An Interesting Purchase
I'm not much of one to carry on about store-bought goods, but the other day I was in our local thrift shop and I was rather taken with this sweater. Such a riot of color! I simply HAD to have it!
Although it has a tag that says "Episcia" made in Hong Kong I have my suspicions it was not a run-of-the-mill machine knit sweater I and also doubt it was made this century. I can't imagine how complicated the "machine" must have been to have knit the colorwork this way! After I got it home I had a closer inspection of how it was done. It was knit from the bottom up as the transition from ribbed hem to plain stockingette is simply a color change, not a seam. All the colorwork is done by fairisle-type stranding with actual knots when one color is done and another starts. The patchwork is all authentic color transitions, likely done with bobbins, not knit squares or strips machine-sewn together. Some of the colors in a square carry over more than 4 stitches but none of them is pulled too tight. The button band/collar is knit separately and then attached by what looks like a crocheted seam not machine stitching like most store-bought sweaters. The seam stitches all line up perfectly so they may have been set up on machine hooks. The fabric edges are also knit-finish, not cut so each front and back was knit as a single piece.
The back is all strips of colorwork - not knit from multi-tonal yarn but single, solid colors! The side seams are also crocheted stitched, not machine sewn. This was obviously a very "hands-on" manufacturing job, not some mindless pieces cut from knit fabric and machine-sewn together. The buttons are all yarn/crochet covered too.
Lastly, it is made of 100% cotton and thus, very heavy as I would guess it is knit in a sturdy worsted weight yarn. I suspect this may be why it's in such good condition - no snags or worn spots at all. If it was knit in wool it would be much lighter weight and probably worn more by it's previous owner. As it is, I love wearing it in the mornings when the house is still warming up. It's very warm!
I'm so crazy about the color work! The simple truth is that I would never start OR finish a project like this for myself because I know it would take forever and I'm much too impatient to wait that long, even for something this spectacular! LOL! What's more I'm much too lazy to go to all that effort - really!
I'll leave you with my favorite motif - a teapot - which is where I'm headed - for another cuppa'! Cheers all!
Although it has a tag that says "Episcia" made in Hong Kong I have my suspicions it was not a run-of-the-mill machine knit sweater I and also doubt it was made this century. I can't imagine how complicated the "machine" must have been to have knit the colorwork this way! After I got it home I had a closer inspection of how it was done. It was knit from the bottom up as the transition from ribbed hem to plain stockingette is simply a color change, not a seam. All the colorwork is done by fairisle-type stranding with actual knots when one color is done and another starts. The patchwork is all authentic color transitions, likely done with bobbins, not knit squares or strips machine-sewn together. Some of the colors in a square carry over more than 4 stitches but none of them is pulled too tight. The button band/collar is knit separately and then attached by what looks like a crocheted seam not machine stitching like most store-bought sweaters. The seam stitches all line up perfectly so they may have been set up on machine hooks. The fabric edges are also knit-finish, not cut so each front and back was knit as a single piece.
The back is all strips of colorwork - not knit from multi-tonal yarn but single, solid colors! The side seams are also crocheted stitched, not machine sewn. This was obviously a very "hands-on" manufacturing job, not some mindless pieces cut from knit fabric and machine-sewn together. The buttons are all yarn/crochet covered too.
Lastly, it is made of 100% cotton and thus, very heavy as I would guess it is knit in a sturdy worsted weight yarn. I suspect this may be why it's in such good condition - no snags or worn spots at all. If it was knit in wool it would be much lighter weight and probably worn more by it's previous owner. As it is, I love wearing it in the mornings when the house is still warming up. It's very warm!
I'm so crazy about the color work! The simple truth is that I would never start OR finish a project like this for myself because I know it would take forever and I'm much too impatient to wait that long, even for something this spectacular! LOL! What's more I'm much too lazy to go to all that effort - really!
I'll leave you with my favorite motif - a teapot - which is where I'm headed - for another cuppa'! Cheers all!
Posted by Gloria Patre at 10/18/2009 8:00 AM 
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: fairisle sweater cotton color work
Categories: Sweaters
Tags: fairisle sweater cotton color work
That is a beautiful sweater. But I'm like you. I want my knitting to be 'done before dinner.' I would never knit something like your fab find.
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Thanks Brenda! Ha! Ha! Just to "extend" the time-it-would-take-to-make-it factor, I forgot to mention it also has crewel embroidery as embellishment on some of the squares!
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You never know what you'll find at a Thrift Store. Sometimes the most inexpensive item can bring the greatest amount of joy! What a lucky find!
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Sometimes you just get lucky - some times everyone got there ahead of you! LOL! It was certainly my pick-me-up for the week!
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