Jumper plans spring 2014

I have already made plans for knitting a few new jumpers!
Moving a bit backwards in time, to the late 30's I choose the 3 patterns above. The 3 jumpers above have their individual challenges to me and all of them need to be resized a bit as well. Of course, I'm not planning to frog and re-knit them like I did on the Victory, so there are no lace stitches this time! Nice, solid knits with geometric patterns, mainly constructed with basic knit/purl stitches for an easy calculation of the gauge.

1. valerie
This pattern appeared in an 1940's AWW. Though it is a 1940 model we know that the AWW used mostly imported patterns which were released overseas earlier. I love the tabs and the all-over pattern which make this jumper special and very 30's. Actually, I already started knitting this one in 2013, but sewing up the pieces and the finishing took more than a month. In te meantime the Knit for Victory challenge started and I just didn't got round to share the finished jumper. Mine has 3/4 sleeves and is knit in a bright, electric blue color. I ordered the yarn (drops baby merino as always) when it was on sale. A short series of the knitting process will follow shortly.

• my challenge: to achieve the right fit and calculate 3/4 sleeves

2. trellis jumper
This is a Lincoln Mills booklet pattern, which is another free pattern from the internet. There is no exact dating possible, but looking at the hairstyle, the small shoulder pads and the button detail it must be released somewhere in the late 30's or very early 40's (though in the early 40's the shoulders 'grew' quickly bigger, like my Philippa's)
Again, the pattern looks rather simple, but very decorative, containing a small cable pattern in the yoke and sleeves. Most vintage patterns include some amount of increase along the torso to achieve a slight V-shape. This pattern instructs to increase in the last row of ribbing to the definitive amount of stitches at once. That way the visual lines of the vertical cables won't be disturbed.
I'm going to use the same drops baby merino yarn in bright blue-ish red, which I also used in my Victory jumper (yarn ordered when it was on sale)

• my challenge: cable pattern

3. easy stitches jumper
Guess what, another free pattern from the net! The main pattern of the bodice of this one looks similar to the trellis jumper, but the spacing between the vertical lines is filled up with moss-stitch here. Also, the jumper has a rounded yoke which is knitted in the round for the front and the back, including the top of the sleeves. raglan style sleeves. This will be a new challenge to knit! Interesting detail: the pattern instructs to cast on more stitches for the front than for the back. The color is going to be medium or light gray drops yarn which I yet have to order. I might try another quality of yarn to avoid too much calculations in the round yoke area. The drops cotton merino yarn is slightly heavier than the baby merino I use and is available in a pretty light-green color which I like very much!

• my challenge: to knit the yoke in round with the right fit

Free vintage baby bootie & bonnet pattern from 1965

Okay, I'd take a short break, but then I remembered that I've already prepared this post a while ago, with items that could be made for the holiday season. They could make a great Christmas gift! It seems that free baby-knitting patterns remain popular on the internet. These small projects are quick to make, you can use your left-over wool and finish them just in a few evenings. I've already done a post on testing 3 free available baby bootee patterns from the internet here. Today I have another baby bootee and bonnet pattern from 1965, with a definite vintage air! Cute, isn't it?
 

These booties have shaped toes and heels. The original pattern uses the classic white/pink (pr white/light blue) combination. Unfortunately there is no contrast visible on the original, black-and-white picture below, it seems all white.

Actually the moss-stitch parts are knitted in the contrasting color (pattern instructions: pink) and the 'bobbles' are white. I think a bolder, modern color combination like bright blue and yellow or grey and yellow, grey and bright blue or pale green with pink could work just as great! Below details of the construction (made up a bootie) and a detailed explanation of how to knit the two-colored bobble-pattern! You find the original patterns at the end of this post.

stitches & patterns used


moss-stitch:
The edges and the sole of the booties are knit in Moss stitch (also referred as 'M-st.' in the instructions). Moss stitch is simply altering knit and purl stitches followed in the next row by purl above knit stitches and knit above the purl stitches:


two-colored bobble-pattern:
The main pattern is knitted in two colors. There are 'bobbles' in the main color (here white) and in between stripes in the contrasting color (here gray):


pattern chart:

