Knitting -- terribly retro

I got this idea while watching a Constance Bennett movie where she worked as secretary to a playboy lawyer. The movie was first-run in 1930 so this was ladies' business wear the year of the market crash. 

Here's a screen shot of the sweater from the front.

Antique Pattern Library has a PDF of a Corticelli booklet from the 20s that calls this a tuxedo sweater, see below.

There are two ways you can do this. Either do a cardigan with no button holes, which from a later scene this apparently is, or knit the bottom nine inches as a pullover and then at the natural waist start a V-neck cutaway with that little binding stitch I showed you on the pattern for the sleeveless top.  Another variation would be  to start the V on the round where you start the armholes.

Use steeking on the armholes and then add the sleeves. At the bottom of the sleeves, work a k1/p1 rib for just one row to keep them from curling, although working them in the round will lessen the problem. Don't make wrist-fitting cuffs; you can see they are more like jacket sleeves.

Use a DK or lighter weight yarn. Cashmere would be good. Rowan, The Fibre Co., Sublime, and Lana Grossa among others, make cashmere blend DKs, and Valley Yarn and Jade Sapphire make 100% cashmere DK.  You'll need US size 4 needles or maybe size 3 depending on how fine you want the gauge to turn out.

You can jazz this up (get it -- jazz? -- it was a jazz age movie) with wide ribs, cables, horizontal stripes or zigzags halfway between the shoulders and armpits, with duplicate-stitch designs (use old cross-stitch charts), even with Fair Isle motifs.


Here's a leaf-and-berry motif that struck me as very retro the first time I saw it. I think my mom had an old top with a design like this. Make sure the motif count works with the stitch count you need under the shoulders.

See if you can find a match between the color of the  yarn and a thin leather belt that fits at your waist. With the V starting at the armpits, you could fit a wide patent leather belt at the waist. Both are shown in the movie.

You also want a matching, contrasting, or coordinating skirt or slacks. Knitpicks has a free skirt pattern sized for use with Lindy Chain DK yarn which is a cotton-linen blend. The pattern includes a lace border but you can leave that off and make sure to work a couple of rows of k1/p1 at the bottom. The same stitch counts would work for a DK cashmere if you can find one.  Takes a horrible long time to knit a skirt, and the wear and tear could be bad for cashmere. Your other alternative would be, try to find a yarn that works with the color of a skirt or pants that you already have.  

More vintage patterns are available here
http://freevintageknitting.com/women.html

And here, from Antique Pattern Library.
http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/pub/PDF/6-JA038Corticelli18.pdf

© Patricia Jo Heil, 2013-2018 All Rights  Reserved