I recently blogged about the many WIPs (works in progress) that I have, and my intention to complete a majority of them this year. So I’m delighted to write that I have completed one of them already. This jumper was inspired by a 1940s design that I have seen Engineering Knits wear in several of her YouTube videos. I loved how the pattern in the yoke mirrors across a horizontal colour change, reversing the foreground and background colours. A simple design strategy, yet so effective. The effect can be created with any two-colour design of an appropriate size, so I decided to do it with a stitch pattern that I used in my Clover Leaf Socks design.
The main colourwork pattern that I used in the Clover Leaf Socks was created by Henrietta Ryder in the late nineteenth century for the folded cuff of a stocking (knee high sock). However, for my jumper I’ve scaled the pattern up for greater impact at a sportweight/light dk gauge. So there are more stitches in the pattern repeat than in Miss Ryder’s pattern.
Unlike the seamed vintage jumper that inspired it, my jumper is a fairly standard top-down seamless knit. There are some short rows above the colourwork to raise the back neck, plus some shaping for the underarms and some waist shaping in the body.
Some years ago I read somewhere that circular yokes are not flattering for large chested women. Well, here I am, a short woman with a 43 inch chest proving that’s b*****ks!
Now I just need to write the pattern up so that I can launch it at Yarndale this September.
