This week’s cozy, comfy pattern comes courtesy of Beehive Handknits for Men. Doesn’t Johnny Pompadour just look snug as a wee, sweatered bug in this? As someone who currently spends most of their existence working Morlock-like in the icy wastes of an unheated concrete basement, this Grandpa sweater is the sort of thing I dream about.
So warm looking, so….snuggly and nice. Like a Slanket, but with dignity!
The book has tiny sketches throughout, not as weird or humorous as those found in the Minerva books but rather small observations of men of the time.
UPDATE! Here’s a link to step-by-step instructions on the ‘flat seaming’ called for in this pattern. Mattress stitch, while invisible and fun, leaves the bulk of two stitches on the inside of the garment, which in the case of bulky knits can get awkward and, well…bulky. This is also a good finish for any reversible garments or baby items, so the kid won’t be irritated by seams.
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It is perfect! Just the sweater I have been looking for to make for my father!
But the pattern is so old, I cannot find out what kind of yarn to use.
I want to make it! Help!
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Hey there. Glad you asked! Finding a yarn to replace a vintage pattern isn’t too hard, provided you don’t mind a little fieldwork. Fortunately as I knit up some swatches, I’ve done most of the heavy lifting. If you can’t search online to find a picture of the yarn to give you a better idea of what it was like, all you really need to do is look at the GAUGE. This one says 7 stitches = 2 inches. So, at 3.5 stitches to the inch, you’re probably going to need a chunky yarn.
Luky for us, I found a picture! Chieftain Speedknit, as seen by the link below, is a bulky, plied yarn. If you have a great deal of DK-weight yarn you’d like to get rid of, holding 2 strands of two different colors together would get you the marled look of the original. Otherwise, Wool-Ease Chunky is the exact gauge and available in most stores, and Wool-Ease Thick & Quick is even chunkier if you’d like a thicker fabric or are a tight knitter. My only caveat would be that the original yarn was all-wool, and these yarns are mostly acrylic (and Wool-Ease tends to pill). Just looking at their website, Lion Brand has something called Alpine Wool that’s the same gauge but %100 wool.
Don’t be afraid to pick up balls of whatever looks appealing to you at the store and check the labels! As long as it’s mostly wool and in the range of 3.5 stitches to an inch, you’re good.
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