I ended last week with one of my sewing fails, and I thought what better way to start this week than with one of my knitting wins: my rosy, Briar Rose Jumper.
For the record, I did manage to find 3 perfect, white buttons that match the trim on my Briar Rose Jumper from my button stash. I actually found 5 but split up the set; I hate breaking up sets of buttons but I had to since they were too perfect both in size and color.
This poor jumper has been sitting on my shelf for far too long, and the only reason why it was sitting was because I had to re-iron my sleeves, sew on three buttons, and weave in a few yarn tails. Pathetic I know…. but for me finishing is the pits. (Hems especially….I’m lookin’ at you Burda Trousers from March!)
I’ll stop beating myself up now and talk about happy knitting. First and foremost, Tasha’s Knit-A-Long was the best I’ve ever done. Each post was thoughtfully prepared and contained ample information each step of the way. At first glance, the length of the posts may be overwhelming, but as a result of her posts I learned so much that it has since improved all of my knitting.
I have so much more confidence in my knitting that I have no difficulty sitting down with my calculator and adjusting things on the pattern such as fit and reszing vintage patterns (negative/positive ease), drafting new sleeve caps, where to place my increase/decrease waist shapings, etc.
This is not to say that I’m not still making tweaks and working on perfecting the fit of my jumpers. I just have a much better understanding of how to make these tweaks and knitting with confidence. I highly suggest anyone wanting to make a vintage jumper should follow along with the Briar Rose KAL (even though it’s ended) just to learn all this juicy information.
As I was trying to figure out what to wear on my bottom half, I came to the realization that this jumper works pretty well across generations from the orginal 40’s to the 70’s. (And I’m sure it would fit in the 50’s if I’d have worn it with a circle skirt, too.)
I wish I had more scenic shots, but I got stuck inside my apartment building due to an evening rainstorm.
First the 40’s:
It was laundry night, so Felix had me do some silly shots in the laundry room, catching laundry. I’m wearing my 40’s Dubary 5836 linen skirt that I made specifically to match this jumper. After trying them on together I’m not sure it’s a 100% perfect fit; the skirt’s waist band seems to be competing with my jumper’s ribbing. My mini (size 4) shoes came from a Norstrom sale earlier this year and for me they are the perfect modern-vintage shoe.
Pushing around some laundry:
Here’s some close up images of the collar and pocket.
Felix was making fun of me so I have a pretty funny expression in this shot…
And here’s the back:
I did my hair using one of Casey’s excellent tutorials. It’s hard to see but I have the front twisting back into a bun made up of braids. I need to check out all of her other hair videos, since when it comes to doing my hair I’m completly lost. I serioulsy haven’t had long hair since the 6th grade, so I kinda skipped out of that whole “playing with hair” phase in my teens.
The 70’s:
I think this is the first time on here that you gals are seeing me in pants!
I’m wearing a pair of mid-rise, off-white slacks with a pair of my platform shoes paired with my Briar Rose, with the collar left open. Doesn’t this jumper now have a 70’s vibe? I think it’s due, in part, to my striped ribbing.
If I were making this jumper again, I think I’d try to make the sleeve heads a bit more full, to have a puff-sleeve effect. Otherwise, I think the fit is pretty good, and I just love this collar. I may have to knit one up as a detachable collar.
Well, that’s all the photos I have for you today. Be sure to stop over at the flickr pageto see all of the other KAL follower’s finished Briar Rose Jumpers; there’s a bunch of cuties in there.
If you’d like to revisit my older Briar Rose posts here’s Casting On and Blocking.
In: Knitting
Adorable! I know what you mean, I’m so much more confident about fixing knitting problems than sewing problems. Plus, in knitting you can almost always have a “do-over” by un-knitting and knitting the same yarn again. Un-doing sewing is so much more tedious and you may or may not to be able to use the fabric again.
I “second” that! Once you cut wrong, you’re done for. But with knitting you’re building the material along with the shaping you want, so it’s easier to un-do.
Oh, to learn to knit. One day. Congratulations on finishing such a wonderful sweater. It fits perfectly!
Ooo! You should learn, it’s not that hard. The trickiest part to learning is just figuring out how to hold everything; the stitches themselves aren’t difficult.
Looks great! Congrats on a great finished project!
This sweater is adorable – well done!
Very cute, I love it with the white pants.
i’m in love with those beigey shoes! nordstrom always has the bestest shoes.
Thanks! They come in a burgundy and a black also. I have the hardest time finding shoes since I’m a woman’s size 4 or kids 2.5 (go figure!) but Nordstrom’s usually has a few pairs that are cute. But these are the first 40’s/vintage-y shoes I’ve found on there.
I am so glad to see you finished your sweater – I have been eagerly anticipating your photos. What you did with the stripe detail is lovely, and you did a great job with the fit as well.
Thanks so much Ms. Bumps! :)
Finally, the finished object! It turned out so beautiful! Good job! You Briar Rose looks good either way, but I prefer the skirt, it’s a great 40ies look.
Like you, I enjoyed Tashas knitalong immensely, she gives excellent instructions which enabled me to tackle other vintage patterns as well.
Thanks so much! I do like the 40’s look but I need to make a different skirt to match better (the waistband was competing with the ribbing of my sweater).
Yay! It looks fantastic! I’m so happy to see it finished (I’m sure you are moreso LOL). I love the stripes that you added, it really make a fun sweater. I’m so glad you found the knit-along helpful! :)
It was a great KAL; thanks so much for hosting it for us. :)
Best photoshoot ever :)
Briar Rose is absolutely beautiful. Well done!
I love your cute style. You are just adorable. You look so pretty. I love the hair and rose colored sweater. Awesome job!
Aww thanks so much Gina!
The finishing does have a certain yuckiness to it :-) I try to think of it as sewing, rather than knitting. And this looks just adorable. Love the colour and the length and the stripes at the waist.
Oh, I love it!
(But I have to say that I haven’t hemmed pants in ages – even ones I’ve made. There’s a shop down the street that does it for $7, and they’re perfect every time.)
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