Knitting Your Own Woollen Spencers.
Provided you are fond of knitting and can work fairly quickly, you will find it a great economy to make your own woollen spencers.
If you are careful to select wool of good quality, you will be well rewarded for the time spent in making, as hand-knitted woollens can always be relied upon to show less shrinkage with constant washing than even the most reliable makes of all-wool woven underwear.
The Cross-over Front gives a double protection over the chest.
Here is a practical little design that is very easily made, and very comfortable for wearing, the cross-over front giving a double protection over the chest.
Materials required.
7½ ounces of 4-ply white A.A. “Peacock” Fingering, and 4 No. 13 steel needles.
Abbreviations used.
K = knit; p = purl; st = stitch or stitches.
The Back.
The body section is worked in one piece, and is commenced from the back.
Cast on 100 st.
Knit 20 rows of ribbing, 1 plain and 1 purl alternately.
Now commence working a plain and a purl row alternately, knitting plain the first 4 st and the last 4 st of both the plain and the purl rows. These plain stitches prevent the edges of the work from curling up, and give a flat under-arm seam.
Work 60 rows in this way, increasing 1 st in the 6th st from each end of every 15th row. Continue for 5 more rows, which will bring you to the armhole.
86th Row.—Cast off 12 st, p to 4 st from the end of the row, k 4.
87th Row.—Cast off 12 st, k to the end of the row.
Cast off 1 st at the commencement of each of the next 4 rows. This should leave you with 80 st on the needle.
Now work 49 rows, a plain and a purl row alternately, slipping the 1st st of every row. In these rows purl the return rows right across, omitting the four plain st at each end.
The Body Section when ready for joining up.
The Front.
To divide the st for the fronts, k 34 st on to a spare needle, cast off 12 st for the back of the neck, and on the remaining 34 st work one front as follows:
1st Row.—Cast off 2 st, k to the end of the row.
2nd Row.—Slip 1, p to the end of the row.
3rd Row.—Cast off 2 st, k to the end of the row.
4th Row.—Slip 1, p to the end of the row, then cast on 6 st to form the front border.
On these 36 st work 30 rows, a plain and a purl row alternately, working the 6 border st plain in every row, and slipping the 1st st when turning from the armhole edge.
In the next row increase 1 st in the 7th st. Work 35 more rows, and increase 1 st in the 7th st from the border edge in every 6th row.
Now in the next 4 plain rows increase 1 st in the 2nd st from the armhole edge, and after working the next plain row cast on 12 st for the front of the armhole.
Now work 60 rows, a plain and a purl row alternately, continuing the increasings from the front edge, with 5 rows between, and working 4 plain st in every row to form the seam from the armhole edge. In the 31st and 51st rows, k the 6th and 7th st from the armhole edge together to decrease a little to shape for the waist. Work 20 rows of ribbing; cast off. Reverse the directions for the right front.
To finish the neck, pick up the back of the 6 st, cast on for the border, k 80 rows; cast off. Stretch this strip round the back of the neck, and sew into position. Sew up the
(Concluded on [page 52]).