One pattern unit is 6 rows tall and 3+1 sts wide.


bobble-pattern step-by-step:
1. the pattern starts with 4 rows in stocking stitch (knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side)


2. start the next row in the contrasting color. The pattern is formed by 3 knit stitches followed by a 'drop-stitch':
   

3. drop the stitch until the colored stitch and pick that one up (you will have 4 strands of wool above that stitch)
   

4. put your needle under the 4 strands, pick up the wool and pull it through as if to knit (now you have the new loop on your right needle and the original stitch next to that)
   

5 now pass the original stitch over the loop you just made: pick up the original stitch with your left needle and lift it over the loop
   

Your finished stitch (left) the wrong side of the work (right):
   

material and sizing:

• The yarn specified in the instructions (see below bonnet pattern) is a fingering weight yarn, with no.10 needles (metric 3,25) and 7 sts per inch. My guess is, the finished items should definitely fit a 0-4 month old baby.
• I used for my sample a slightly heavier, sport/baby weight yarn with metric size 3 needles. My gauge: 6 sts per in. My finished size from heel to toe: 9 cm (3,5 in). According to baby boot charts this should fit a 3-6 months old baby.

bootie-pattern:
   

These booties are knitted top down. First step is to knit the straight, patterned part above the ankle. After making a row of holes for the tie you separate the stitches in 3 sections. You continue working on middle section for the instep. The turn is made by picking up stitches at the sides, just like when knitting a sock. You finish after decreasing in an angle for the toes. The bootees have a seam along the length of the sole up to the back. As always, I suggest using a flat seam finish to avoid bulky seams inside. (See link under tab 'knitting hints')


   



my pattern modifications:
- instead of 'make one' (m1) by picking up a strand from the previous row I used 'yarn over' to make the holes around the ankle for the tie. A yarn over makes larger holes which are easier in use imo:

Warning: I'd strongly recommend to use a crochet chain or other elastic material instead of a ribbon for safety reasons. Though they look pretty, ribbons are not elastic. When pulled too hard they can be potentially dangerous!

bonnet pattern:
To make up: join back seam from fastening off to first decrease. Sew on ribbon.

Courtesy & source of all newspaper images: AWW through Trove.

1942 Lacy gloves on two needles - 3/3

The last installment of this project. There is still enough time to start knitting as a Christmas present! In the previous posts I explained the construction of the gloves and discussed the lace pattern. In this post: my adjustments and notes plus the original pattern.
Click for part 1 here and part 2 here.

material

The wool I used is my current favorite, DROPS Baby Merino. It is a fingering weight 100% Merinos wool, a superwash-treated yarn. I wrote about it here. Since gloves usually are exposed to friction you can expect more problems with felting when using untreated wool. I'd suggest to use a superwash-treated or a mix-yarn. Acrylic can be a good option as well. I found that my version used up about the same amount of wool as the original: 2 oz. wool which is about 60 g. Again, a great way to use up some of your left-over yarn from previous projects.

my pattern notes 
- Yarn used: drops baby merino, needle size 3-3.5 for size M gloves
- Tension: 7 sts to the inch (28 sts for 10 cm)
- the amount of stitches is the same as the original, only the amount of rows is adjusted some places.
- to make counting the stitches easier I placed a stitchmarker next to the 24 stitches of the lace pattern (right from the first stitch of the lace pattern)
- instead of counting the stitches of the gusset as suggested by the instructions I placed two stitchmarkers right and left from the gusset increase.
- instead of increasing by knitting two stitches into one I used the method which picks up a strand between two stitches of the previous row illustrated here.
- Used a row-counter, this makes easy to keep track on the lace pattern and to knit the right amount of rows for the fingers as well.

   

my adjustments
- I adjusted the length of the hand and did only 16 rows instead of 18 after finishing the thumb gusset.
- I adjusted the length of the fingers, since I found the originals way too long (although I have pretty normal hands and certainly no short fingers)
thumb: 16 rows + top shaping
first finger: 20 rows + top shaping
second finger: 22 rows + top shaping
third finger: 20 rows + top shaping
fourth finger: 18 rows + top shaping

the original pattern
Note: I found two printing errors in the instructions:
- for making the first finger: start with 36 sts instead of 34, in order to end up with the 18 sts for the front and 20 for the back as stated.

