I’m a member of the national Knitting and Crochet Guild, and very occasionally I make it along to meetings of the Birmingham branch. At one meeting I did attend, I took home Sue Bradley’s Cotton Collection, published in 1988, which a fellow member was giving away after a clear-out of their knitting books.
A number of the jumpers in the book use the same basic pattern, a boxy bodice with a very dropped shoulder, but vary the design featured on the jumper and the neckline style. I decided to try knitting one of the simpler designs, on the assumption that if I could achieve a good fit, I should be able to repeat it with other designs from the book.
I picked the ‘Stripe and Block Sweater’ design, which features alternating stripes and battenburg-esque squares, with the same pattern repeated on the front and back of the sweater. All of the patterns in the book are designed for cotton yarns, so I ordered Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK in the closest colours to those shown in the book.
My first attempt at the jumper turned out far too large, so I unraveled and went down a full needle size (3mm instead of 4mm for the body; 2.75mm instead of 3.25 for the ribbing). The only other change I made was to the neckline – the Stripe and Block design has a wide high neckline, which looks cute in the book but which I wasn’t keen on in real life. Instead, I cast off the final (white) stripe of the bodice, picked up the stitches and knit two rows using 2.75mm needles, before casting off knit-wise. It’s a really simple finish which I think suits the wide neckline.
I’m pleased with the fit of the finished jumper, but less so with the yarn which is already pilling. I definitely want to knit more garments from the book (I have my eye on the ‘Rose and Check Sweater’), but will splurge on nicer yarn next time, and possibly a wool instead of a cotton for a cosier jumper.