Retro Knit Friday!

Now we enter the era of knitting without TV, since widespread TV ownership was still in the future in 1938. The silhouette was long and lean during this decade, but in this late 30's booklet we see the beginning of the 40's shoulders. The instructions for the cover dress, like all the other garments in the booklet, only has Size 16, so the knitter had to adapt the instructions to her own size. A lot of these patterns had a very dressmakerly look to them, like this dress with puffed sleeves and collar. It is knit at 8 sts/inch with a dress yarn called 'Chantilly'.

This dress has a 'soft neckline' made by alternating double moss stitch with increases, then stockinette, then decreases, and repeated to make a ruched looking band.

The ribbed dress has a placket and sleeves bordered by picot, and a very interesting yoke. The decreases are kept in line so the ribbing forms a sunburst pattern. The description says that the dress is "cleverly designed to make you look pounds thinner" and that it is a fast knit. Though at 8 sts/inch, I don't see how that is possible.


The ribbed detail on the bodice of this two-piece dress forms an attractive pattern that leads the eye to the face. It has sleeves with tucks on the top and a small collar. Look at how the gores are highlighted by ribbed detail.


This syle is called "the new silhouette" with banding on the bodice and gathers under the bust. It is knit at 7 sts/inch of a nubbly dress yarn called "Miralaine". The skirt has mock gores formed by purl stitches. The V-neck and sleeve cuffs are faced, and the sleeves have tucks at the top.










The top of this two-piece dress is very interesting. It is knit up to the top yoke, then the patterned yoke is formed by short rows in a stockinette, reverse stockinette pattern. The skirt is a ribbed, mock pleated design.



Here's another dress with the "new silhouette". It has puffed sleeves, flared skirt, gathers at the bust, and a nubbly texture. She is wearing a seashell necklace and bracelet

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning cutting up apricots and making two batches of jam. Now my jam making is done, though I am still swimming in plums. I was proud of my opportunism yesterday when we were out front picking apricots and some hapless dude with various piercings walked by listening to his I-Pod. I asked him if he wanted some plums, and though surprised at being addressed, he agreed, so I brought out a whole grocery bag full. His eyes about popped out of his head, but he took them with many thanks. He had to reverse his course and carry them back home, yelling his thanks down the sidewalk, but I was so glad to have gotten rid of some of them.