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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The 1958 Sweater

It's been done for almost a week, and yesterday I finally took some time to do a little photo shoot.  Strap on your seat belts - it's going to be a long ride!!  I couldn't decide which picture I liked best, so I'm putting them all up!

I am thrilled with this sweater.  The fit is just perfect.  It's not the softest yarn out there, but it's comfortable.  It wasn't the most fun to knit with, but it sure does give nice stitch definition.  I won't bore you with the details again - here's the Ravelry page with all the particulars.

So here I am, in my best faux-vintage get-up.  I apologize for the photos being a little dark.  That's just the way it goes in Chicago in the winter!  I had every light in the place on, and I took these at noon!







I was trying to mimic the poses the model in the magazine was doing.  Here she is, with one of my vintage Vera scarves, this one from the early 1960s:


I like that pose because you can see my cute little kitten heels.  And how do you like my faux beehive?  This is about as beehivy as my hair will get, discounting the fact that it usually looks like something is nesting in there anyway since I'm not a fan of brushing it!


And how about that skirt?  That, folks, is a magic skirt.  No matter how much or little I weigh, it still fits and looks great!  I made it probably around winter of 2000 from a pattern from Burda magazine, to which I subscribed for a couple of years way back when.  Sadly, when we moved to Chicago 3 years ago, I thought I probably wouldn't get into sewing again and got rid of all the magazines AND the patterns I had traced from them!  URGH!  I would love to make this skirt  again.  It has interesting sideways darts at the front:


And take a look at the way I used to do "invisible" zippers.  I've learned to do it properly this year!


But this skirt is fully lined and even has a back vent, of which I'm quite proud:


Here's one final look at the sweater, because I want you to notice the nice leather buttons I found:


I have a feeling I'll be making at least one more sweater from that particular magazine . . .
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19 comments:

  1. Carmela BiscuitDecember 28, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    Oh, I LOVE your sweater, it looks so classy and stylish! And a beautiful skirt too.
    BTW, I made the same unfortunate decision about my Burda magazines and patterns when we moved into our flat five years ago :( And how I regret it ...

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  2. GailDecember 28, 2011 at 8:23 AM

    Thanks, Carmela! I've been trolling the internet, looking for back issues of Burda, but no luck :-(

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  3. K.LineDecember 28, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    Freakin' gorgeous! And I love the colour!

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  4. GailDecember 28, 2011 at 9:59 AM

    Thanks, Kristin!

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  5. Kristen RettigDecember 28, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    What a masterpiece! This is a classic and will never go out of style. The stitch pattern is not one I recognize. Is it some sort of cable?

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  6. GailDecember 28, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    Thanks, Kristen! I would call it an eyelet mock cable. Here's how it goes:

    row 1: (ws) *k2, p2*, k2
    row 2: p2, *k1, YO, k1, p2*
    row 3: *k2, p3*, k2
    row 4: p2, *sl, k2, psso both, p2*

    super easy and gives a result that looks more difficult than it is!

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  7. Kristen RettigDecember 28, 2011 at 2:02 PM

    Ahh, I like that and will keep it in my head for future!

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  8. AnonymousDecember 28, 2011 at 10:43 PM

    Beautiful job, Gail! That sweater fits you perfectly and I love the stitch.
    I hope you find the pattern for the skirt - it's a great shape and I love the side darts.

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  9. GailDecember 29, 2011 at 5:45 AM

    Thanks, Lizz :-)

    Years ago, I took a class on tracing a pattern from an existing piece of clothing, but I've never actually done it. I may just have to give it a try for this one - it's the only pencil skirt that has ever worked for me.

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  10. soknitpickyDecember 29, 2011 at 3:58 PM

    That is an awesome look all around! I especially love that second picture. The skirt *does* look amazing, and I love those sideways darts. Great, great work!

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  11. GailDecember 29, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    Thank you, SKP!

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  12. AnonymousDecember 31, 2011 at 1:01 PM

    Great job! This is super, super pretty-- as all your FOs are! :)

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  13. GailDecember 31, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    Thanks, Ginger! I'm looking forward to seeing your Christmas dress, if you finished it!

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  14. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2012 at 3:42 PM

    Oh, Gail-- I have to finish it when I get back home! I had an unfortunate slip 'o' the scissors when I was trimming a seam allowance, and ended up slicing into the bodice-- nooooo! I felt too deflated to fix it, but that's the first thing on the list when I get back later this week. :)

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  15. GailJanuary 1, 2012 at 3:49 PM

    Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that! Those kinds of accidents are the worst - deflated is exactly the right word :-(

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  16. AnonymousJanuary 3, 2012 at 7:21 PM

    Beautiful sweater. It looks so professional. I found your blog through my daughter's blog, and love your sense of style.

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  17. GailJanuary 4, 2012 at 8:38 AM

    Thank you so much!

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  18. GerryARTJanuary 9, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    Excellent ! ! !

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  19. GailJanuary 9, 2012 at 5:06 PM

    Thanks, Gerry!

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