up jumper I mentioned in my first post.

 Knitting with two strands

I had put aside a very fine 2-ply wool from Z Hinchcliffe & Sons for this project.  It was too fine for the pattern, so I decided to try knitting two strands together which I had read could be done to achieve a heavier weight yarn.  It's a bit cumbersome - requiring a strand to be taken from a cone of wool and a ball of wool - and unravelling has been a bit more complicated (have settled for starting a 'mini-ball' of the unravelled wool with the two strands kept together) but overall it has worked out.

I had to use 3mm and 4mm needles instead of the pattern's 2.75 and 3.75 and because of the larger needle sizes (plus the combined thickness of the wool being more like a 4 or 5-ply), the jumper has knit up to a larger size than planned - about a size 16.

Shawl Collars & Ribs

As with most Vintage patterns, there is an attention to detail in how they are written.  So the rib is given not just as "K2, P2" but has a single stitch at each side:

Row 1        K1, P1, *(K2, P2) Rep * to last 4sts, K2, P1, K1
Row 2        *K2, P2.  Rep * to end

This means that the seams, taking in the single stitch each side, are really neat - I am using this from now on for K2, P2 ribs.

The one part that I thought would be complex, the shawl collar, was, quite unexpectedly, simple to knit.  The pattern as a whole is one of the easier vintage patterns I've knit - with the main pattern having a 4 row repeat that creates a wavy lace stitch rib by clever use of slip stitches and knitting into the same two stitches twice.


Summary

I would knit this jumper again possibly in a fine 4-ply in a modern colour.  Because of the thicker wool/needles it has knit up to a bigger size than fits me, so am listing it for sale and you can find it here.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Story So Far

-
Image
My first knitting pattern sale was in July 2019, for a simple lace rib neck warmer.   My path to becoming a pattern writer is probably quite familiar to many designers: I began as a knitter; my grandma taught me to knit and I made toys and cardigans for friends’ children and jumpers for myself and my family.   I started adapting the patterns I was knitting to suit – a different stitch, a slightly different neckline, or a thicker wool than that suggested – adapting them to fit the person I was knitting for.   I found Etsy a few years ago, opened a shop and listed various things to begin with: vintage jewellery I’d collected, a handmade quilt, a handmade necklace.   Then, I made a jumper from an original 1940s pattern and listed this.   Inspired by the Etsy listings I was seeing for knitting patterns, I wrote a couple of simple, beginner, knitting patterns...   'Story so far' Cowl The ‘Story so far’ cowl marks the 4 years – and 1,000 Etsy sales - since I began selling knit
Read more

Football Scarf

-
Image
Football Scarf Knitting Pattern Looking forward to when the season starts anew, this is a knitting pattern for a very simple football scarf with two contrasting stripes and tassels. Materials: 4 100g balls of double-knitting wool (two of each colour) A pair of 4mm knitting needles (uk size) A Tapestry needle Scissors A Crochet hook Techniques: Casting on, Knit stitches, Garter Stitch (knit every row), Casting off, Making Tassels Details of video tutorials showing how to complete these techniques are at the end of the pattern PATTERN Step 1: Casting on In the first colour, cast on 20 stitches using the thumb method Step 2:    Garter Stitch Row 1:    Knit Repeat first row until you have a piece of fabric that is 10cm long (or the length required).  Cut yarn. Step 3:    Changing Colour With the contrasting colour, knit the first row as before and repeat until the second square is the same size as the first. Step 4:    Continue Continue to knit squares
Read more

Alpaca Neckwarmer

-
Image
Although beautiful, sometimes luxury yarns like Adriafil's Sierra Andina Alpaca can be challenging to design for. The following pattern creates a lightweight and super-soft neckwarmer and is simple to knit, once you have got used to the fineness of the yarn.   MATERIALS 1 50g ball of Sierra Andina 100% Alpaca yarn (pictured in red) A pair of 3.75 mm knitting needles A tapestry needle A tape measure TENSION 22 stitches and 38 rows over 10 cm square using 3.75 mm knitting needles and moss stitch MEASUREMENTS Measures 24" in length and 6" wide ABBREVIATIONS cm – centimetres, cont – continue, g – gram, K – knit, Mm – millimetres, P – purl, Rep – repeat, st(s) – stitch(es) TECHNIQUES USED Casting on, casting off, moss stitch, sewing up DIFFICULTY Easy PATTERN Using 3.75mm knitting needles, cast on 32 stitches. MOSS STITCH Row 1:                  *K1, P1.   Rep from * to end Row 2:                  *P1, K1.   Rep from * to end Cont in moss stitch until wor
Read more