Work-in-Progress: Status of the Ty Cobb Sweater, May 2018

Here's the thing people are probably most interested in: the status of the sweaters reproductions. This spring, I've been concentrating on the Ty Cobb Sweater--I'll get to the ECL Sweater next--and I'm pleased to say that, unlike my previous status update, it's finally starting to look like a sweater.

 

As you can see, the body--everything but the sleeves, pockets, collar/button placket, and logo--is done. Lest you think, "That can't possibly be a sweater!", here's what the it looks like with the front folded in:

 

 Here, we discover one of the first major differences between a sweater from 1921 and one made now. As you see, this one has no side seams. (As you'll soon discover, it has almost no seams at all.)  I'm not sure why that's the case, other than that, when hand-knitting, fewer seams make for faster projects. There are also fewer pieces to misplace. 

What has me most excited is that--after several false starts (I'll talk about them later)--this version is stitch-for-stitch accurate. The fabric weight is right; the stitch gauge is right; the neck decreases work out exactly... In short, I think I've got it! I suppose it depends on your priorities, but, for me, successfully reverse-engineering a historical artifact (often using construction methods that have been lost for decades) is a real accomplishment.

What are those construction methods, you ask? Once again, those are for future blog posts. Be prepared for nitty-gritty, though. If you're a knitter, you may be introduced to techniques you've never seen before. If you're a baseball sweater enthusiast, think of it as a history lesson. After all, 100 years ago, you might have been wearing a sweater just like this and never thought twice about it.