Retro Knit Thursday!

Well, so far this has been the wettest drought I can ever remember. It has been raining off and on since the papers were full of gloom and doom about the water prospects for the coming year. Today is supposed to be a break in the showers. Spring has already begun here in California, and the almond trees are blooming, and you can now see daffodils opening up in yards around town.

Today I am going to show the rest of the fashions from the 1940 Chadwick's Red Heart booklet, 'So You're Going To Knit A Sweater'. There are several patterns in this booklet for the popular little boxy jacket seen in so many pattern books from the period. WW II was already in progress in some parts of the world, and these little jackets were quick knits and practical for a world where the women worked in factories and had to make do with shortages of supplies for making garments. This first sweater has the square 40's shoulders and is knit with knitting worsted held double on size 13 needles.
The next jacket is also knit of knitting worsted, this time with a single strand, in a checkerboard pattern of knits and purls. This jacket has front pockets, though neither jacket has any front fasteners. The description says: 'Casual chunky cardigans are the big news of the year! Whether they're straight and boxy or whether they button snugly, you'll find them grand sports companions. Knit one to wear over slacks, knee length skirts, tailored dresses, or with gay accessories for winter sports.'

Winter sports sweaters appeared with regularity in booklets from the 40's. This ensemble contains the cardigan, a hood, hat, and gloves. It is knit of knitting worsted weight yarn in reverse stockinette with horseshoe cables. The cables are decorated with embroidery when the knitting is completed.

The next page shows two pullovers. The top one is knit of sweater wool at 7 sts/inch in a basketweave stitch. The description says that the sweater has well-set shoulders and 'that long-stemmed lean look that's so new'. The bottom pullover is knit in ribbing with a 'beautifully finished hemmed neckline'. The instructions only give a row gauge for the knitting, perhaps because it is in ribbing.

The description of the last sweater says, 'Little girl smocking is a charming touch on this slim sweater that fits like wallpaper! The smockin's worked in while knitting...easy, too.' Instead of embroidering the smocking later, it is formed by using wrap stitches over the rib pattern. The sweater is knit of sports weight yarn .

I finished knitting the yellow cardigan and have to start the assembly of the pieces. Meanwhile, I have pulled out the long-suffering Must Have Cardigan and am actually knitting on it. Maybe this will be the year I finish it.