Brown jumpers

Brown autumn jumpers. Here, two 1970s families model a variety of shades of brown, from yellowish to deep russet. Perfect camouflage if you are planning on hiding in a pile of leaves and jumping out and scaring people.

Children always look slightly uneasy in knitting patterns like these. You can tell that those people aren't really mummy and daddy. That little girl on the Templetons pattern is thinking "I'm holding a stranger's hand!" The little boy on the Ladywood pattern is having to pull off the double whammy of putting his hand on a strange girl's shoulder while looking amused that fake daddy is looking at fake mummy. Give him an Oscar!

Busy jumper

I like the way that this photo from The Art of Knitting (Eve Harlow, 1977) comes with its own caption: "A man's sweater based on an 18th century carpet from Alsace". I also like the way that the man's face makes it very clear that he wishes that the jumper was based on something else entirely. Like, say, something plain and blue.

Oddly enough, I remember a similarly patterned carpet gracing the floor of the Odeon cinema during my teenage years (I didn't grow up in 18th century Alsace: this was Surrey, in the 1980s).

Wartime jumper

A pattern from the Second World War, kindly donated to the Knit For Victory archives by the King of Empty Shops, Mr Dan Thompson. Our model dons his tin helmet and kit bag and fixes his stern gaze on some ne'er-do-well Johnnies in the distance.

"Here is a long-sleeved pullover that every man will welcome, whether he needs it for Service or home wear. It will be particularly popular because of its Raglan sleeves which men always find so comfortable to wear; also because of its splendid fit and the fact that it gives no feeling of bulkiness."

There's something about the haircut, pose, and geometrical lines of the background that presages Kraftwerk's Man Machine cover by about 30 years.

The young chemist at work

Now, I was never very good at Chemistry at school (miraculously scraped an E in my O Level) but I can confidently say that that is an enormous test tube full of copper sulphate. When we used copper sulphate in our Chemistry lessons, it was only ever dispensed in tiny, tiny quantities. Maybe that's because I went to a comprehensive school. This lad must be reaping the benefits of a private education: enough copper sulphate to bathe in.

I don't like the way he's looking so smug about it. Nice 4-ply hand-knitted v-neck jumper, though. I can't imagine hand-knitting school uniform these days.

Norwegian sportswear

Now this is what I call proper sportswear. If the racks in JJB Sports were full of nothing but hand-knitted Norwegian-style jumpers and bobble hats like these, I would sign up for the loyalty card.

Any guesses which sports the couple are about to partake in? Something that you can do while wearing tweed trousers and full make up... is posing by a sports car actually a sport?

This late 1950s pattern from P and B gives directions for his and hers jumpers and hats, worked on dinky little size 11 needles, using 4 ply yarn. The Norwegian patterning is beautiful - if you were knitting this you would tackle a band of Norwegian twiddliness at the start of your project as you begin at the base of the main body, then a calm period of inky blackness, before finishing with a flourish of more twiddle at the top. A good combination of yin and yang.

More French knitting larks

Always after more ideas about what to do with French knitting - a bag, and a stick for Lucius Malfoy have been two recent discoveries. I like this project from Blue Jeans, May 1981, which is "a super-easy way to brighten up an old, fluffy jumper" - make a length of French knitting using random coloured wool and then stitch loosely into place for a custom jumper. They've also used a length of French knitting braid as a hair band for the model.

Drop stitch jumper

I like the idea of turning that knitting nightmare, the drop stitch, into part of a pretty design. Obviously you can't just drop stitches at random, you have to have a method to your madness,which is just what this lacy 1940s confection has.

"The Quickest Jumper you ever knitted!" claims this Weldons pattern. You knit rows of 3 ply garter stitch onto large size 5 needles, and when the work is almost completed, you drop every 5th stitch to form a ladder pattern. Bet that feeling of deliberately sabotaging your carefully-knitted work on the final row is quite nerve-wracking...

This jumper looks very demure knitted in a pale cream or beige and modelled with pearls and a bouquet of lily-of-the-valley, but if you knitted it in black, you'd have a far punkier confection on your hands.

Mr April

He's rugged. He's macho. He's wearing a silky scarf but if you make fun of it he'll rip your head off. He's climbed all the way up a mountain to show you his Lee Target Cossack Double Knitting cable pullover. He's Mr April.

Man's Pullover in five sizes - "for the MALE set".

Mr February - Gyles Brandreth

Gyles Brandreth claims that this photo from Knitability is "inspired by the temptation of Eve", and that he's "trying to look wonderfully wicked in this strong and stylish sweater".

He's definitely working that "bad boy of knitting" look to the max, and looks like he will hit me over the head with that ladder if I say anything snippy about his jumper. Which is why I'm awarding him the title of Mr February and quickly leaving before he makes a lunge.

Sweaters for the Well-Built

A glimpse back to a time when the phrase "plus size" used to be the coyly descriptive "well-built".

Sweaters for the Well-Built by Patons and Beehive offers classic jumper patterns for sizes 46 inches and upwards.

The male model on the left is a wonderful mix of John Prescott and Rab C Nesbitt. He has a perfect BBC sitcom face. In fact this photo could be a rare still from the first (and only) season of 1965's That's My Geranium. Will these gentlemen find out who has been tampering with the vicarage plant stall cuttings before the Rector arrives?