Today’s freebie pattern comes once again, from the March 1955 edition of Stitchcraft Magazine. (This edition is chock full of good knitting patterns!)
Click on the following link to download the pattern as a pdf: Cutaway Neckline Sweater Pattern.
Click here to add this pattern to your Ravelry Queue or Favorites.
And another view in black and white:
I’m not 100% why they call this a cut-away neckline, but since it’s referenced that way in Stitchcraft, I’m just going with the flow.
I’ve always been a fan of these high neck sweaters since they’re sure to keep out some of the spring chill that is still in the air, yet be breeze enough for sitting in the sun.
I think this dolman-sleeved sweater is perfect for any newbie (or experienced) knitter, since there is minimal finishing and no sleeves to set in or even knit for that matter. You just have to make a front and a back, seam it together and you’re done!
Pattern Details:
This pattern is drafted for a 36-37″ bust. This would be too large for me, so if I were knitting this up I’d just grade it down, casting on fewer stitches using my knitting gauge.
The tension is 8.5 sts and 10.5 rows to an inch over stockinette stitch on US size 2’s. For most of you, this would be a basic fingering weight yarn, but always just be sure to check your gauge before knitting this up.
Hope you guys have a great weekend.
I think this is gorgeous, thanks! I do have a 36-37 bust but I usually make modern patterns in the size 32 because that’s how much negative ease I need in order to get things to fit snugly. Do you think, since this is a vintage pattern, the negative ease is adequately built in? Or do you think, as I’ll be working with modern yarn (having modern properties), that I would need to grade this down as well?
Generally, yes. I usually assume there is plenty of negative easy pre-built into the pattern.
But I always double check to be sure.
How I do this:
I look at the pattern to see if I can decipher how many stitches there are at the bust area. For this pattern it’s right at the top of the ribbing is the lower bust and from there it angles straight out to the armpits for the dolman sleeves. So there’s going to be positive ease at the true bust and upper bust.
For this pattern there is 147 stitches at the front and also on the back at the very top of the ribbing before the dolman sleeve increases. With the given gauge of 8.5 sts per inch, and assuming you’ll use up 4 stitches for seaming this leaves you with:
(147 sts x 2) – 4 = 290 sts
then
290 sts / 8.5 sts per inch = 34.117 inches at this lower bust.
What I would do if you’re skeptical of the size, is take your fav cardigan or sweater (or one you’ve knit) and measure it at your lower bust while it’s lying flat on a table. And compare this to your true lower bust measurement. That will be a good gauge of how much negative ease you prefer in your knits.
Then you can size this one accordingly if needed.
Now… let’s talk yarn. :)
The patons fingering 3-ply yarn is 100% wool. Now if you also use a 100% wool (not a superwash kind) you should be fine to work the pattern as is.
Superwash, from my experience, has a tendency to grow when blocking. You when you do a swatch you’ll have to block it to see what happens.
If you use a blended yarn, say with silk or cotton you’ll also need to block your swatch to see how the yarn behaves. Silk does get a bit more drapey and heavy but I’ve really never had a problem with substituting one for a 100% wool yarn. My briar rose was done in 75% wool & 25% silk (cascade). It doesn’t have as much stretch recovery but I knit it with the same amount of negative ease that I used on a wool garment and it still turned out fine. (But the next time I did include a tad more negative ease to counteract the silk.)
Sound okay? :)
Excellent info. I’m going to have to look at your detailed comment against the pattern (which I printed) to understand it more fully – but I see what you’re getting at and it’s more or less what I do when I’m working a modern pattern. I agree also, that superwash would be a bad call with this – unless I wanted something that was going to grow to provide the ease I’m looking for. Thanks so much, Liz. I’m sure this will be helpful to many!
Ooh that is really nice! Another one for the queue hehe. Thanks :)
Adorable sweater – I love it – thanks for sharing with it – BTW, I also have a 36-37 bust (unfortunately). . .Thanks for linking – I will download. It’s so fab!!
Hey Pam, what’s wrong with a 36-37 inch bust?! I think it’s nice to be curvy.
ooooo – this is going into my to-knit list, for sure! Lovely pattern!
This is one of the cutest so far. Thanks
Yay! Thanks Ann. :)
LOVE it! I’m imagining it in a soft, mint green cotton cashmere blend but that’s probably because I’m still only dreaming of spring!
Love this! I just ordered yarn for a matching vintage bolero and sweater even though I wasn’t totally in love with the sweater but I might just knit this instead if I have enough left after the bolero!
And I’m super excited because my hair looks just like the model’s except for the perfectly positioned breeze!
I added this pattern to Ravelry, just do I could favorite it. Thanks for uploading it!
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cutaway-neckline-sweater
Fabulous pattern thanks for sharing it! :-)
Thank you Liz for another beautiful pattern. I have been following your blog and its a pleasure to read about the exploits of such a talented lovely person. I really loved the angora patterns (shame about the rabbit!) they really took me back to the birthday parties I went to as a teenager in my fluffy green angora bolero I thought I was the bees knees in that! A different and sometimes kinder world but things move on. Wishing you good luck with your future projects (which I am sure you don’t need).
Hey Pamela! After reading about angora bunnies, in today’s market I’m not 100% certain the rabbit has to be ill-treated to produce lovely yarn for sale. Just as there are happy sheep and llamas that produce fiber for our yarns, there also are kindly treated buns. I’d love to make a *kind* angora jumper and I bet you still can too…. but perhaps not a fluffy green one. heh
I picked up some Cascade Alpaca Lace yarn (it was discounted) thinking to use it for this pattern, but I’m finding that it’s very light and airy when knitting. I have enough of it to be able to use two strands of it together, but would that be recommended? I also have some Ultra Alpaca Light in the stash (I’m pretty sure I have enough), but would that be too heavy for this? Are there any brands of yarn you recommend for these vintage patterns that come pretty close to what the originals use? Thanks!
Hi Miranda. While the Ultra Alpaca yarn might look lovely in this knit pattern, I worry about the use of alpaca in the ribbed waist section.
The ribbing really needs to be form fitting and have great recovery and I just don’t think alpaca has that (or enough of that) to use it for this pattern.
I can’t really attest to the original yarns that were used, as I’ve never used them myself.
Are you on Ravelry? There’s a gal on there (Lpederse) who’s knitting this pattern up right now and she’s using Knit Picks Capretta in fingering.
I myself always get excellent results with Cascade Heritage yarn in fingering weight. It’s a 75% Wool, 25% Nylon, so it’s durable and easy to work with, plus I always have great ribbing recovery with it.
Good luck and don’t hesitate to ask me more questions. :)
Hi! Thanks for the pattern — I’m thinking of knitting it up for the Knitting for Vintage 3month challenge. . . I can’t wait to make it and see the result! And, great tip on the fingering yarn!
I’m halfway through knitting the back and I have gotten confused by the instructions after the ribbing, starting ‘change to size 12 needles” It says to increase on the next and every following third row- does that mean you increase on rows 1, 3, 5, etc or does it mean increase on 1, 4, 7, 10? Thankyou
These old instructions can be tricky at times.
The way I read it is the latter: Increase on Row’s 1, 4, 7, 10, etc. It’s basically the vintage way of saying “increase every 3 rows, starting on row 1.”
Happy knitting Kristy!