Retro Knit Tuesday!

The hat count is now up to ten, and I would like to make at least two more for an even dozen. I tried out my idea of knitting them off in a string with scrap yarn in between, but it turned out to take longer to get the free stitches back on the needles for the end decreases than it would if I just cast them on singly. I am hoping to get them to the mission by the end of October.

We had a family birthday party for my brother this weekend, and since I didn't get around to Retro Knit Friday, here is the first ever Retro Knit Tuesday. These sweaters are from the 1940 Bear Brand/Bucilla Volume 314. The first garment, a fitted cardigan with quadruple pocket flaps, is called 'Fore and Aft'. It is hard to tell what weight the yarn used is because they only give the gauge for the pattern stitches, but it looks to be about sport weight. The body of the sweater has a cabled pattern and the sleeves are knit in rib stitch. The borders are crocheted.

This thicker-yarn short-sleeved cardigan is knit in a diagonal rib pattern which looks nice in the textured yarn. The sweater is meant to be worn with shoulder pads.

This classic cardigan has a knit/purl diamond pattern, stockinette button bands, and large pockets on the front described as 'super-pockets'. It is knit in a very fine yarn at 8 1/2 sts/inch out of a poetically-named yarn called Caledonian Zephyr.

This poor model in the knitted 'duotone' dress is about to be attacked by a giant squid or octopus whose tentacle can be seen behind her. At least she is stylishly dressed for the approaching nautical battle in a close-fitting dress with contrast yokes and front panel which closes up the front with a 'slide fastener'.

Obviously, the fashion emphasis was moving to the shoulders during this phase of fashion evolution. This boxy jacket in a thicker gauge has saddle shoulders. The sleeves are knitted in angora which means that the fuzz continues across the shoulders. It's hard to tell if the sweater is supposed to be dressy or sporty.

'Suburban' is knit in a sport-weight yarn at 6 1/2 sts/inch on size 3 needles. It has cable trim on the bodice and a double-breasted front closure. The pattern description says, 'cable stitched detail on the ageless, dateless tailored dress of TWEEDMOOR.'

Today I am going to try to knit up two more hats and work on the never-ending February Lady Sweater.