Utopia Yarn Book 1916

I like the feeling of being in the home stretch on a sweater, so I hung the rest of the ribbings on the machine and finished up the back and both sleeves. Now I only have to finish the last front.


Here is my latest knitting notion. I think these are going to be great for pinning in the set-in sleeves for seaming. They were just what I was looking for.





Once, when we were living in Northern Virginia while the spouse worked in Washington, D.C., he had to go do some research at the Library of Congress. I went too, to look up knitting pamphlets and books. I had heard that they would have a copy of everything ever published in this country, but the pickings were much slimmer than that. I did find some nice old booklets, though, and spent the day at the xerox machine making copies. These pages are from the Utopia Yarn Book, printed in 1916. The baby clothes in this book were very attractive, using mostly garter stitch with some lace patterns, and trimmed with embroidered or crocheted roses. Look at the baby afghans, done with garter stitch, simple lace panels, and rose trims, and they look fresh and pretty. Somehow I neglected to copy the pages with the lace pattern, but it looks simple enough to work out. Here's the pattern for the baby jacket in the bottom picture:

Of course, the old needle sizes and yarn description no longer apply, but it appears to be a fingering weight yarn and about size 2 or 3 (American) needles to get the 7.5 sts./inch. The sweater seems to fasten with crocheted loops over buttons.

Baby's Utopia Knitted Sweater
1-2 Year Size

Materials
4 skeins white Utopia 3-fold Saxony wool
1 1/4-ounce spool crochet silk
2 yards ribbon No. 1
1 pair bone knitting needles No. 1
1 steel crochet hook No. 8

Directions

Back - Cast on 89 stitches. (these sts. will measure 12 inches), (so this works out to about 7.5 sts/inch) k. 5 ridges, this sweater is knit in pattern illustrated on page 20, following directions from first to twentieth row inclusive, this will not be referred to again. (This is the part I don't have).

K in pattern until the back measures about 8 1/2 inches from the start, then cast on 42 sts. on each end of the needle for sleeves, having 173 sts. on needle, K in pattern for 4 inches from where the sleeves were cast on.

For over shoulder and front sl. 74 sts. on a knitting needle (to be held for other front), bind off 25 sts., and on other 74 sts, K following the pattern for 10 rows, cast on 29 sts. towards front, having 103 sts. on needle, K in pattern for 4 inches, bind off 42 sts. for sleeve, and K following the pattern on the 61 sts. until sideseam is same length as sideseam on back including the 5 ridges, bind off. (They assume you know enough to use the stitches on hold on the needle for the other front)

Cuffs - Pick up 56 sts. around sleeve, K 1 row, P 1 row.

Third Row - K1, *YO, n. (here is an abbreviation I don't know, but it might mean K2tog since this is an eyelet row. OK, I looked it up online and it means Narrow, or Decrease, so I was right), repeat from *ending row with YO, K1. P 1 row, K 8 ridges, bind off, sew up sleeves and side seams.

Collar - Pick up 108 sts. around neck of sweater, K1 row, P1 row, repeat directions from third row on cuffs, P1 row, K1 row, K 15 ridges, bind off.

Silk Edge on Front of Sweater - Ch 1, 1 s.c. in st., repeat skip 2 ridges, 6 dc in next st., skip 2 ridges, 1 sc in next st., 5 times* skip 2 ridges, 3 dc in next st., ch 6, turn, 1 sl st in third dc on last shell, ch 1, turn, 9 sc in space made by ch 6, for buttonhole, 3 dc in same st with first 3 dc., skip 2 ridges, 1 sc in next st., repeat skip 2 ridges, 6 dc in next st., skip 2 ridges, 1 sc in next st., 3 times, repeat from * to top of sweater, ch 1, break off silk.

Edge Around Collar - Ch 1, 1 sc in st., * skip 2 ridges, 6 dc in next st., skip 2 ridges, 1 sc in next st., repeat from * around, making 8 dc in each of the 2 corners.

Repeat silk edge from collar around cuffs.

Draw ribbon through spaces at neck to tie and around sleeves.
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Don't you like the idea of having silk thead in various colors to crochet around all your baby sweaters? It would have added a touch of shine to the garment.



Addendum: OK, I have been trying to figure out the lace pattern so here is my first attempt. Can't tell whether the 5 st. panels are garter or reverse stockinette, but since the original was knitted in wool, probably garter. This has a 9-stitch lace panel with 5 stitch garter panels between. This seems to work out to the 89 and 61 stitch counts of back and fronts if you have a 5 st garter panel on each side . The back would have 6 lace panels and 7 garter panels, the fronts would have 4 lace panels and 5 garter panels. Haven't test knitted this yet.