There’s something to be said for slow fashion. But there’s also a time and a place for fast slow fashion, which is exactly what you’ll have it you pick up your massive knitting needles and knit this 1970s mini dress. The instructions claim you can crank it out in 6 hours, which I can believe since its knit on jumbo size #50 needles, which are slightly smaller that fireplace logs. It’s also knit with 5 strands of a worsted weight yarn, so you know you’re talking about a substantial knit, nothing flimsy.
This single page instruction sheet is from the Lion Brand Yarn Company, still a formidable maker of fibers including Homespun, which is a favorite for prayer shawls. Sayelle orlon yarn, a 4 ply worsted weight is what is specified. They suggest 4 strands of the main color and one strand of a contrasting color. We can imagine all sorts of color ways that could be cooked up.
Sizing from the 1970s is different from sizing now, so before you knit, you are going to have to do some math. They give instructions for sizes small-medium-large but neglect to give a finished dimension for the front or the back, which are knit exactly the same. So you’re going to have to figure out, starting with the 1 stitch = 1″ gauge, what the key measurements are based on the cast on number of stitches and the number of decreases. It’s not hard math, and we could probably do it, but we are not known for our ciphering prowess, so we’re going to leave it to you.*
What you get when you knit this 1970s mini dress is a cute little pullover that would be adorable with tights and boots and would be warm as heck when the cold wind blows. We are crazy about the chunky hems.
This is a great project for when you’re watching TV. Simple directions, fast results and it will serve as an afghan the longer it gets. You, a [choose your favorite] a) Hallmark Christmas movie, b) football game, c) cooking show marathon; a cup of something tasty, a snack, your needles and your bag of yarn. That sounds like the perfect way to spend a day.
(*Okay, I did some math. Bear in mind that I am not even allowed to calculate tips because my math skills are so shoddy. But…my rough estimate is that at the underarm, the small would be 17″ flat, the medium would be 19″ flat and the large would be 21″ flat, but you need to deduct your selvedge from that to get the finished garment widths. And a lot of it depends on your gauge swatch as well. So use my math as theoretical, and do your own to be safe.)