- when knitting the 2-3-4th fingers you need to pick up the stitches facing the wrong side.

Pattern 1/3: Materials, tension and abbrevations:


Pattern 2/3: Left-hand glove, thumb 
(read left column, then right column)


Pattern 3/3: Continuing left hand, right hand and to make up 
(read left column, then right column)

Phillipa jumper: 12. the pattern & 10 things I learned

1. choose your first pattern well
Simply said, for the first time make sure you choose something without intricate lacing, cables or fair isle patterns. The most important thing is to focus on the (approximately) right size and right construction of your garment. When you got that right, you can play around with more difficult details. The patterned part of the 'Phillippa' is simple enough to knit, but still looks pretty. You could also choose a jumper with the bodice knitted in stocking stitch in combination with another simple yoke pattern.

2. read the pattern instructions
Read the pattern instructions at least twice and make notes. You really need to have an idea of how the garment is constructed. Take notes and make sure you don't miss anything, especially when your gauge is different or you need to resize a pattern. Pay attention to what the instructions exactly instruct you to do! For example: K2TOG each end of row or K2TOG at beginning of every row or K2TOG every alternate row makes a huge difference!
(In the first round I missed a second moment of increase in the pattern which made my original stitch-count useless.... You also should know at which point you need to pay attention to shaping the armholes or neckline. If you want to adjust either one you should know where to start to decrease. Sometimes knitting goes so well that you might forget to stop in time...)

3. make a visual chart 
I prefer visual information to written when it comes to knitting patterns, so for me it is much easier to use a stitch-count chart instead of counting the stitches all the time. A chart makes it also easier to spot mistakes and printing errors in the original pattern description!
Note: a chart represents the right side of the pattern, so you should 'read' every other row backwards when not knitting on circular needles.

4. make a good swatch and wet block it!
This to prevent putting a lot of time and effort in making a garment which will be unwearable after the first wash. To make it easier, you can start out with a sock-wool for the first time. These wools are generally superwash-treated to keep their shape and not to shrink or stretch after (machine) washing.

5. check your tension
It is important to keep your tension correct. After the few inches of the patterned part with K and P stitches my knitting became too loose. I had to rip it out and restart the patterned part on smaller needles. The reason was that when knitting in round I only used K stitches which made my work go fast but my tension became tighter too.
Note: The tension or gauge swatch is usually for stocking stitch unless stated otherwise, for example if the garment is only knitted in pattern.

6. don't overcalculate
While it is important to have the sizing as good as possible don't think calculating everything automatically results in the perfect fit. If you are not satisfied with your garment, the neckline or other details it is better to rip it out and start over.

7. use stitchmarkers and count often
First when casting on the stitches and then to mark the sides or middle of the piece you are knitting. Re-count your stitches every now and then. The easiest way to do this is to place a stitchmarker every 10th or 20th stitch. If your count is correct you can remove them when knitting the next round.

8. write everything down
Make notes of your stitch counts, the amount of rows and other changes you make as you knit. If you have a good blueprint-pattern it will be so much easier to reproduce other patterns in your size too! Why would you do a different shaping of a standard armhole when one method works for you and you already figured it out?

9. be inventive

Unless you want to knit your garment with completely period-accurate details, think of what could make your work easier. For example, omitting the side seams by knitting on circular needles up to the armholes. This makes knitting faster too, because you only have knit stitches. You can change certain details too: feel free to use buttons instead of a zipper and don't be afraid to make the sleeves fuller or less full than the original...

