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

So close...

The 1919 Goldie Golf Sweater is finished! Unfortunately, as it's gray, foggy, and damp today, I don't have any pictures of the complete sweater just yet. I'm hopeful that the weather later in the week will be more conducive to knitwear-modeling and picture-taking, though I don't expect to wear this sweater for real until much later in the fall. It is super warm. In the meantime, I'd like to share my modifications and notes about the project in case anyone out there is interested in making their own version. Or in case anyone out there just really enjoys the nitty-gritty details of someone else's project (I know I do)!

Overall, the sweater was an enjoyable knit. I appreciated the ease and abundance of garter stitch in this project; it really does make the finished product cozy and well-fitting. The one-piece back-to-front construction of the sweater is something that isn't often seen in today's adult sweaters (though I've certainly seen it in contemporary baby garments), but I think maybe it's due for a comeback. I liked building in the sleeves to the body of the sweater and knowing that there wouldn't be quite so much seaming at the end.

I made a few modifications to the sizing, adding 4 garter stitch ridges (8 rows) to the back, 6 ridges to the sleeves and shoulders, and 4 ridges to each front. Although the pattern didn't specifically call for it, I shaped the fronts just like the back, decreasing 1 stitch every fourth ridge towards the waist. I knit the buttonholes on the left front, making the top hole 3 ridges from the neck and subsequent holes every 7th ridge. I made the skirt, collar, and sash as directed with no changes.

Just like the 1900s sweater, this one called for a fair amount of crochet edging. I worked 2 chain stitches and a slip stitch around the edges of the skirt and collar and did a few rows of single crochet along the buttonbands and lower edge of the body. The chain/slip stitch combo made a sort of picot edging on the skirt and collar and helped define the scalloped edges with a really pretty effect. The single crochet on the other sections stabilized the edges and made sewing up really smooth and easy. This was especially welcome as the skirt really needs to be gathered in to fit against the body. I used a size G/6/4.25mm crochet hook.

Here's a quick snap of the sweater mid-finishing, as I'm gathering the skirt to fit. I sewed the seam from the center out to each edge to ensure an even fit.

The sleeves came out a little short and the cuff instructions were a bit unclear, so I had to improvise on those. I picked up 43 stitches around each sleeve and knit 20 more garter ridges in brown. Then, I switched to teal for 10 ridges and bound off. I folded the cuffs back and, per the pattern, sewed a decorative button to the center of each cuff. The pattern describes making a "ruffle" in folding back the cuff and tacking it back under itself, but I'm not convinced that ruffling is really possible (or desirable) with garter stitch at this gauge. In any event, my cuffs seem to be similar to the photo in the pattern and I like the way they look and fit, so I'm calling it good. I have no doubt that a knitter in 1919 would have approached this iffy part of the pattern in her own way and figured out an acceptable solution as well!

I decided to skip the pocket. As you'll see in the finished pictures, it would have been a very awkwardly placed pocket.

And that's it for modifications. As I mentioned, it was a fairly smooth project, even if it did take about three months to complete. There's a lot of knitting in it! More pictures soon.

First Decade Down

 

One decade down, 9 more to go! My 1907 Ladies' Outing Coat is finished, just in time for a cooler-than-normal early spring day, and I'm pretty pleased with the results. It is perhaps a shade too big and doesn't have quite the same hourglass shape* as the picture, but, overall, this sweater is warm, comfortable, and looks just fine with jeans while retaining its early-20th-century charm. 

* I know that the hourglass shape in the picture is enhanced by a corset and that this sweater was undoubtedly intended to be worn with one. I do not intend to do this. 

 

 Since my last progress post on this sweater, I've knitted and attached the second sleeve, knitted and attached the two pockets and the collar, crocheted about a mile of edging and buttonholes, and attached 14 buttons. A warning to all who might be contemplating adding this sweater to the queue: it is not for the crochet-averse knitter. There is a lot of crochet edging in this project. I'm certainly not the world's most confident crocheter (that would be my sister-in-law Melanie), but I feel pretty good about adding crochet borders to knit projects and I sort of love that this pattern just assumed I could do both needlecrafts with equal competence. Plus, since this was a fairly straightforward single crochet edging, I knew I could handle it, even if it did take quite a lot of time. The buttonholes are built into this crochet edge and, since you're working at a fairly tight gauge with the yarn held double, they are quite sturdy and stable. Overall, I think the crochet border adds a nice finish to the sweater and really stabilizes the sleeve cuffs, collar edging, and lower hem. A ribbed garment like this will naturally have a tendency to stretch and the crochet works well to counteract that tendency.

There was almost no detail in the pattern about attaching the buttons, so I went with my instincts and placed 4 buttons on each side of the front. In order to achieve the fit I wanted, I had to place the buttons somewhat further apart than they appear in the pattern picture. I also had to come up with a plan for the hidden inner buttons. I used black buttons for exterior surfaces and white buttons for interiors.

I ran into some trouble with the "revers" (the folded-back lapels). When I placed the buttons where I wanted them, I found that I couldn't really fold back the top edges and keep them even and centered like the pattern photo showed. So, I decided to skip those top buttons and leave the outer lapel loose as you see below. I think it still captures the look of the original.

I found some vintage-style buttons at Jo-Ann that I used for the pocket buttons. These were labelled as 1890-1910, perfect for my project! The pockets themselves are knit separately and sewn onto the fronts.

 

I'm already looking forward to delving into my 1910s patterns!

Specs

Yarn: Knit Picks' Wool of the Andes sport weight, about 14.5 balls

Needles: size 4 

Crochet hook: Crochet hook sizing confuses me. The one I used said "4 or E"

Started: 16 January 2016

Finished: 19 March 2016