WW1 Memorial Quilt – Caleb

I have completed my first piece of the WW1 memorial quilt.  This piece is called Caleb and the design in inspired by the occupation of “painter”.  It is very colourful and is more a modern idea of painting than one from the early part of the twentieth century when a painter probably painted walls white and railings black.  Anyway the design doesn’t have to be too literal.

I had considered doing a chart for the pattern but it is much easier just to type it – even if it seems a bit long-winded.   There are only 2 rows. Don’t read the next bit if you have no interest in knitting Caleb.  I am including it as a record of what I have done in case anyone does one to do it.

I used 4mm needles and 7 shades of Rowan Felted Tweed.
Shade 145 - Brown

Shade 151 - Mauve
Shade 167 - Blue
Shade 158 - Green
Shade 181 - Yellow
Shade 154 - Orange
Shade 150 - Red

Before you start wind a second ball of Mauve, Blue, Green, Yellow and Orange.

I cast on 67sts using the Brown yarn which I am going to use as a main colour for the whole quilt.  I tried to loosely strand the colours across the back of the work but I seem to have done it looser on one side than the other.

Row 1: K4 in Mauve, K1 Blue, K1 Mauve, K4 Blue, K1 Green, K1 Blue, K4 Green, K1 Yellow, K1 Green, K4 Yellow, K1 Orange, K1 Yellow, K4 Orange, K1 Red, K1 Orange, K7 Red, K1 Orange, K1 Red, K4 Orange, K1 Yellow, K1 Orange, K4 Yellow, K1 Green, K1 Yellow, K4 Green, K1 Blue, K1 Green K4 Blue, K1 Mauve, K1 Blue, K4 Mauve.

Row 2: P5 in Mauve, P1 Blue, P1 Mauve, P4 Blue, P1 Green, P1 Blue, P4 Green, P1 Yellow, P1 Green, P4 Yellow, P1 Orange, P1 Yellow, P4 Orange, P1 Red, P1 Orange, P5 Red, P1 Orange, P1 Red, P4 Orange, P1 Yellow, P1 Orange, P4 Yellow, P1 Green, P1 Yellow, P4 Green,  P1 Blue, P1 Green P4 Blue, P1 Mauve, P1 Blue, P5 Mauve.

I hope the instructions are correct – it is much easier to knit than type the instructions.

Repeat these 2 rows until 99 rows have been completed. Cast off using Brown.

I am now going to block the piece – that may sort out some of the irregularities in the knitting!

I have done a rough plan for the second piece of this quilt – I have been thinking about it while I have been knitting the first one, but I also intend to knit a thick jumper that appealed to me.  I think I will make a start on that next.

Old Knitting Patterns

This week I have been doing a lot of over-time –so I haven’t done much knitting.  On my only day off last Saturday – I went to the Knitting and Crochet Guild meeting in Oxford.  We looked at some of the Guild’s historic items including stockings knitted in very fine yarn, a fair-isle jumper, and a crocheted tea cosy cover commemorating the end of World War 1.  It was interesting to see them.  I meant to take some photos – but I forgot! At least one of the items – a wrap made from little granny squares - came from an old Vogue Knitting magazine and when I saw it – I thought – I have got some of them from the 1950s or 1960s.

This is actually a Stitchcraft magazine from 1963 but it is similar to some of the Vogue magazines that I have somewhere.  The patterns are so old that they have come back into fashion – but most of the sizes are so small they wouldn’t fit me.  In fact this magazine includes an attractive unisex jumper which means it has larger sizes to fit the men – I might add it onto my list of patterns to knit one day.

When I was trying to find another shawl pattern to knit – I looked through the box files that I have full of old patterns cut out of magazines – and thought many of them need throwing out as they look so dated.  In fact they are only about 10 years old – but that was the time of funky fur and other strange fashion yarns – now we seem to be in an era where more traditional yarn is prized.  However, I suppose if I keep them long enough – they will come back into fashion again.

Incidentally – I didn’t find any shawl patterns – shawls were not in fashion 10 years ago.  However 30 years ago – when I was a student – they were.  One of the first garments I ever knitted was a bramble stitch shawl.  I have still got the pattern for that – I will have to knit another one – something else to add to the list.