Knit Skirt Pattern - Stitchcraft Feb 1949

A vintage knitting pattern from Stitchcraft for a skirt knit using Patons Moorland Knitting Yarn and an embroidered waist.
Proving that a knitted skirt is not dowdy! Long, straight lines, wide waist-band decorated with embroidery, and the result is as smart as any tailor-made. Knitted sideways in slightly shaped flares, the skirt hangs perfectly and will not drop or lose its shape.
knit skirt

Materials:
26 ozs. Patons Moorland Knitting.
A pair No. 10 “Beehive” needles.
1 yard of 3-inch wide petersham for waist.
9 inch zipper fastener.
Odd scraps of wools for embroidery.

Measurements:
From top of waistband to lower edge, 33 inches; to fit 36-38 inch hip.

Tension: 6 stitches and 8.5 rows to an inch.

Rib Pattern:
1ST Row: Knit. 2ND ROW: (k. p. 1) to end.
The skirt is worked sideways throughout The flares are worked in garter-stitch (every row knit) and the 6 plain rows in between in rib pattern.
Cast on 176 sts. and work 6 rows in rib pattern

Shape flare:
** With right side facing, starting at hem, k. 20. turn and knit back. K. 20, then 17 from main work, turn and k. 37. K. 37, then 17 from main work, turn and k. 54.
Continue thus until all stitches are worked (the last step will be over 20 instead of 17 sts.), ending at hem.
Work 6 rows rib pattern over all stitches
NEXT ROW: Knit to last 20, turn and knit back.
Knit to last 37, turn and knit back.
Knit to last 54. turn and knit back.
Continue thus, leaving 17 unworked stitches each time, ending k. 20, turn and k. 20
Work 6 rows rib pattern over all stitches**
Repeat from ** to ** 17 times more, omitting last 6 rows of rib. Cast off.

Waistband:
Cast on 156 sts. and work in garter stitch for 6 inches.
Cast off.

To Make Up:
Press knitting carefully on wrong side under a damp cloth.
Join side seam to within 6 inches of waist and press seam.
Cut Petersham to fit waist,
Fold knitted waistband in half lengthways, insert petersham and oversew bottom edges neatly. Sew band to top of skirt.
Close side opening by inserting a zip fastener.

Embroidery:
Embroider waistband as shown in photograph, using brightly coloured wools. Work pairs of double zig-zag lines, intersected by a single zig-zag line, all in chain-stitch. The flowers consist of four different coloured lazy-daisies meeting to form a large flower in the centre of each diamond.