10. don't expect the first jumper to be perfect

This is probaby the most important thing. When working on your first vintage pattern it is easy to get carried away by the pretty vintage pictures. I guess, the first one just can't be perfect, since you need to experiment with the ease and the fit, plus vintage patterns are usually shorter than we are used to. I think you should just enjoy knitting the garment and more important, learn and use the good things in your next project!



the pattern:
Notes:
- When working with a gauge of 7 sts to an inch you will have a size S/M) garment.
- I started with about 3.5 in of ribbing at the waist (= 9 cm)
- I have lowered the neckline a bit by adding a few extra rows to the shoulders (the straight part following the neckline decrease)
- I casted on 84 sts for the sleeves instead of 80.
- Feel free to add length! The 40's style jumpers are usually rather short.

pattern part 1:


pattern part 2:


pattern part 3:

The original pattern appeared in the Australian Women's Weekly - through Trove

Previous posts in the Phillipa jumper series:
1. introduction
2. yarn an gauge
3. fit an ease
4. pattern charts an diagrams
5. knitting in round &stitch markers
6. methods to increase
7. my seamless pocket lining
8. my version: back neck opening
9. oh, those 40's sleeves
10. crochet finishing on neckline and pocket
11. the big reveal

War year patterns: Phillipa jumper - Introduction

My most 'recent' sweater knitting experience dates back in the early 1990's. Recently I've got a bunch of mainly late 1980's and early 90's knitting magazines. Guess, what I've found? The last top pattern I've ever knitted for my mom back in 1991! There is a cable pattern running down the front with leaves and I made it in pale blue cotton:


Well, there will be another post on 90's knitting, now back to the war years!
Though I love the detailing on the 30's garments the 40's are my favorite fashion era. I love the fitted silhouettes, pronounced shoulders, the just-below-knee-length A-line skirts and that all of that is just perfectly flattering for my body type! The only thing I don't like is the extreme high necklines of the era.

I've always wanted an early 1940 style sweater (jumper) with a fitted bodice and puffed sleeves! Since I am very much into knitting these days I choose my first vintage pattern from the Australian Women's Weekly magazine.

did you know that......You can find a lot of free vintage knitting pattens on the internet? Although it might be tempting to start 'hoarding', you don't have to buy anything but the yarn to get started.

This jumper is interesting because the simple yet effective diagonals at the front. I'm starting to sound like the AWW, do I? I love how simple the pattern looks, just knit and purl diagonals. And what do you think of the tiny, decorative breast pocket? The otherwise fitted sleeves are arranged in puffy pleats at the shoulder seams. Exactly what I was looking for!

"Phillipa
A versatile sweater for all occasions. See it photographed in a natural color on the cover of this issue." 

I kinda miss the detailed description...but love that they named all of the patterns they published throughout the 1940's.
Since I want to show the process of knitting up a vintage pattern I made short posts with lots of pictures along the way. (This one won't be no another UFO, the jumper itself is already knitted and is waiting to be assembled!)
In the next post more about the choice of yarn.

Knitting gloves on two needles - 1943 pattern (2/2)

For the intro of this post click here and for construction details click here.
Below you find a lot of tips and tricks on how to knit these gloves successfully!







Tricks and tips:
- My BF noticed that the cuff starts a bit high, at the heel of the hand, instead of starting around the wrist. The reason is that your hand gets smaller below the heel of the hand, towards the wrist, but the handpalm and fingers are knitted without shaping. To adjust the shaping and make the lower part more fitted the cuff starts quite high, on the heel of the hand. (You can see this in the original picture too)
- I slipped the first stitches of every row, as usual in order to create a neat edging along the sides. (this time it is also stated in the pattern description!)
I did knit the first stitches of the newly cast on rows.
- The pattern instructs 'K (knit) into the backs of all cast on stitches' when starting a new finger. Why should you knit in the backs of the cast on stitches: If you try you can observe that the stitches knitted in the normal way seem to want to curl up while the stitches knitted into the back of the loop lay nice and flat.

Methods I used to cast on and off:
There are many different methods to cast on and off stitches. The right amount of elasticity is essential for these gloves, so I tried several methods to achieve that. The two methods described below worked for me the best.
Bonus: if you cast on and off as described below you have really nice edges which are easy to sew together, like here:


To cast off stitches between the fingers: 
- Slip the first stitch from the left hand needle to the right hand needle (this is the same as for every row)
- Knit the second stitch.
- Using the left hand needle, lift the first stitch over the second and drop it off the needle.
- You have now one stitch left on your right needle.
- Knit the next stitch and lift the 'left-over' stitch on the right needle over the new stitch with your left needle.
- Repeat.

