‘Here is another way of using the remainders from past jumpers.

The jumper buttons all the way up the front, and has a little turn down collar’.

This is one of the most genuine Making Do patterns there is, using a most ingenious stitch to make the yarn go further, accommodating whatever yarns you have to hand yet creating a finished piece that looks co-ordinated with intentional combinations, not in the least the organically created piece it actually is. Even more appealing is that the body is worked all across in one piece, so that it doesn’t matter how many colour changes you introduce, they will be even all the way round. It includes clever shaping to the sides to give a tailored silhouette, and is altogether a most satisfying project of vintage knitting.

The pattern encourages you to blend different shades of any one main colour, working in as many contrasts as you choose, enhancing the graduation effect even more by working from darker colours to lighter ones. The sleeves can be worked to match, as in the model illustrated, or varied further with random colour changes. The idea is to tie the overall design together by keeping to one main colour, but this can comprise of different shades of itself – as worked in this model, where the dark teal used for the edges, collar and button bands changes to a lighter teal shade used for the majority of the garment.

This effective striped design brings together many different colours into a fascinating rhythm of slip stitches over ridges in varied colours. A different effect will be achieved if you use this same colour in repeated contrasts throughout, or if it is only used in the finishing details for the edges and collar. Even then, the pattern suggests you can change colours according to the quantities available, in the true spirit of making do.

Materials

• 375 g (13 oz) of 4 ply yarn – preferably including 150 g (5 oz) of one main colour. This quantity does not necessarily need to be of the same tone, and you can combine 2–3 varied shades of this same colour in dark, medium and light, to add to the effect. 3 x 50 g (1.75 oz) of MC, 15 g (0.5 oz) dark shade of contrast, 50 g (1.75 oz) lighter shade of main colour, 50 g (1.75 oz) medium shade of main colour, 40 g (1.5 oz) medium shade of contrast, 40 g (1.5 oz) light shade of contrast, 40 g (1.5 oz) complementary contrast
• 1 pair 3.75 mm/9 needles – choose a long pair that will comfortably carry the 241 sts. that will be on the needle at the widest part
• 1 pair 3.75 mm/9 needles
• 1 pair 2.75 mm/12 needles (for waist section)
• 9 x 20 mm (0.75 inches) buttons