New In

I had a bit of a 30s splurge this week (it's probably my favourite era style wise). First was a great diagonal striped jumper with a stylish jabot (or decorative ruffle) from Munrospun from the mid 1930s. Munrospun was one of those companies that always produced high end patterns and was seen as being slightly more chic than many of the standard pattern companies. The pattern is for a 36" bust and uses a 4-ply so I think it could easily be resized by using larger needles and thicker wool. Then there is this wonderful lace blouse with a bust measurement of between 33" to 36" depending on how tight you like your clothes. The original was made from an artificial silk or rayon so if you want to match the drape, make sure that you choose something that slips.

This set of 5 jumpers, all different sizes that come from the Good Housekeeping Second Knitting Supplement. I found this tucked into a modern book and was so surprised to find it. The patterns are wonderful and probably date from the early 30s judging by the hair styles. My favourite is the diagonal striped jumper: I love the way they carry on through to the back and the way that one of the stripes coils down the arm. Each jumper has only one size but they are different, so a crafty use of different needles and yarn weights could get you a larger or smaller version. However, no tension is given so you really will just have to see how they feel.

On to the 1940s and there is this stunning cable and bobble twin set in a great petite size. To make this larger, just increase the number of repeats, but remember that you might also need to alter the arm scyth too so you could use a pattern in your size to work out that one.

For those of you that like a bit of lace, there is this gorgeous lace jumper pattern, also in a more petite size. This is a Bairnswear pattern, La Laine is the wool needed. Bairnwear did this frequently but probably the most recognised if 'Femina' which was another one of their wool lines.






My final 1940s pattern is this wonderful puff sleeve blouse or evening jacket with an all over shirred design. This one was designed by Munrospun and is, I think, extremely beautiful. I can just imagine it in a midnight blue yarn with a bit of glimmer to it and crystal buttons. The shirring is easy to achieve: it's just a matter of increasing and decreasing at the appropriate points to get the ripple effect.

To finish there is this fun 1950s 'sweater girl' jumper pattern with a nice open mesh lace. This is achieved by using a large (10mm) needle every few rows. This pattern has 2 sizes 34" and 36" but I think that it might be tricky to make it larger by just using larger needles or yarn so you might have to work out the maths if you want to resize it.