The Start of a 1950s Sweater

While we have taken some time off from the blog - hello again! - that doesn't mean we haven't been working on projects.

I received a bunch of yarn from a family friend. In it was a slew of RHSS (Red Heart Super Saver) yarn in a cream fleck colorway. There was enough for a sweater, but since it was a fairly old batch of yarn, it didn't have yardage listed. I had been thinking about using it for quite some time. I'd look for a pattern, but there wasn't a pattern that screamed it was the right pattern for the yarn. Then, one of my co-workers was wearing a cream swing sweater, and I realized that I had the perfect pattern in our collection. Voila! There was my inspiration.

I started the Basic Coat of Any Length back in December 2016. This is a raglan sleeve sweater. The kids were on vacation, we were on a hiatus from sports. It was magical. I zipped through the back. It took me less than three weeks to get the back completed, working on it sporadically.

The pattern calls for Spinnerin Marvel Twist (4 ounce skeins) . It turns out we had the yarn listed on our Wiki page. It's a worsted weight yarn. With some swatches in hand with different needle sizes, I swatched then washed the swatches. The washing of the swatch is almost necessary when working with the Super Saver. It's so stiff when it is being knit, but softens beautifully once washed.  I achieved gauge with a US5 (3.75mm) needle.

Sweater back along with all of the yarn for the sweater.

Cast-on: 
I used this cast on.
This cast on needs to begin with a knit stitch; and it is a cast on in even numbers. Because I like using this cast on method, I cast on one less stitch than the pattern called for – an even number of stitches. I then cast on one single stitch with a knitted cast on. I began working the pieces by knit, knit, K1tbl and continued in the pattern.

Measurements: 

Measured from directly under needle cable to bottom of back
Laid flat – not stretched: 13.75”
Laid flat –stretched: 15”

Gauge: 

6 stitches = 1 inch without stretching.

Happy Knitting!

1940s Jiffy Raglan Sleeve Sweater - A Quick and Easy Knit

I thought I had posted pics of the 1940s Jiffy Raglan Sleeve Sweater Button Front (knit) a while back, but that was not the case. So, without further ado, are pics of the sweater.

We posted this pattern quite a while ago, and I had always been intrigued by the "Jiffy" part of the title. It turns out that this really was a quick knit. I know I have mentioned that I may be the world's slowest knitter. I am always hopeful that my knitting speed will increase, but it has not yet happened, so I was amazed at how fast I was able to knit this sweater.

I used some "vintage" Lion Brand Wool Ease that I had purchased years and years ago to make my husband a sweater vest. The yarn is a navy/light blue twist - an acrylic and wool blend.

The vest didn't happen because he thought I was a little nuts to be making him a sweater vest. So, the yarn sat in my stash, maturing like a fine wine, waiting for the perfect project to come along.

It can be difficult to find vintage patterns that use worsted weight yarn. That's why I like this pattern. Large yarn, easy directions.

The pic on the left is a close-up of the lacy, yarn-over stitch used for the majority of the sweater. 

I found the use of stitch markers invaluable when it came to working the yoke. The raglan increases were easier to see when I used the markers. The button band was crocheted on, and so much easier than I expected. 

In vintage terms this is a 16-18 sized pattern. I currently wear a medium or large in sweaters. That would put this sweater more in the 12-14 size range, depending on how aggressively you block the sweater.

Happy knitting!