Jackets and Tams: a Selection of Knitting Patterns from 1910-1919

This is the second post in my series on twentieth century patterns (you can read the other existing posts here), and it will cover the years from 1910 to 1919. This post was, as I expected, far easier to write than the post on knitting patterns from the years 1900 to 1909. There were far more patterns available for the time period and they are far more wearable by today's standards. In the second decade of the twentieth century women began wearing sweaters instead of sacques and shawls, their hemlines rose from the ground, and their hats evolved from the bonnets and towering confections of the past decades into the simple shapes and tams that have never really been out of style since. I was still not able to find any menswear that I cared to include in this post. I did see lots of sweater men's patterns, but they were either really basic items that are readily available, or so very conservative and plain in style that I couldn't imagine any contemporary men wanting to wear them. I hope better things for my post on knitting patterns from the 1920s.

This quilt, or afghan as we'd call it now, is made of six-sided blocks with a raised leaf pattern. Each hexagon is knitted in the round from the outside in. No gauge is given, as is typical of antique patterns, but that hardly matters in an afghan as the pattern could be knitted in any yarn with appropriate-sized needles. This pattern was published in The Queenslander newspaper in Australia in 1910, and is available for free.

This women's jacket is actually crocheted, but I liked it so much I just had to include it. It appeared in Fleisher's Knitting and Crocheting Manual, Tenth Edition, published in 1912, and a reproduction of the book is available from Iva Rose Vintage Reproductions for $21.95. It's a 205-page book so you do get a lot of other patterns for that price, though you may find it a little difficult to stomach the, er, ethnic doll pattern pictures also included in the book. We've come a long way in the last 101 years, thankfully, and no longer include "black mammy" dolls in pattern books.

This is a child's sweater with a nice little shamrock motif. It was originally published in the Priscilla Wool Knitting Book in 1912. A reproduction of the book is available from Iva Rose Vintage Reproductions for $16.95.

This knitted drawstring bag would make a nice evening bag for today. It was originally published in The Mail in 1914, and is available for free.

I quite like this little girl's jacket. This pattern originally appeared in Leach's Child's Knitted Woollies Number, published in 1915, and available as a reproduction from Iva Rose Vintage Reproductions for $9.95. The pattern for the hat isn't included in the book, but it wouldn't be hard to whip up a matching tam.

This child's middy jumper pattern, size 24 months, was originally published in The Lion Yarn Book in 1916. Franklin Habit rewrote the pattern and wrote an accompanying article about the history of Lion Brand Yarns for Knitty, where you can find the pattern and article for free.

This knitted Norfolk Coat was originally published in the Priscilla Sweater Book: Including Hats, Caps, and Other Accessories with Directions for Working in 1917, and is available for free. I must say I like how they've posed the model against a mirror to give us the back as well as the front view of this sweater. Why don't more of today's knitting magazines use this trick?

This vest was published in Needlecraft Publishing Company's Handbook of Wool Knitting and Crochet in 1918, and the pattern is available for free.

This pattern is called a "serviceable sweater", and it is indeed. It's sensible, warm and guaranteed to never go out of style. Like the vest above, this design was published in Needlecraft Publishing Company's Handbook of Wool Knitting and Crochet in 1918 The pattern is available for free.

This tam was publishin in the Bear Brand Blue Book, Volume 18, in 1918. A reproduction of the book is available from Iva Rose Reproductions for $18.95, and I will say I quite like a number of the hat patterns in it as well.

Coming up: Look for the post on 1920s knitting patterns within the next two weeks, and look for part one of my review of Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 54 tomorrow morning!