Wednesday 25 May 2011

Waffle Set 1940s

Waffle Set
This set was in Issue No. 13 of Needlewoman and Needlecraft (price eightpence) - a wartime issue, early '40s I haven't been able to date it exactly.  This is a slip stitch pattern with an 8 row repeat worked on a multiple of 4+2 stitches.
(Odd how all my knitting interest is gravitating towards slip stitch these days).

The pattern is called 'Knitted Waffle Set', but the stitch doesn't correspond to any waffle stitch I have found so far. 
The magazine is small owing to the wartime paper shortages and has mostly black and white pictures.  There are also lots of messages from the Ministry of Food and Board of Trade, advising people how to economise, mend things and deal with the shortages.  This pattern stands out because it is one of the rare colour pictures and looks rather opulent, although the glove and sock patterns in particular would allow knitters to use up odd bits they might have stashed away.

I found some oddments of 4 ply which were close to the colourway in the picture.  This stitch is lovely to knit.


Stitch No. 001
(from Needlewoman and Needlecraft Issue no. 13


Row 1
K3*, s1 (purlwise), K3.  Rep. from * to last 3 sts., S.1 (purlwise), K.2.
Row 2
K.2*, wool forward,  S.1 (purlwise), wool back, K3.
Rep. from * to last  4 sts. Wool forward, S.1 (purlwise), wool back, K.3
Row 3
Rep. row 1
Row 4
Rep. row 2

Can change to colour 2 here
Row 5
K.1*, S.1 (purlwise), K.3.  Rep from * to last st., K.1
Row 6
K.4*, wool forward, S.1 (purlwise), wool back, K.3.
Rep. from * to last 2 sts., wool forward. S.1 (purlwise), wool back K.1
Row 7
Rep. Row 5
Row 8
Rep. Row 6

2 comments:

Spinneretta said...

OOOh, fantastic- thanks for sharing this one!
I really want to knit this stitch :)

Lucy said...

I love the colours you have chosen. I've knitted this jumper many times. The magazine dates to January 1943, if that helps at all :o)