Hot Weather Retro Knits!

The radio weatherman is saying that the heat wave "has been busted" meaning that the 102 degree weather has gone away. High today is supposed to be in the eighties, thank goodness. The garden has been loving the hot weather though and the cucumbers especially have put on a growth spurt.

Today we have more sweaters from the 1939 Minerva booklet. The first sweater is a blouse made of 'Modeen', a dress-weight yarn knit on size 1 needles at 8 sts. per inch. Most of the top is knit in seed stitch with a stockinette pattern of hearts interspersed with French knot embroidery. The pattern is echoed in the heart-shaped pockets. The edges are finished with single crochet in the contrast yarn.

The name of this dress is 'Fresno' for unknown reasons. The description says that it has a 'pencil silhouette' and 'a military suggestion of buttons'. In this pattern, the plan of action is to knit pattern pieces that are then treated in a dressmakerly manner with fashion details created during the assembly. The upper yoke and midriff are shirred, and there are buttons at the shoulders. The outfit is knit at 9 sts/inch on size 1 needles.

This fuzzy sweater blouse is knit in a yarn called 'Woolgora'. It must be a blend of wool and angora. The interchangeable yarn chart says that it came in a 1/2 oz. ball with 131 yards in the ball. It was a dress-weight yarn. This blouse is very attractive with its close fit and front opening highlighted with three contrast stripes. The materials list says that the sweater is off white with rose red trim. It is knit with size 2 needles at 8 1/2 sts/inch.

Another woolgora sweater blouse in wide ribs with lace trim at the neck and sleeve bottom edges.

The slipover is knit of 'Spanish Knitting Worsted' which I have never heard of before. Why Spanish, I wonder? It is knitted in a fairly firm fabric of twisted stitch stockinette. The neckline is high and pointed in the front (how uncomfortable would that be??) and there are pockets at the bottom front.

Another very fitted pullover, this one with a straight neckline in the front. Let's see what was considered an attractive color combination for the time: white, amber, talisman blue, red orange, limerick green, and black. It is worn with a gored skirt knitted in white.

The kids gave me a gift certificate to the good local yarn store for Mother's Day. I have been pondering what to get with it, since I usually buy sock yarn to knit for the daughters, but since this is supposed to be for me, I will have to think about what to get.