Millie by Susan Crawford

Millie

Knitting
December 2021
Light Fingering ?
32 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches
in stranded colourwork in the round
US 2½ - 3.0 mm
US 1½ - 2.5 mm
to fit 19-20, 21-22, 23-24 inch (47-50, 52-55, 57-60cm) head circumference
English
This pattern is available from susancrawfordvintage.com for £30.00.

This pattern is only available as part of A Stitch in Time Volume 3, the colourwork edition which is available from my website or as an e-book on ravelry.

Millie is the second pattern released from A Stitch in Time Volume 3, The Colourwork Edition and was originally published in the UK, in the early 1940s as a black and white, single pattern leaflet, by Bestway, then owned by The Amalgamated Press Ltd, based in London, which published a huge range of magazines, comics and newspapers and included Home Chat, Woman and Home and Womans Weekly, all of which regularly featured knitting patterns. The 1940s pattern was written for the beret to be knitted in the round using DPNs with each round written out and with no chart provided.

This updated version includes three sizes to ensure a better fitting beret. Millie is knitted from the brim upwards and in the round, commencing with a 1x1 ribbed band before the all-over Fair Isle pattern begins. Two increase rounds are worked whilst also working the Fair Isle pattern, to create a fuller beret shape. The colourwork body of the beret is now charted throughout making the pattern much easier to follow.

Millie is knitted using my Fenella 100& British wool, created to be the same gauge as vintage 3 Ply yarns such as the yarn used for the original pattern. Fenella comes in 25g skeins making it perfect for colourwork projects such as Millie.

A yarn kit is available containing all the yarn required to knit Millie.

Yarn
Susan Crawford Fenella 2 Ply, 100% British wool (125m / 136 yds per 25g skein)

1 (1, 1) skein, shade Caramel - yarn A

1 (1, 1) skein, shade Balado - yarn B

1 (1, 1) skein, shade Myristica - yarn C

1 (1, 1) skein, shade Charcoal - yarn D

1 (1, 1) skein, shade Wheaten - yarn E

Gauge
32 sts and 34 rounds = 10cm (4in) measured over stranded colourwork pattern worked in the round, after blocking.

We used a 3mm needle to obtain gauge.

Suggested Needles
Large Needles: 35mm (US 2 / 3) circular needle (40-50cm in length); Set of 3mm (US 2 /3) DPNs

Small Needles:  2.5mm (US 1 / 2) circular needle (40-50cm in length) or set of 2.5mm (US 1 / 2) DPNs

Notions
Stitch marker

Techniques
Strand colourwork; Working in the round; Following a chart; Simple increases decreases; Blocking.