Two sweaters, two cloches and a scarf from the 1920s

A 1920 pullover that counts in ridges

The oldest pattern here opens with a small puzzle. The 1920 text says "Knit 8 ribs or 16 rows", so a rib in that booklet is a garter ridge, two rows, and the k2, p2 ribbing goes by another name. Hold that in mind and the rest reads cleanly.

The original is one size on 80 stitches, in "10 Balls Turquoise Vicuna Yarn" with black for the stripes. Ours is DK wool, graded from XS to XL, with about 6 in (15 cm) of ease. You knit it flat in one piece, up the back, over the shoulders and down the front, then pick up the sleeves along the sides.

Two things moved. The old pullover has six rib bands and ours has seven, so it reaches the hip in every size. And the neck: 1920 binds off 20 of 80 stitches, a quarter of the row, then says to increase "every other row until neck is open as far as required". Here you bind off 34 [34, 38, 38, 42], knit three straight ridges, and add a stitch at each edge on every right-side row until the two sides meet at the point of the V. Two balls of the main colour, one per side.

The collar is a separate garter strip, sewn on last. The old line is still the best instruction: "sew on and collar will roll." Cross the ends at the V, left over right, and never press it flat.

• Yarn: DK (#3) wool or wool blend, about 900 [990, 1070, 1260, 1350] yd (825 [905, 980, 1150, 1235] m) in the main colour and about 260 [280, 310, 340, 370] yd (240 [255, 285, 310, 340] m) in the contrast
• Needle: US 6 (4 mm), 32 in (80 cm) circular, used flat because the back is wide
• Gauge: 20 stitches and 40 rows to 4 in (10 cm) in garter stitch
• Finished chest: 37½ [42½, 45½, 50½, 53½] in (95.5 [107.5, 116, 128, 136] cm), for a bust of 32 [36, 40, 44, 48] in

A cloche written for a wool brush

The Deep-Crown Cloche comes from a page that took a brush for granted. After describing a crown of about 21 inches round, it admits: "The crown may look small, but the brushing stretches it to the proper size." Smooth worsted won't do that, so here the size comes from the stitch count, a finished crown of 19½ [21, 22½] in.

What stays is the spiral of single crochet that never joins, a flat top that grows round and not into points, and straight deep sides, 6¾ [7¼, 7¾] in. The brim changed most. The 1923 page asks for four increase rounds, which would ruffle in a smooth yarn, so there are two, each followed by a plain round, and one decrease round later. A twisted cord ties round the crown, as it did then.

In Row & Round, the round where the increases stop and the straight sides begin is the one to mark, because the stitch count stops changing there.

• Yarn: worsted (#4), about 120 [130, 150] yd (110 [120, 135] m)
• Hook: US H-8 (5 mm)
• Fits a head of about 20 [21½, 23] in (51 [54.5, 58.5] cm). Easy.

Keeping the slip-on's stripes level

Garter stitch from hem to hem, one narrow ridge of colour A to every four of colour B, and nothing to shape except the neck. For a first 1920s garment this is the gentle one.

The 1923 page casts on 40 stitches and adds "10 sts. at each end 3 times for sleeves". Ours casts on 66 [74, 80, 88, 94], and each of the three sleeve steps adds 11 [10, 9, 8, 7], which lands the sleeves at the elbow in every size.

The old text knits the two halves of the front one after the other. Here both sides of the neck are worked together, each with its own balls of A and B, so the stripes meet across the front instead of drifting. The stripe then runs unbroken from the back hem over the shoulder to the front hem, and the front ends on an A ridge, mirroring the cast-on edge. The striped cuffs are picked up afterwards, and the collar starts narrow, widens, runs straight and narrows again.

• Yarn: chunky (#5), about 610 [650, 710, 780, 840] yd (560 [595, 650, 715, 770] m) of B and about 200 [210, 230, 240, 260] yd (185 [190, 210, 220, 240] m) of A
• Needle: US 10½ (6.5 mm), 40 in (100 cm) circular, used flat
• Gauge: 14 stitches and 28 rows to 4 in (10 cm); finished chest 37¾ [42¼, 45¾, 50¼, 53¾] in (96 [107.5, 116, 127.5, 136.5] cm)

The scarf whose instructions disagree

The 1923 scarf contradicts itself. It says to "Repeat these 4 rows until there are 5 ribs of each color", then a few lines on, "Repeat these last 9 ribs 3 times (27 ribs)." Five ridges per group cannot be both. We followed the count of 27, which makes each textured band four ridges, the two contrast colours taking turns.

The bands are knit one, purl one on one row and plain knit on the next, set between garter ends of 18 ridges, with three bands at each end. The old scarf comes to about 108 ridges in all, short enough for a neck. Ours lengthens the middle to 56¾ in (144 cm) long and 9¼ in (23.5 cm) wide, before the fringe.

The fringe is the original method: wind yarn over a 6 in card, then knot one strand of each colour into every other stitch. Gauge is not critical here.

• Yarn: worsted (#4), three colours
• Needles: US 8 (5 mm)
• Easy; one size

Counting the stripe rounds on the banded cloche

This is the cloche that rewards a pencil. Once the crown is 7 in across, the old page gives its stripes as one long run: "1 row Fawn; 2 rows Brown; 1 row Fawn; 1 row Blue" and on, ending "3 rows Brown. This finishes crown." Eighteen rounds in all, and we kept their order exactly.

Two choices are ours. The 1923 text doesn't say whether to join the rounds, so they are joined, which keeps each stripe level. And the brim is worked with a strand each of two colours held together, giving the marled edge, so it takes a larger hook than the crown to make room for the doubled yarn. A last round can enclose a hat wire if you want a firmer brim.

It sits between Easy and Intermediate for the colour changes, not for any difficult stitch.

• Yarn: DK (#3), three colours
• Hooks: US G-6 (4 mm) for the crown, US I-9 (5.5 mm) for the brim
• Sizes S, M, L

Choosing a size, and what to make first

Pick the sweaters by bust, 32 to 48 in (81.5 to 122 cm), then hold the finished chest against a loose sweater you already wear. They are cut roomy, as 1920s sweaters were. A closer fit means going down a size, and gauge matters more than usual.

If you knit and have never made a garment, start with the slip-on. If you crochet, the Deep-Crown Cloche is the plainest of the hats. The pullover is best kept for after a sweater or two, since the sleeves are picked up and the neck needs two balls. The banded cloche and the scarf can be made in the same three colours, as the 1923 page paired them.