I've just finished this stripey 1940s short sleeved cardigan in 4-ply angora.  This was commissioned by a friend who does historical re-enactments, putting together a 1940s outfit.  She chose the pattern, the colours and the buttons, which saved me a lot of time as I am hopeless at putting  colours together! 

I love the gathering effect on the waist and sleeve  cuffs, and also the fabulous pleat in the shoulders.

I am so pleased with how it turned out, but…will it fit?  My friend  lives quite a distance away so we have not been able to do many  fittings.  The pattern only gives one size and my friend is smaller, so I  reduced the number of stitches.  Then I found that the pattern didn’t  make sense: with stripes it is easy to count the rows, and the pattern  instructed me to knit many more rows than are visible in the photo.  So I  had to rely on my stitch gauge and my friend’s measurements. 

Added to which, my friend did not want the pocket flaps or the  collar.  The flaps were easy to miss out.  Then for the collar I worked a  simple ‘pick up & knit’, 2 rows in garter stitch, and then cast  off.  For some reason this was fiendishly difficult – the first attempt  was puckered so I had to re-work with a much looser tension. 

The sleeves look huge and I’m now thinking I should have reduced them  more.  But perhaps they look huge because the waist is drawn in – maybe  it will look more balanced when it is being worn. 

My friend is coming to collect at the weekend – fingers crossed for a decent fit!