Thursday 25 October 2012

1930's jumper - in record time!

There has been somewhat of a jumper drought on the blog.  The last woollie I showed you was back in August, tut tut, so I thought it was about time I remedy that! :o) 
  
I do my order knitting in the evenings when I have peace and quiet to concentrate.  I’m working on an order for 3 jumpers, which I can’t really show you until I’ve sent them to the new owner.  One is finished, one just needs the collar and the third, I’ve already finished the back, so we’re getting there!! 

Working with little Y’s by day restricts the level of knitting I can do.  In the past, I’ve tried, and failed, to knit complicated patterns and so have come to the conclusion that rib and stocking stitch are the way to go.

For over 12 months I’ve wanted to knit using a colour called mint from the Stylecraft Life 4 ply range.  It’s a 25% wool, 75% acrylic mix and is such a pretty colour, very feminine and delicate and very much suited to a 1930's jumper.  Having chosen the wool, I had a flick through my 1930’s patterns and decided on this very simple affair from the October 1937 issue of Good Knitting.


The pattern is incredibly easy.  There are 50 rows of k3, p2 rib which, although sounds a lot, is far quicker to knit than k1, p1 rib so wasn’t actually too bad.  The pattern says "the deep welt is a new trick and ensures a perfect fit", well, that remains to be seen but it fitted Doris nicely!  The entire jumper is stocking stitch over 120 rows with only 8 stitches added into the main body of the jumper. 

I started with the front because it was the most complicated piece with the colour change from mint to silver grey for the bow detail.  I wasn’t too happy with the way it suggested working the inserts of grey.  The two wools had to be twisted which gave an uneven stitch each side of the join.  I’ve managed to tighten it up a bit when running the threads in, but I think, if I knit it again, I’ll run the mint to grey colour change in a fair isle way where the finish will be a lot neater.

The bows were really quick to work and I can see me using the pattern for them on other items, a beret perhaps?  They have a little button hole in the middle and are knitted separately, obviously, and then sewn onto the ribbed band.  I stitched them down a little more than the pattern indicated because I didn’t like the way they flopped about because it made them look uneven.  Stitched on firmly, they look so neat. 


I chose original vintage buttons and opted for tiny white glass ones that have a pearlescent layer on them which means they look plain white from a distance, but have hints of colour when you look closely.

As to the record time?  Well, the jumper took only 12 days from start to finish.  Yes, you read that correctly, just 12 days.  I started the front rib in the car on Saturday the 13th October when we were out for the day.  I like to knit in the car.  It gives my hands something to do on a long journey and it’s surprising how quickly the work grows!  I limited the knitting to day time only and, being such a simple jumper, it was very quick indeed.  I finished knitting it yesterday and spent the evening pressing and piecing it together because that, again, is something I can't do without total attention.

Another plus point is how economical it was to make.  It took just under 2 balls of mint with less than 15 grams of silver grey.  When I say just under 2 balls, I really mean just because all I had left was a teeny tiny ball which was smaller than a plum.



I think it has turned out really well and the pattern was very clearly written.  The devil, as they say, is very much in the detail.  It was so simple to knit but the bows and tiny buttons change an otherwise ordinary jumper into a classic piece of late 1930's styling. 

We’re off to Norwich this weekend for the Little Vintage Lover Fair being held at Dragon Hall and this jumper will be coming with us.  If you're in the area, why not pop along and say hello? :o)

16 comments:

  1. Its gorgeous and the Stylecraft Mint is a lovely colour. I knit on long journeys in the car too!
    I know it is not authentic to the eras but have you tried swiss darning the small amounts of change of colour? It is quite easy to do.
    Julie xxxxxxx
    PS Stylecraft does go a long way. I used to have a customer who would buy four balls in four different colours (four jumpers), then she would buy another colour a few weeks later and make a jumper from the leftovers!

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    1. Hi Julie,
      Nice to hear I'm not the only one who car knits! People often give me a second look, but I don't care :o)
      I haven't ever heard of swiss darning, I shall have to google it. Stylecraft is one of my favoured yarns! x

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  2. Lovely jumper! And, at less than 900m of yarn, a real bargain.

    - Pam

    (Hello, by the way. I found your blog while searching for a 1940's knitting pattern book and have browsed with interest. Have you found "Trove"? It's a project by the Australian National Library which is putting on line vintage knitting patterns printed in the Australian press before WW2. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/trove/patterns )

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    1. Hi Pam, Thank you for your comment. I'll take a look on Ravelry for Trove :o)

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  3. Simple yet stylish- it’s really lovely. I must find a shop that stocks that yarn because I have a new patter that I want to knit and it would look rather splendid in that shade.
    I like working with life (the wool!)- there is always so much yardage! I’ve recently knitted a cardigan in DK life and it only too 2 and bit balls- which is great for the girl with limited funds. ; )
    Tupps xxx

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    1. I'ts such a lovely shade, better in the flesh too! I buy all my wool online from a company called Deramores. They have a brilliant range of shades and the service is brilliant :o) I'd love to buy from my local wool shop but they never have the right shades :o(

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  4. O....M.....G!!!!! You are flipping amazing! You are so talented! Its gorgeous too-I love the colors!!!! Do you take orders?? I mean for jumpers? Just curious...hehehe Btw one of my bff lives in Norwich...I cannot wait to visit again-love that place!! xox

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    1. Thank you Bunny, pleased you like it. I do take orders but my order book is closed until Spring 2013 while I catch up :o)
      Norwich is amazing and has such a thriving vintage scene - hope you find lots of treasures when you visit next :o) xx

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  5. Wow that looks great! I'm going to start on a jumper soon.

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    1. Thank you - good luck with your jumper :o)

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  6. Wow- that IS economical with the yarn... I love the sound of it already :)
    And it was definitely a fast knit!

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    1. I really like Stylecraft, good yardage for a decent price :o)

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  7. Wow you are so skilled and clever, I dont think i would ever be able to do that! It is so simple and elegant and oooh those colours are great together! I would so love you to knit me one of those beauties!
    Love Lil x
    www.littleliloflondon.blogspot.com

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  8. That was quick! It's lovely :) x

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  9. Love this one, Lucy, and the colours are gorgeous. Hope you have a good weekend.
    Hen x

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  10. 12 days!!?! I bow down to you, knitting-robot-from-the-future!

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