Saturday, October 24, 2009

Mary Lou, I don’t have any pictures of grandchildren in their double-breasted BSJ’s, but here is a scan of the tattered and torn pictures from the Sunday Times Magazine, 19th January, 1986. How I wish I had sent for the adult pattern! I think it’s absolutely wonderful that you actually did, Hat!


The red version, at the bottom right of the ASJ page, has cuffs, one notices. The other one is simply an adult BSJ – neither the jacket nor the sleeves are lengthened, as they are in EZ’s adult version. That must have been the way you knit it, Hat? I think I deduce that the red one was only available as a kit, involving “more than a dozen French yarns – mohair, wool, rayon and cotton, velours and tinsel and glitter.” Even so, £75.50 sounds a lot, considering that it was all that time ago.

I had been wondering about cuffs. But I think I’ll stop in mid-forearm, February-Lady-Sweater fashion.

I’m getting on fine, but it’s become slow again. One begins by casting on 9K. My K= 49. I have separated the groups of stitches with markers, just to keep track of the numbers. Then you do the decrease mitres until you have 5K left – that means, the K’s on each side of the two centered stitches disappear completely. Then you start the increase mitres, putting the stitches all back on again.

Well, at the moment I have 30 stitches in each of those K’s.

Alas, I must lay it aside today and tomorrow. The Mysterious Christmas Project didn’t get worked on last Sunday, when we were in the country, so today will make up for that. And tomorrow will be its designated day. It must be done: the goose is getting fat. The one comfort is that two day’s work on those big needles, with that big yarn, will see the Progress Bar shoot ahead.

That will leave me with nothing to talk about for the next two days, so I’ll postpone a discussion of Chicago place names in relation to Lorna’s Laces yarn names. I don’t think I knew that, Matthew, and I love it. Like Atlantic City and Monopoly.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:15 PM

    The ASJ sounds like one big puzzle. I imagine it is a lot of fun and it looks so lovely.
    Ron in Mexico

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  2. Jean, I just had to tell you this. I was at a knitting group at "Little Red Mitten" in St Thomas, Ontario last night. One of the ladies was showing her ASJ. Right away I said, "I want to make one of those." (I am enjoying your progress and am inspired) The lady, I am sorry I didn't catch her name, started talking about "this lady in Scotland who is knitting one." "Oh my goodness," I said, "that's Jean." It turns out you have several readers in the room. Your jacket is greatly admired. This was my first visit to the group and it was wonderful to find this commonality.

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  3. It was the black and white and grey one that was available as that expensive kit. Mine turned out rather like the black and red one and I did knit ribbed cuffs as otherwise the sleeves would have been far too short. In those days it wouldn't have occured to me to pick up stitches and knit down to the length I wanted. Having said that, I think EZ herself said that it was some years before she published the ASJ pattern because of the sleeve lengthening problem. I've been tempted to make a lighter weight one for ages and am looking forward to seeing yours in all its finished glory.

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  4. Donice4:08 PM

    I look forward to your thoughts on the Chicago place names in Lorna's Laces colorways; two years ago, anticipating first grandchild, I knit a BSJ out of LL Irving Park sport weight. I liked the colors, but I bought it because I loved Irving Park when I lived in Chicago years ago!

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  5. Anonymous6:39 PM

    Judging from the price, I'd say that the kitted version used Anny Blatt yarns. I still have several AB pattern books from that era; came close to casting on for a few designs, but never took the plunge.
    -- Gretchen

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