Coupons, rationing, make do and mend. The war years meant all of this to knitters but glamour was never out of reach! Hollywood was the pinnacle of glamour and everyone wanted to look like their favourite movie stars – who themselves were avid knitters and often seen backstage with their own busy knitting needles.

The Hollywood Knitting Book is a wonderful Australian publication by The New Idea, dating from after 1941, when coupons and rationing had begun impacting clothes and wool supplies. It has all of the hearty ‘make do and mend’ spirit in its motivational editorial messages:

Straight from Hollywood, fashion centre of the world just now, come the smartest, prettiest collection of hand-knitteds we’ve seen for many a day. All the clever girls in the film colony knit their own these days – in between turning out socks and sweaters for their men-folk in the services – just as you and I. Here, in this book, you’ll find a selection of the favorite Hollywood styles. We hope you’ll like them. We know you’re going to find the directions simple and sweet to follow. You know, of course, how economical it is to knit your own…. And, if you want to show how really ingenious you can be, why not unravel one of your older jumpers? Wind the yarn around a saucepan of steaming water, then knit it up again in one of these refreshing new styles!

There are other Tyrolean-style cardigan patterns in this lovely collection but this trim waistcoat modelled by Evelyn Keyes is an ideal way to make up a simple, striking garment – and very economical to make! (And you won’t even need the saucepan.)

The waistcoat is characteristically short, in keeping with mid-1940s style, perfect for the look with blouse and trousers (you can even make the charming pompom slippers in the original pattern, to complete the cosiness of the outfit). There are simple cables on the front and back, with just the front ones embroidered in the pattern, though the back could also be embroidered if desired. In the recreated model, the embroidered flowers were inspired by the pink and blue gentians of the vintage Austrian buttons, carved from horn. These stand out against a dark navy blue as the main colour, knitted here in an economical wool mix or a 100% wool if preferred.

This is not a complicated pattern but does require much counting of rows to place cables, buttonholes and increases. Keeping careful note of the row count as the work progresses is highly recommended in order to keep track.

Materials

• 100 g DK yarn
• 1 pair 4 mm/8 needles
• 1 × 4 mm cable needle
• 5 × buttons
• Small quantity of embroidery wools (pink, blue, yellow and green were used here but any variety of colours for the flowers can be used)
• Row counter recommended