This fabulous cable and twist design is perfect for this lovely cardigan or coat.
Date: late 1940s to early 1950s
Measurements - bust 34-36"; length from shoulder 22"; sleeve seam 18"
Materials - double knit or light worsted; 4.5mm US 7 and 3.75mm US 5 needles; 15 buttons; cable needle
Original used 17 ozs of Patons Moorland Double Knitting or 18 ozs Patons Bulldog Double Knitting
Tension - 5.25 stitches and 7 rows to 1 inch using 4.5mm US 7 over stocking stitch
They tell of houses with no central heating and austerity and form part of the 20th century (and earlier) social history of Britain. Most of the fancy old houses in Britain are still freezing as it costs a fortune to heat such a large space but it would be hasty to think that bedjackets are an item of clothing for the wealthy. Until recently most British homes were poorly heated. A small heater or open fire might warm the bedroom on the coldest nights and a fire in the living room but the rest of the house would be cold. A bedjacket was a practical solution to women of all classes to combat chilly times just before bed and first thing in the morning.
The patterns have their heyday in the 1940s and early 50s with just about every pattern company producing them. The light and airy nature of the bedjackets created a warm garment using larger than standard needles and would have also used less wool, which was rationed until the late 1940s. Many of the covers show quite a glamorous setting which I think was deliberate to give people a glimmer of pretty and feminine during a dark period of the world's history.
The patterns start to dwindle in the early 1950s which also ties into a boom in housing. Nye Bevan, the joint health and housing minister, insisted that there was a link between the health of the nation and housing. He insisted that good quality materials were used in new builds and that council built homes were linked to gas, water, and electric. Many of the council houses of this period were warmer due to better design, advancements in building technologies but also fuel prices had fallen so it was cheaper to heat the whole house for longer. The era of the bedjacket had passed and by the late 1960s they were seen as fuddy-duddy and only for old ladies.
I still have a soft spot for them though and hope that you do too.
Well that was longer than planned so here's your reward. This is a pattern from the very late 1940s or early 1950s judging from the hair styles. Click on the link below to get the pattern
Patons 578 - Bedjackets and Bedsocks
There are these fabulous 1930s designs. The Patons jumper is for a 34" bust but should be easy to resize as you can just add another pattern repeat to make it larger. Alternative, you could use a slightly heavier yarn and slightly needles to take it up a few more inches.
The Woman's Weekly stretches to 40" bust (despite the sylphlike model) and has a great lace pattern. I made one of these beauties last year and it's fabulous. I went up to a 4-ply yarn and used 4mm needles instead of using 3.75mm to get a larger size. My measurements when the photo was taken was a 49" full bust and 42" waist so you see it adapts very nicely to a larger size.
I also included some great and easy to make jumpers from the 1940s, just check out those victory rolls. The Bestway pattern was reprinted with slightly changes until the mid 1950s (I'll do a post later about that) and has a lovely lace pattern. 
A mainstay of British patterns until the 1970s is the bed-jacket. Most homes until the 1980s, and even the 1990s, didn't have central heating so you had to find something to keep you warm whilst reading in bed or before dressing in the morning.
When rationing slowed, and then stopped, the availability of millinery
supplies, women got creative with their headwear and took the turban to new
heights (quite literally) as there was still a need for a good, warm, and
practical hat that was easy to wear, required no pins to hold it, and could
be made with the supplies at hand. And knitting stepped up. Some patterns were
no more than wide strip of loose knitting wrapped and tied but others became a
little more elaborate. The pattern here has 3 versions: a plain wrap, a twisted
wrap and then one with a crown which makes a more formal hat.
