Poor Boy revisited
August 31, 2021
I'm so happy that I finally have a modeled sweater to share today. I always say that the knitting is the easy part, the modeling, not so much. This is the Cocoon Summer Sweater pattern from Heidi and Anna Pickles. The pattern has minimal information, as in it does not hold your hand in any way, but with that said, I had no problems and do love it. I recommend it if you are looking to knit a vintage 60s Poor Boy style sweater. Remember them? Sigh, they were the best!
The original Poor Boys were meant to cling to every curve. We wore them skin-tight with our matching skin-tight bellbottoms; bellbottoms so tight that we had to lay on the floor to zip them up over our 99 pound frames. While I don't want to wear a sweater the same way I did back when I was a teen, the best look for a rib sweater even for this older gal, is still snug. The smallest size would have been too big for me so to adjust the size to make it smaller, I changed my gauge from 19 sts per 4" to 21 and was able to scrape a few inches off the width. I also think I omitted the last increase, but can't exactly remember as I finished this a while ago.
Knitted top down in the round, the increases are made in the knit side of the ribbing so the ribbing fans out in a pretty way (see picture above). I used a stretchy yarn, vintage Rowan Calmer, but it is discontinued and difficult to find. With the stretch in the yarn and the ribbing, the sweater is form-fitting-ish, feels great and looks nice too. The color, an army green, just happens to perfectly match the "surf pants" I bought in a surf shop in Maui last month. I also have some Calmer in black and wonder if I should make another one. I think this is going to be one of those sweater staples that I'm going to love wearing again and again.
Cocoon Summer Sweater pattern by Pickles
Books:
Thank you dear readers for you book recommendations. Because of you I have two fabulous book recommendations to share. First is Call Your Daughter Home, 2019, by Deb Spera. This takes place in the early twenties in a small town in South Carolina. The south is experiencing a depression even if the rest of the country will not experience it for another five years. In this town and during this time, the lives of three very different women intersect and create a touching story that I could not put down. Even though it brought tears to my eyes, I loved it in every way possible. I downloaded the the audio version of this book from my library and enjoyed all three narrators.
The second book I think you'll love is Ordinary Grace, 2013, by Willaim Kent Krueger. This also takes place in a small town, this time in Minnesota during the 60s, a coming of age story reminiscent of an Ivan Doig book and centers around a family who grapples with loss, tragedy and their faith, and how they manage to stay together to find peace and grace. Despite the subject material, it is an uplifting, beautiful story. I downloaded the the audio version of this book from my library and enjoyed the narrator, Rick Orlow.
So folks, until next time, knit on, read on, that's what I'll be doing :) And please don't forget to recommend a book you have loved and you think I need to read. Kristen
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9 Comments
Really pretty sweater and a big thank you for the book recommendations. I notice that you mentioned Ivan Doig. He is one of my favorite authors, but then I do live in Montana!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Yes, Ivan Doig is sure easy to love. I looked him up just now and didn't realize he died in 2015. He certainly left a legacy of wonderful books to read. Kristen
DeleteBook recommendation is - When The Men Were Gone, by Marjorie Herrera Lewis. Excellent read.
ReplyDeleteThank you. On the library wait list!
DeleteJust finished 2 fun summer reads: Paper Palace and Malibu Rising, they are both beach reads, but sometimes you need a light fun book and nothing heavy. These books are all of the fun of summer.
ReplyDeleteOh and of course love your sweater and I so remember poor boy sweaters and tee's, not putting one on me these days.
Lol, funny you! Thank you for the beach reads. I've put them on my list. I know what you mean about sometimes wanting something light.
DeleteI love that sweater and pants. They're perfect for you. If you were knitting that sweater today, which yarn would you choose? Thanks for sharing with all of us...you're an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank you. If I were to knit it again I would use a bouncy and super soft merino wool. There are so many soft ones out there today and Woolfolk and Blue Sky first come to mind.
DeleteSo glad you liked my recommendation of Ordinary Grace, and now even more people know what a great read it is. You might also enjoy Last Bus to Wisdom by Doig.
ReplyDeleteYou make my day when you make a comment!