Whose crazy idea was this?

On a scale of Risky Things I Have Done, volunteering to knit a vintage woolly for a bride probably ranks pretty highly. My friend Sarah, who I met at Mrs Stokes’ Secret Tea Party, is getting married in October. Without giving away too much information on her dress, she wants a cardi or bolero from the same era. I sent her some images and ideas from my old Stitchcrafts and other magazines, including the one you see here. I've also sent her links to things on Ravelry and a lady selling PDFs of vintage knitting patterns. It turned out Sarah didn’t have a friendly knitter to do the job, so I have offered my services.

I don’t think I’d have dared to make this offer a year ago, but I do believe I can do it, and do it well. I knit neatly, my making-up skills are good, and I know from the Wartime Farm Sleeveless Pullover that I am capable of knuckling down and getting something really nice done relatively quickly. I’ve only really made one disappointing knit in the past couple of years, the Jersey with a Soft Bow, and the problem there is that it’s too large. (I work it into a 20s/30s look instead of a 50s one to make the most of the extra length and looser fit!) As long as I check my tension, check my tension, and remember to check my tension, the wedding woolly is doable and will look beautiful.

Once Sarah’s chosen her pattern, I’ll get her measurements and adjust the stitch counts accordingly. Then we can set about choosing yarn, getting the right colour to work with the dress – I’m hoping to be able to find an exact match.

In case you’re wondering what the answer to ‘What Would Morticia Addams Knit?’ was, it’s a Spider’s Web Shawl (half-hexagon version) from Victorian Lace Today, in Lang Alpaca Superlight. And it’s looking lovely so far!