Caledonia Complete: My first Vintage Jumper

The first thing I have to say is I’m now addicted to knitting up vintage jumpers.

Here’s the original Caledonia jumper pattern I chose to use for my first vintage jumper.

I omitted the plaid design, but I do love it, and would consider making another up with that included.

This is my very last project for Colette’s Spring Palette Challenge.  This jumper represents the dove grey in my color palette of hot pink, black, and dove grey.  I had a lot of fun, but it was definitely hard work getting so many projects done in so little time.  I have no idea how the professionals do it.

I really thought it would be tedious and difficult to work with size 2 knitting needles and such thin yarn, but it’s really not that bad….really and truly!  I feel like it’s taken me the same amount of time to complete this vintage jumper, than any other modern sweater with worsted weight yarn.

Okay, it’s probably due to the fact that modern sweaters are a lot longer and I’ve made long sleeves for them… but still.  I cast on around Feb. 28th or we could just say March 1st and I finished knitting Caledonia roughly 2 weeks ago (I’ve been slowly seaming it together since which doesn’t count to me, in knit-time).  So really it took just about 1 month to knit up.  Not bad for working with fingering weight yarn, no?

I wore my little jumper for the first time today (so please excuse the wrinkles), and I couldn’t be happier with it.  I want to make more, but sadly, I think people would notice.  Ahh well, there are lots of other patterns that I want knit up this spring/summer, especially my Briar Rose jumper in By Gum, By Golly’s KAL.

I paired my little jumper with a basic black A-line skirt I haven’t worn in ages.  I think I bought this skirt when I was in high school actually; I’m surprised it’s lasted so long.  And I have on my trusty black tights (still so cold here…) with my little 40’s inspired shoes from MeToo.  I really wanted my jumper to have an extra pop today, so that’s why the rest of my ensemble is so black.  I’m hoping to find the perfect shade of pink (linen or other cotton) to make a fun skirt to pair with it for the spring time.

I modified the sweater to be an inch or two shorter than the pattern directions, but honestly, I wish I didn’t.  I think I would have preferred it just an inch longer.  But all of the shaping (increases, decreases, etc) was done just as the pattern instructed, since I had the same gauge.  The one other (large) modification I did was to completely redraft the sleeves.  I knitted up one sleeve just as the pattern had written, and they were too long and much too wide.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I was very quick to frog it and re-start.  It’s my own fault I didn’t test out the measurements before hand…  I should have followed my own mantra: Measure twice, ‘cut’ once.

I was lucky that just as I was casting on my sleeves for the second time, Tasha of By Gum, By Golly had just posted up a tutorial on how to re-work knitted sleeves and the sleeve caps.

It worked like a charm, don’t you think?!  It looks like these sleeves were made for the pattern.  I wish I could take credit for these guys becuase they have just the right amount of ease and ruffles at the top of the cap…  So if you happen to find yourself in the same conundrum, make sure to check out her blog.

It really is the windy city… everything is always blowing one way or another, in this case my skirt.

To recap, I found this pattern through a Ravelry member, Michou, and hunted down where she got her pattern.  So if anyone else is interrested in knitting up the same jumper I bought it through the online shop, Iva Rose.  It’s actually a whole booklet of cute designs so I hope to make others from it.  The original colors on the front of the booklet are pretty bad, but the shapes and designs are cute.

 

And this shot was just for fun…

As always, thanks for checking out my latest project.  And don’t forgot to comment to win a free pattern or fabric in my prior post.

In: Knitting

Blogger for 6 years and counting, I am a passionate creator who loves to tinker.

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