1930s: Complete

Well, I didn't get the pose just right and I didn't have the appropriate statement necklace, but my 1930s metallic cocktail jacket is complete! I'm thrilled. Not only is it a great feeling to have finished what has been a painfully slow project, it's also a welcome break for my hands and fingers. The metallic yarn was harsh on my skin and the matte gray yarn was splitty and annoying, but it was all worth it. I love the result. The puffed sleeves, the metallic smocking, the solid yoke...a great 1930s look.

And I'm pleased with the fit, too. It's close-fitting and tailored without being too tight, the sleeves are well-engineered, and the buttons work without too much gapping.

The pattern was solid, too: clear, detailed, well-written, and mistake free. I made just a few modifications, including adding 2" to the overall length and reducing the number of cast-on stitches for each front from 63 to 50. My gauge was just a little larger than recommended and, after knitting and measuring the back, it was clear that I'd need a few fewer stitches to do the job. I'm glad I did. Sticking with the original instructions would have led to a sweater that was a bit too big. Other than those two points, I changed nothing!

Construction-wise, this was a pretty standard knit. One back, two fronts, and two sleeves, all knit from the bottom up. The seams were easy to sew and the busy surface design means that the seams are virtually invisible despite mismatched patterns on the different pieces. Just like my first two decade sweaters, there is a lot of crochet finishing in this. The sleeves, neck, fronts, and lower hem are all finished in a few rows of single crochet. In fact, the buttonband and buttonholes are done in crochet. So, that took a long time, but it does provide nice stability to the edges and a polished finish. I chose simple black hemispherical plastic buttons and I think they're just right and in keeping with the original pattern recommendations.

The next step for this sweater is to find somewhere to wear it! I'll be delving into my 1940s pattern books next to see what I can find. After this one, though, I have a few personal goals for my next project:

1. Must be made of a natural fiber.
2. Maybe no buttons for a change?
3. No crochet edging!

Specs

Yarn: Massive mystery skein of dark gray cotton (?) and cone of silver metallic synthetic

Amounts: I still have a lot of each left

Needles: size 2

Crochet hook: necessary, but I don't remember the size

Started: 2 October 2016

Finished: 19 February 2017

Blizzard update

Two feet of snow over the past two-and-a-half days means that I've found lots of time for knitting and have finally made substantial progress on my 1930s metallic Cocktail Jacket. This has been a really slow project from the beginning. Size 2 needles and smocking means that a lot of time and labor goes into each inch of length.

The back was completed a while ago; both fronts were fairly quick and easy after the expanse of the back. Sleeve the First was larger and more labor-intensive than I'd anticipated (though I don't know why as that's always the way with sleeves). It looked huge as I was knitting it, so when I finished it I decided to start assembling the sweater the make sure the sleeve worked and fit well before tackling Sleeve the Second. The seams were a little awkward to sew up due to the different textures of the yarn and the uneven edges caused by the stitch pattern. Luckily, the busy-ness of the surface camouflages any areas of mismatching seams. Sleeve the First fit in beautifully and has a sturdy enough structure to hold up a substantial puff at the shoulder. It took a couple tries to set in the sleeve evenly, but I think I've got it now.

Apologies for the blurry photo, but it's dark and snowy here.

I've already cast on for Sleeve the Second and hope to have it finished within the next few days. After setting that in, I'll start with the crochet edging around the cuffs, neck, buttonbands, and lower hem. Getting so close to completion!