WWII sweaters knitted for the service man...

[zaika]

ohhhh. neat!! bookmarked.

 

[zaika]

the back is done.

 

[16_sparrows]

Wow, great work. Thanks for posting your progress, you're making me inspired to knit one.

Are you doing the male or female one?

 

[zaika]

thanks! you should knit one...then we can compare notes.

in my book 'knit for defense' they only have patterns for men's stuff.

 

[Jedburgh OSS]

GREAT WORK!!!!!

Wow! I'm very impressed with your progress and the color is dead on. You go, girl! I believe you'll have some customers and make yourself some spending money.

 

[fortworthgal]

Neat! I have a copy of that same pattern booklet, with knitting patterns for all of the Armed Forces sweaters. There are even some strange USN variations I've never seen before! I'll have to scan it and upload it for those who don't have a copy. I don't knit, but perhaps some of you ladies that do could make use of it.

 

[sixsexsix]

my british grandmother and her sister all knitted sweaters/socks/gloves for men during the war, and would sew in little "thank you" tags into each item. i have no idea how many they completed, but i am sure it was a lot.

 

[zaika]

jedburgh - thank you!! i actually am thinking of just giving this one away...maybe do some kind of contest that vintage betty holds. i have no idea how this yarn will wear for reenactors...so i'd hate to charge someone $40 for a sweater that doesn't work. ( it cost about $65-$70 to buy out all 10 skeins of yarn. but i'm not sure if one sweater vest will actually use all of it. might get two vests out of it all...)

fortworthgal - how many variations does yours have? i think i have...two or three? (i don't have the book with me...can't confirm)

sixsexsix - i love the tags! that must have made many servicemen feel appreciated and given them strength to continue.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Wow, Zaika! That looks great! How long does it take to knit something like that? If I couldn't buy clothes I think I'd have to dress in newspapers or somehting! lol

My Grandma used to knit all the time. Every year at Christmas she would give us a pair of mittens, and trace our hands for the next year. I got a couple of touks through the years, too. I had generations of mittens for years, but now that she is gone I don't know of a single one that survives. I never realized the amount of effort she put into knitting all those mittens for all of her grandkids for so many years.

 

[zaika]

It took about a week and a half of knitting a few hours a day...more or less...to get the back done. I still have the front to do! But, I haven't had time to work on it as of late.

Mittens, especially if they have color work and detail, can take me about a month to finish. Your grandma probably could knit really fast...so maybe it took her less time...

I don't really knit gifts for the very reason that most people don't appreciate the time and labor the knitter puts into it. lol There are a few who would...but most, I don't think would. oh well.

 

[Jedburgh OSS]

a source for reproduced knitting books

http://stores.ebay.com/Iva-Rose-Vin...W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ15894564QQftidZ2QQtZkm

 

[jeep44]

I have an original red Cross sleeveless V-neck sweater-one of those things I picked up at a militaria show that no one else was interested in-It is a size 40 or 42,and still has the label in it,and no holes,either. It is put away somewhere now, but the color is definitely more of a WW2 blanket color than a green. I'll have to see if I can dig it out and post a pic.