‘Choose vivid shades that contrast well and have buttons to match the lightest colour’

In 1948, when this charming pattern featured in My Home magazine, the shortages of precious wool were at their height. Wool continued to be rationed until March 1949 with coupons still in place, and finding enough yarn to make a long-sleeved jersey was not always easy. Gathering two 1 oz balls of four different colours was undoubtedly less challenging than finding eight of one colour. This cardigan offers a delightful solution, in a lively combination of colours, with texture created by a slip stitch pattern that draws the adjoining colours together. In a variation on this popular stitch, the slip stitch is twisted on each row to add to the textural effect.

The original was made using red, lime, white and green with long sleeves, and the model illustrated is knitted in burgundy, yellow, pink and green. Choose your favourite colours, including one dark and one light contrast to achieve the vibrant striped effect. Using colours that are more tonal and closer together will give a more subtle, blended pattern, but some contrast is recommended to highlight the stitch, as it is too striking (and considerable a task) to remain unnoticed!

The instructions include a short-sleeved version if preferred.

Materials
Modern 4 ply:

• 3 x 50 g (1.75 oz) balls of 4 ply yarn in MC, yellow
• 2 x 50 g (1.75 oz) balls of 4 ply each of 3 CC: C1 green, C2 pink, C3 burgundy
• 1 pair 3.75 mm/9 needles
• 1 pair 3.25 mm/10 needles
• One 3.75 mm crochet hook (for optional crochet edging)
• 8 buttons (see notes in instructions for adapting to different quantities of buttons)