A 1949 Sports Jersey

 

The sweater shown in the photo was donated to the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection more than 30 years ago, in 1994.   We have the matching pattern, too - in fact, probably the copy that the sweater was knitted from, though that wasn't recorded at the time of the donation.  

Don Maid leaflet no.212

The leaflet has clearly been kept folded in four for a long time, and mended with Sellotape (not a good idea for a long-lasting repair).  But the instructions are just about legible, and there isn't another copy in the collection.    

'Don Maid' was a brand of knitting wool manufactured by Donisthorpe & Co. of Leicester, a very long established spinning company, dating back to the 18^th century.  Knitting wool was a minor part of their business, starting just before World War 2 with knitting wool for children's clothes, under the label  'Little Pals'.  The company seems to have seen the end of clothes rationing in the late 1940s as an opportunity to extend their range of knitting wools and patterns and hence introduced the Don Maid brand.  

We currently have just 17 Don Maid leaflets in the KCG collection: a few children's patterns, numbered between 1 and 18, and the rest adult patterns, numbered from 201 to 246 - I suspect that the gap in numbering reflects two different ranges of numbers for children's v. adult patterns.  Don Maid leaflets aren't common, and I don't think that many were produced after no. 246, published around 1952.

Judging by the dates when Don Maid patterns with numbers close to 212 were advertised, Don Maid leaflet 212 was issued in 1949.  Our sweater is described in the leaflet as a Sports Jersey.  The pattern instructions are to knit with 2 strands of 3 ply wool, held together, making a double knitting (DK) thickness, and that is how the sweater is knitted – the two strands are easily seen in the floats on the stranded knitting sections.  I think that Don Maid knitting wool was only made in 3-ply at that time, judging by the other leaflets in the collection and Don Maid ads I have seen.  Many spinners had produced DK knitting wool before WW2, but it had disappeared during the war, and was not reintroduced until the 1950s. Even so, Donisthorpe & Co. evidently thought that a pattern for a sweater in the equivalent of DK wool would be popular - and of course would sell a lot more wool. 

The sweater is knitted on size 7 needles (4.5mm).  The body and sleeves are in brioche stitch, i.e. on a multiple of 3 stitches, plus 1:

Row 1: Slip1 purlwise, (knit 2 together, yarn over, slip 1 purlwise) to last 3 stitches, knit 2 together, slip 1 purlwise.

Row 2:  Knit 1, (yarn over, slip 1 purlwise, knit 2 together), to last 2 stitches, yarn over, slip 1 purlwise, knit 1.  

This gives a very soft, warm and squishy fabric.  

The stranded colour bands are the most noticeable feature of the sweater.  The bands round the yoke and cuffs are knitted in with the rest of the sweater, but the bands along the raglan seams are knitted separately and stitched in place when the sweater is made up. 

It was very different from most 1949 knitwear designs, and I think could be worn now, with minimal adaptation.  I have only recently studied the sweater in the KCG collection in detail and realised how distinctive and unusual it was for its time  - it's now one of my favourite pieces. 

Patons' Embroidered Badges

 I found two embroidered badges in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection quite a while ago. They are machine-embroidered on felt, with a stiff backing, vaguely heraldic in design, with 'PATONS', a beehive and 'HANDKNITS', and measure about 5in. (13cm.) by 3½ in. (9cm.). 

'PATONS HANDKNITS' embroidered badge

They were mixed with with assorted publications (patterns, magazines, ...) with no clue about what they were for or when they were produced.  I thought of them as a pair, like elbow patches, but clearly that's not what they are.  

Then quite recently, a Guild member asked me for a copy of a Patons pattern leaflet, number 3196. She had knitted the skirt and sweater for herself in the late 1980s, and would like to make them again.  She had the original pattern but it had been torn and she needed a new copy. (Copies of vintage patterns are a benefit of Guild membership, with permission from Patons in this case, as they own the copyright.)

Patons leaflet 3196

And there, on the sleeve of the sweater, was an embroidered badge like the two in the collection.  The list of materials required has 'Decorative badge (optional)'  and also 'Shoulder pads (optional)' - those were the 1980s, when women's coats and jackets had shoulder pads, and often cardigans, sweaters and blouses did too, so that you could end up with a stack of three or four on each shoulder. 

The pattern was published in 1987, and I looked at other pattern leaflets with neighbouring numbers to see if any others showed the badges.  I found seven more, all for Patons Diploma yarn, which was a 60% wool, 40% acrylic mix, sold in a chunky weight and a DK.  The sweater in leaflet 3196 is knitted in Diploma Chunky and the skirt in Diploma DK - all the other patterns are for Chunky. 

You could have the badge on your sleeve, or on the front of your sweater or jacket....

Patons leaflet 3191

... or on a pocket...

Patons leaflet 3195 

...and a child might like one too. 

Patons leaflet 3206

I am very pleased to be able to assign a date to the badges in the collection, and to know how they were intended to be used.  But I wonder how many knitters did actually sew them onto their finished garments.