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Some Sweaters that Might Not Inspire Your Own Sweater Knitting

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1970s sweater knitting patternsThe introduction to this slideshow of sweater knitting patterns from the 1970s makes me smile in light of what we’re talking about this month. It’s talking about how everyone seems to knit these days, but they mostly just knit scarves and baby blankets.

However, not a single knitter I know has found the time to make a sweater, let alone a skirt or pair of pants. And matching sweaters for the whole family? Forget about it!

Well, I’ve never knit matching sweaters, but I can crank out a couple of sweaters a season (especially since my daughter is still pretty small) and I’ll bet you can, too.

The post suggests that people knit more sweaters back in the day because they didn’t have other distractions like the Internet. But watching television is a great way to get more knitting done, so cozy up with this slideshow for inspiration (even if it only inspires laughter and an understanding of what you don’t want to make) and get ready to knit your own awesome, much more fashionable sweaters.

And if we’re being honest, I would totally knit a couple of these. But those pictured would be much better for an infant, and probably fit better, too. How about you?

[Photo via Collectors Weekly.]

 

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Comments

  1. Those little sweaters are better than the hugely oversized ones of the ’80s (or whenever it was). We traveled to Scandinavia while our daughter was in college. She gave us measurements, so we could buy a sweater to bring back to her. My husband commented, “She’d better marry a football player, so he can wear it after oversized goes out of style!” Wonder whether she still has it?

Have you read?

A Sweet Skater Dress to Knit

I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn. 

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done. 

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit. 

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips. 

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit. 

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry. 

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

Book Review – Knitted Tanks and Tunics

How to Knit a Simple Sweater Dress