WW1 Memorial Quilt – Bob

I have sorted out my piece of knitting which represents the tailors and drapers in my family who died in World War 1.

In the end I had to make it 24 rows shorter.  This seems a lot but it is now roughly the right size.

This piece is for Robert Henry Chant who was the husband of my third cousin twice removed.  He was a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery who died in Salonika on 19 Dec 1917 – exactly 100 years ago today.  It is also for my fourth cousin, twice removed Harold Farley Carver who was a private in the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry and who died on 3 Mar 1916 aged 26.  Harold was a tailor in civilian life and Robert was a Drapery warehouseman.

Originally I had thought about doing a design which showed some “fans” of fabric – like those you used to see in shop windows, but I couldn’t make them look right – so I thought about actually knitting some fabric – and decided on dogs-tooth check.  The red bits are supposed to represent stitches.

I cast on 79sts and repeated the 4 row pattern 12 times.  I then knit 12 rows including the red “stitches”, and then repeated the 4 row pattern a further 12 times.  I used Rowan Felted Tweed DK Shade 153 (A) and  Shade 157 (B).  The red is Shade 150.

The 4 Row pattern is:

Row 1:* K1A, K1B, K2A; repeat from *  to last 3 sts, K1A, K1B, K1A.
Row 2:* P2B, P1A, P1B; repeat from *  to last 3 sts, P2B, P1A.
Row 3:* K3B, K1A; repeat from *  to last 3 sts, K3B.
Row 4:* P1B, P3A; repeat from *  to last 3 sts, P1B, P2A.

I hope that is right – basically on each row you knit or purl one stitch in one colour and then 3 in the other.

I am now going to make a cardigan with a cat on for the niece/grand-daughter of some friends of mine, but I have an idea for the next piece of the memorial quilt and I will get back to it in the new year.