To cast on new stitches between the fingers:


- Knit row then turn work as if you are going to start the next row. (= your existing stitches are on the left needle)
- Insert the right needle in the space between the first two stitches and knit: yarn around the needle and pull yarn forward.
- Transfer the new stitch back to the left needle.
- Knit into the space between the new stitch and the second stitch in the same way and put it on the left needle too.
- Continue until you have the desired amount of extra stitches on the needle, plus one.
- When knitting the row knit this last (extra cast on) stitch together with the first stitch of the existing stitches.

Why to cast on an extra stitch?
When knitting the row, there is often a longer piece of yarn between the existing stitches and the first newly cast on stitch which creates a weak point. To avoid this and make the place between the fingers firmer, knit the last (extra cast on) stitch together with the first stitch of the existing stitches.

If you haven't used these techniques before I would advise to practice it to make sure the new stitches are not too tight or too loose! Here is a picture of how a finger should look like (this side you work on is the wrong side when assembling the gloves) If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Left picture below: the wrong side of the work (you cast on and off on this side) Right picture: shows the right side of the work (observe that the rows on the left and right edges of the fingers look more alike):
   

How to make a flat seam?




Here is what a finished seam line looks like from the right side of the work:


Picking up the stitches for the cuffs:
- The pattern instruct you to pick up stitches for the cuffs. Since the gloves are knitted lengthwise, the cuff will be knitted sideways to that.
- Hold the gloves with the right side of the work facing you.
- The stitches should be picked up working from right to left
- With the garter stitch the edges will have small bobbles in every 2nd row (instead of chains when knitting with stocking stitch) see picture below. The easiest way is to pick up the new stitches between these bobbles.
- Pick up the stitches with a crochet needle and count them.

A little trick: You are often instructed to mark the work and distribute the desired amount of stitches evenly between the markings when picking up new stitches. I rather pick up a few more stitches and adjust the amount by K2TOG's in the first row. This is easier and makes a neater finish i.m.o. than leaving 'gaps' when picking up the stitches. I also transfer the new stitches after every 10 stitches to my knitting needle, this makes it easier to count.

- I picked up 50 stitches. This is 2 more than the 48 the pattern instructs.
We adjust the amount of stitches when knitting the first row by K2TOG's.
- The pattern instruct to pick up 48 stitches, 50-48=2 so I had to get rid of 2 extra stitches. I choose to knit 2 stitches together in the first row on either side of the of the thumb. If you have more stitches you should distribute your K2TOG's evenly.




The pattern:

• Needles: no. 10 (metric 3.5) voor loose knitters no.11 (metric 3)
• Material: To achieve the right size I recommend to use a dk-weight yarn. For the larger size you can use worsted/Aran weight yarn and a larger needle. The pattern indicates 2 oz.=40 g wool for a pair. (I used acrylic yarn for the black test-glove and it took about 30g for just one glove, even with just a 1 inch cuff. This would make about 80g acrylic yarn for one pair) 
• Gauge: is not stated in the original description. To determine the gauge needed: Measure the length of your hand palm from the horizontal wrist-line to the middle finger. distract 1/2 inch (or 1.2 cm) from it. This is length should be about the same as 18-20 stitches in your gauge swatch. You can achieve this by using DK-weight yarn or for a large/extra-large size using worsted/Aran weight yarn.
• By using thicker yarn you can easily adjust the size! I wouldn't recommend using a larger needle because loosely knitted gloves won't be warm.

This pattern appeared in an 1943 issue of the Australian Women's Weekly magazine. All original newspaper images through Trove, all other images are mine.

Is there anything I would change?
The pattern is really easy to make up and is accurate as well. The only thing I would change next time is to make the length of the thumb shorter because my thumbs are a bit shorter (10 stitches instead of the recommended 12 stitches)
Other than that the gloves are perfect!