Recreating Vintage 1940s Knitwear

When I came to write this post I was amazed to find that I have only been knitting since February 2023 - less than 30 months. I still regard myself as a beginner in many ways, but it just feels like something I 'do' now. In that time I've acquired a small, but growing, library of knitting books, and the latest addition is Recreating Vintage 1940s Knitwear by Linda Ivell.

My newest acqusition

The book contains 17 original 1940s patterns, all of which were designed to use small amounts of wool in different colours at a time when yarn was not only rationed, but in short supply. But there is so much more to it than just the patterns.

Patterns to cope with wool shortages

The introduction provides lots of background on knitting in the war years. I've heard about this time from my parents, who lived through it, but there was much in here that I didn't know.

From the introduction

I found the section on stitches fascinating; the many different approaches that designers came up with using multiple colours in ways that were not just stripes.

So many variations

Most 1940s knitting patterns are printed in black and white - even before the restrictions of wartime, colour printing wasn't widespread. Colour information is often provided in the pattern, but the shade names may not mean much to readers now. This book provides lots of information on period-appropriate colours.

Colour suggestions

There are instructions on how to make shoulder pads in different shapes for that authentic 1940s silhouette.

Showing the effect of the shoulder pad

There's also plenty of advice on yarns of the period and how to source suitable modern substitutes. And there's a whole chapter on how to resize vintage patterns, which were almost always for a 34" (86cm) bust only. All of the patterns in the book were resized to either 34-36" or 40-42" using this method, so it has been well-tested.

The patterns are split into three categories; open stitches and lace, slip stitch, and colour work. All have been adapted to knit in 4ply or DK, and are rated in terms of difficulty.

The pale blue ties the different colours together

Feather and fan was a popular design

Colour work

There are also lots of 'how-to' photographs and handy tips throughout, making this a real handbook for vintage knitting. My 94-year-old mum greatly enjoyed looking through the book, and said that it brought back lots of memories of knitting in her teens, which I thought was a great endorsement.

Recreating Vintage 1940s Knitwear is published by Crowood Press, and available from booksellers. This is not an affiliated post - I bought my own copy, and these are just my thoughts on a lovely and useful book.