"Home Fires"

Sisters Laura (Leila Mimmack) and Kate (Rachel Hurd-Wood) wear, respectively, the embroidered jacket from Golden Eagle no.478 and the leaf-patterned cardigan from Bestway 1027.

 

The 2015-2016 series "Home Fires" set in WWII-era rural England is chock-full of wonderful period knits -- and we know they are absolutely authentic as Bridget C. has tracked down the original patterns for two of her favorites.  Copies of the patterns are available for a modest fee from Sue at FabForties.

For more photos of knitwear from the series see the A Bluestocking Knits post here.

Golden Eagle no.478, an embroidered Bavarian-style jumper or jacket, knitted in 3-ply, to fit a 34"-36" bust. The pattern also included instructions for modifying the short sleeves to long, and a quote for the number of coupons needed for the wool.

Bestway 1027 a leaf-patterned cardigan with small collar, knitted in 3-ply, to fit 32" bust.

Kudos to the "Home Fires" costume designers, Lucinda Wright and Howard Burden, for using authentic patterns for their garment!

1940s Fair Isle slipover

1940s Fair Isle slipover, hand-knitted. Source unknown.

 

"Phillipa" jumper (1941)

The "Phillipa" jumper appeared on the cover of the Saturday, 8 March 1941 issue of "The Australian Women's Weekly" magazine. The pattern (which appears on p.35 of the "Knitting Book" supplement) is only one of many in the "Weekly" available free through Trove at the National Library of Australia.

Doortje of "Just Skirts and Dresses" hosted a "Phillipa" knitalong in 2013 -- her posts include her thoughts about resizing this pattern and adjustments for the wearer's figure.

Prince Harald's knitted jumper

The knitted jumper worn by little Prince Harald when his family fled Norway just ahead of the Nazi invasion in 1940 inspired many a patriotic Norwegian, and Norwegians in spirit, to knit their own. The stitch pattern is a traditional Norwegian one, possibly from Hallingdal; it is also found in traditional Faroese designs and Latvian mittens.  Arne and Carlos, in the video below, call the pattern "Dovre," explaining that they do so because of a 1960s-era booklet for a cardigan using that name, which name "stuck in their heads" but that is not the traditional name for it, if there is one at all.  It is sometimes called the "chess" pattern in English, for its resemblance to the game board.

Laura Ricketts published a version of Prince Harald's red-and-white jumper in the January/February 2015 issue of "PieceWork" magazine, and there is also one (in Norwegian) by Nina Granlund Sæther, both available for purchase via Ravelry.

Tasha of By Gum, By Golly came up with a more feminine version that she calls "The Princess Harald Sweater" and blogged about it here.

The then-three-year-old Prince Harald of Norway. The pin on his cap was one of those sold by the Foreningen Norden (The Nordic Associations) at the Holmenkollen ski festival that year in support of war-torn Finland. Photos by Anders Beer Wilse, 1940; both photos, Wikimedia Commons.

In this video, Norwegian knitwear designers and educators Arne & Carlos talk about the "Dovre" stitch pattern --

 

How old is the "classic" fluted tea cosy pattern?

Bestway 1220.

1930s, perhaps?

Madame Weigel Cosies Book 1.

Both of these 1940s?

Greenock 58.

Sirdar 5578.

Bestway 3913

Copley's 1900

These four and Bellmans 1052 are probably 1960s, certainly pre-decimal currency in Britain, which was introduced in early 1971.

Emu 6196.

Along with Copley Lotus 1023, also 1960s or 1970s?

"Victory Jumper"

This pattern for "Your Victory Jumper" from the June 2, 1945 issue of the English Home Notes magazine was reprinted by the V&A Museum as part of their "1940s Knitting Patterns" article. The PDF of the pattern itself (retyped) is here. It has certainly proved very popular in its second life, thanks to the 2010s interest in vintage clothing and knitting! and a Google search for "victory jumper" will also show the ways in which changes in colorways will vary the look of the finished garment.

An updated version of the Victory Jumper, renamed "Clara," has been written by Rohn Strong.

"Fitting a 1940s pullover"

For tips on how to adjust and fit a vintage (specifically 1940s) knitting pattern, read the series by vintage-clothing doyenne Tasha of "By Gum, By Golly" here.