On the needles...

Well with a new wool delivery comes the overwhelming urge to start a new project. 

This one is  from the 1940s and is called 'Fifth Avenue'. It is aimed at 'the young matron' ('matron' being an unintentional insult for, in this case, anybody with a chest size over 38") and can be found here on the Subversive Femme blog.

Like so many other retro knitters, she is so generous with her time and resources and she has a huge collection of larger size patterns. 

I could, and regularly do, spend hours there, fantasising about my next project.  You really should check her out.

I am using the Drops Safran 4ply  in red and going up to a  3 3/4mm needle in order to gain a couple of inches across the chest.  

A lot of patterns from this era, achieve different sizes by changing needle size, and it can result in a looser. more open knit, but I am quite happy with how this one is progressing.

love this lace pattern

As an aside (and whilst I am trying to gain some extra chest room without re-writing the entire pattern); I am always amazed at how small our predecessors were (once again, 'thank you good nutrition'). 

I think, mainly because I was a very small person, I didn't realise how short my Grandmother's were! 

My Great Auntie Elsie (or just Auntie) was less than 5 feet tall but to me she was a giant.

see what I mean...