Casting On

I took the plunge.

I cast on 114 stitches for the back (the original pattern calls for 100). How I came to that number, I'm not entirely sure. I had written down a few numbers and an equation on a piece of paper next to my swatch, but when I went over my calculations again, it didn't make as much sense.  I was going to include a full and detailed explanation here, but I don't think I can anymore.

The back seems a little small, but each front is much wider than half the back, so there's hope. Enough hope that I will keep knitting. And crossing my fingers.

The Ladies' Outing Coat, and a little math

Although I was tempted by the Ladies' Outing Jacket and its seaworthy model, I've settled on the Ladies' Outing Coat from the 1907 edition of The Columbia Book of Yarns. I like its smart double-breasted buttons, puffed sleeves, and fitted silhouette. Unlike the Jacket, with its hem and belt at the natural waist, the Coat is longer and more suitable to my current wardrobe. I could absolutely see myself wearing this with jeans or a skirt, as an outerwear garment or as a sweater.

The pattern is fairly complete in its instructions, with clear descriptions of stitch pattern and construction details, but, typical for patterns of this vintage, is lacking information about gauge. Fortunately, it is written for a 36-38" bust and does include directions for increasing and decreasing the size. Since I want to make sure that the finished product fits as well as possible, I read through the pattern several times and sketched a schematic, filling in the provided stitch counts, decreases/increases, and lengths so that I could clearly see the proportions and sizes of different parts of the pattern. The sweater's back and fronts are knit in one giant piece (no shoulder seams to sew), with some waist shaping and built-in increases for the overlapping double-breasted fronts with folded-down lapels (or revers, as the pattern calls them).

I took my own measurements (36" bust, 28" waist, 36" hips), considered ease and fit requirements (there should be negative ease in the finished piece), and pulled out a (roughly) similarly-shaped sweater that has a fit I like. The overall length of the Outing Coat is 20.5", which matched my existing sweater and so should work just fine. The next step was to calculate my desired gauge and check if the stitch counts at various stages of the pattern would work for me and, if not, figure out what they should be.

So, I knit a swatch in the "reversed rib" pattern of the Coat. I chose Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes sportweight and size 4 needles as a starting point (mostly a guess, at this point). The stitch pattern is an alternating 2x2 rib, with each repeat happening every 22 rows. The resulting swatch, as expected, was super stretchy, which is a big part of the fitted look of the finished garment. I washed and blocked the swatch. Once it's dry, we'll see what it tells me about the next steps!

Into the 1900s!

According to the (super nerdy, but oh-so-satisfying) Excel spreadsheet database of my vintage pattern collection, I have just about 260 individual titles, ranging from single patterns to pamphlets to full magazine issues. Unfortunately, this includes only one publication from the first decade of the 20th century: the October, 1905 edition of The Delineator magazine.

My copy is missing its cover, which I'm sure was fabulous.

It's a fascinating read, with articles covering everything from autumn millinery and new styles in mourning attire to modern house building and techniques in housewifery (including how to make Hallowe'en party centerpieces and new recipes for celery novelties). The ads, too, are richly evocative of the fashions and household concerns of the day (and, really, aren't too different from those of today): the best-fitting underwear, the most reliable watches, the healthiest baby food, the purest soap, and the most fashionable shoes.

From The Delineator, October 1905

Tucked in amongst the wide-ranging articles and ads are a couple of knitwear patterns: one for a young girl's Norfolk jacket and another for a dog's sweater. Both are delightful, classic designs that would absolutely work for today's young girls and small dogs, but are not especially suited to me (or my dog).

Dog sweater from The Delineator, October 1905

Young girl's Norfolk Jacket from The Delineator, October 1905

And so I turned to the array of 1900s patterns available online. Many are in the public domain now and easily accessible. I browsed the selection on archive.org and on the Antique Pattern Library and settled on the 1907 edition of The Columbia Book of Yarns by Anna Schumacker. This volume offers clearly illustrated descriptions of the various needles, hooks, and techniques of both knitting and crocheting and also provides readers with photos of new stitch patterns as well as many of the finished garments. I especially love the inspirational sayings at the bottom of each page: "Knitting is one of the most soothing occupations a woman can indulge in" and "Inferior yarns are dull and lifeless. Columbia Yarns are brilliant." The introduction, too, remains so timely and topical:

Knitting was once every woman's duty. Now it is her pleasure, her relaxation, her nerve-soothing occupation for leisure moments in a busy life. With the growth of the various arts and crafts movements, knitting, like all handwork, has taken on a new dignity; and the increasing use of fine yarns gives it new possibilities of beauty.

A flip through a few pages takes you to the women's patterns, with their nipped-in waists, high necks, and puffed sleeves. I admire the Ladies' Outing Coat on page 126 and the Ladies' Outing Jacket on page 132 and I think both would be quite wearable today. Let me dive into the patterns and see how they come together.

Rules, Regulations, and an Intro

Some Background: I've been knitting since I was a girl and learned the basics from my grandmother. I picked it up again in earnest during high school and college and haven't stopped since. My collection of vintage and retro pattern booklets started with my grandmother's stacks of patterns from the 1940s through the 1990s; many of them are full of her own project notes and ideas. Now, I enjoy hunting down other booklets at antique stores, yard sales, and estate sales. I love the styles in these books, the photography and graphic design, and the language. Some of the featured pieces are timeless and others are firmly rooted in their own era, for better or worse. I can't wait to explore them in a more tangible and woolly way!

The Goal: To knit one sweater from each decade of the 20th century, starting with the 1900s and ending with the 1990s, in an effort to enjoy and use more of my collection of vintage knitting patterns and to learn about past styles and techniques.

The Rules

1. I pledge to adhere as closely as possible to the original pattern, making modifications only to ensure the fit of the finished garment and/or to correct misprints or errors in the original pattern.
2. Whenever possible, I will work from a physical pattern already in my collection.
3. Each project will be a sweater.
4. This is selfish knitting: all ten sweaters will be for me.
5. There is no time limit.
6. I will blog at least once a week about the whole process: from pattern selection and prep work to the knitting and finishing process. 
7. I reserve the right to work on other projects in between my Century Sweaters.
8. My knit-friendly husband may post about the process from his perspective as well. 

Follow my progress here. Onwards to the 1900s!