Gold Metal Evening Blouse: The Greenwich Shirt by Virginia Woods Bellamy

Gold Metal Evening Blouse: The Greenwich Shirt

Knitting
January 1952
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
14 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches
in garter stitch
US 11 - 8.0 mm
US 8 - 5.0 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm
US 10 - 6.0 mm
Size Small: Fits 28-34"
English

Original gauge is not listed in the pattern, so I was guessing. - KV

Note regarding B+ weight metal yarn: “The next weight in metal yarns is this same fine tinsel thread wound around a small twist of cotton threads. Metal yarns, in fact, are to be found on the market in an endless variety of weight and appearance. Smooth yarns, fuzzy yarns re­sembling caterpillars, light weight and heavy weight are to be found for almost any type of evening blouse desired.”

The Greenwich Shirt (the all-metal evening blouse) is made of what appears to be a solid gold yarn of smooth texture and B+ weight. It is actually the second yarn mentioned above: a tinselled thread wound closely around a cotton twist. This yarn is as easy to work with as the single tinsel thread is difficult. It does not break; it slides smoothly over the needles, and the result is surprisingly satisfactory. The blouse also is an easy model to knit, provided the units of number knitting have been well learned, for this is nothing more than the double wing or butterfly unit extending from the central point at the bottom of the blouse to the central point of the neck opening. As may be seen in the photograph there are three butterflies on various sized needles. Number 8 needles are used for the waistline unit, number 11 for the bust unit and number 7 for the neck unit; The front of the blouse is merely duplicated for the back, while back and front are joined on each side over the hips by divided tri­angle units on number 10 needles. The wing points of the third butterfly should be tipped with pearls. These points may cross on the shoulders buttoning through the mesh back and front, bringing the blouse to whatever height is most becoming at the neckline. Or the points may be knotted loosely dropping the evening blouse to a low open neck.

Size: Small. This blouse while designed for size 28 to 34, will fit a larger size, since there is no seam above the waistline, unless preferred when fitted. To knit the blouse in a larger size, however, change needles to knit a gauge of three stitches to the inch for the central butterfly, and change the other needles accordingly one, three and four sizes smaller.

Yarn: Gold metal (wrapped); weight, B+; 10 ounces.

Needles: These are the average size required for a small blouse.

  • No. 8 for unit 1
  • No. 11 for unit 2 (Central butterfly)
  • No. 7 for unit 3
  • No. 10 for side units (divided triangles) over hips.

Chart: one box = 3 stitches and 3 ridges.

Units: Three double wing units each back and front; two divided triangles join­ing back and front.