If you love that 50s silhouette with a fuller top and skinny little skirt or slacks, have we got some quick-to-make knit and crochet 1950s bulky look sweaters for you. Both come from a portfolio of 11 sweaters by designer Jack Bodi, from the November, 1953 Woman’s Day magazine.
A designer and photographer, Jack Bodi (1918-1986) was the first American photographer to shoot Paris haute couture after WWII. He and creative partner Joseph Leombruno were prominent in the fashion photography world. Leombruno-Bodi, as their photos were credited, were known for their elegant, crisp, modern and color-saturated photography, often shooting outdoors using natural light. Their work was featured in Vogue, House & Garden, Glamour, Town and Country and the New York Times, among other publications.
Bodi launched as a knitwear designer in 1964, debuting his line, Micia, in Florence. Minimalist design and hand finished Italian knits were the Micia aesthetic. In the early 1970s, he and Leombruno introduced a ready-to-wear line called Noi. Leombruno handled publicity for both lines, while Bodi was the lead designer.
These sweater patterns come well before Micia. Perhaps they were the beginning of Bodi’s sweater design career. And not only are these sweaters very fashionable and designed by a fashion luminary, they are fast to make and economical. Who could ask for more?
We can’t bring you instructions for all 11, but we can bring you two that are dynamite for summer if worked in cotton or acrylic. They are, to quote the headline “gay, young and poster bright.” The sleeveless striped sweater on the left has directions for both knit and crochet. The sweater on the right has knit directions only.
Both these 1950s bulky look sweaters use rug yarn, a staple of quick to knit patterns. Using the gauge, you can find a good substitute in modern yarns.
We have to talk about the sizes though. Sizes were a lot different in the 1950s than they are now. This means you are going to have to do some math to scale them up to a size that will fit a modern human form.
The knit gauge is 3 stitches =1.” That means if your gauge is proper, the smallest size of the striped sweater, which has 42 stitches, should be 14″ across, minus a half inch or so to sew each side. YIKES! That would mean it’s smaller than a modern Juniors XS. The largest size, which has 46 stitches, would be 15″ across. That would be slightly smaller than an adult XS if you double it for a full measurement. This chart,which I use for measuring clothing that I’m selling, should be helpful in deciding how much to scale up. Don’t forget to include that seam allowance when you determine how many stitches you have to add.
So why would Vintage Unscripted even bother to post patterns that only tiny people can wear? The two we picked are essentially rectangles sewn together with a collar added at the top. An average knitter or crocheter should be able to interpolate it to a bigger size, including adapting the neck.
The striped sleeveless sweater is picture perfect for the era. We would wager a fair amount of cash that it was pinned in the back for the photo, because that is quite an hourglass waist for a sweater knit with no shaping and made with bulky yarn. That being said, it would be dandy with a thin belt to get that silhouette. Not only is it iconic, it’s also fast to work up, why, you can even complete it in a 10 3/4 hour long flight.
What colors would you pick? Would you stick with the classic black and white as shown, or would you go with pink and green or orange and black or some other fabulous mix?
The second sweater, a swingy fringed number, is slightly more complicated because it has short sleeves. But the sleeves are rectangles. This pullover absolutely screams “wear me when you go to the bonfire shindig at the beach with a pair of form fitting capris with a side zipper and Moondoggie won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”
Let us know if you make either of these 1950s bulky look sweaters. And absolutely let us know how your date with Moondoggie works out.
