Seamless Cocktail Jacket by Virginia Woods Bellamy

Seamless Cocktail Jacket

Knitting
January 1952
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
12 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches
in garter Stitch
US 11 - 8.0 mm
Stretches to fit
English

The Cocktail Coat is a seamless jacket, and the body of the jacket is one adapted unit on a single cast-on row. The roped edge of silver is optional.

Size: Small, one box = 3; large, one box = 4.

Yarn: White wool twisted with silver metal; C-; 12 oz.

Needles: Average, no. 11, to knit 3 stitches to 1 inch.

Chart: one box= 3 stitches and 3 ridges; 4, for large size.

Units: 1 adapted unit for seamless waistcoat; 11 divided squares each sleeve.

To knit: Make 5 ring stitches of heavy yarn (C or D weight), in two colors, one color to mark three lines of decrease, one to mark two lines of increase. A ring stitch is a loop or unattached stitch of heavy yarn used as a marker indicating point of decrease or increase, to be slipped, not knitted. (You can also use a stitch marker for this purpose.)

Cast on 6 x 30 stitches for small size; 6 x 40 stitches for large size.

Next row (return) mark each of the six sections, that is, each 30 stitches, with a ring stitch beginning with color indicating decrease at end of first section; next section increase, third section (center of jacket) decrease, next increase, last decrease.

Third row and all odd rows, decrease or increase as indicated by color once each side of every ring stitch, making six decreases and four increases every odd row on right side of work. Cast off when ridges equal the number of stitches in each section at start of jacket, or one sixth of total cast-on stitches. Join the three points of the cast-on edge.

Rope edging: With all metal yarn, matching metal in jacket, (gold or silver) begin at back of neck and chain in slip stitch back to starting point at loose tension. Repeat chain each edge of original chain and as many times again as are needed to form rope edge. The jacket as illustrated was chained five times round. Repeat edging at end of sleeves.

To wear: As waistcoat, or with sleeves (see sleeve directions following): Fasten at waistline, where lapels begin, with crystal button and silver chained loop, or with pin. Lapels may be worn open or closed , with second button, pin or clip at neck.