Cardigan knitting pattern

This knitting pattern was used by Una McRae (1901-1986) to make cardigans and jerseys for her grandchildren in the 1960s and 70s. She made all of her grandchildren a special jersey or cardigan, each one with a motif that would appeal specifically to them. This pattern features rabbits, trains, and dancing sailors. Resulting garments can be seen in Te Papa's collection which Una McRae made for her grandchildren in the Timmings family (GH017842, GH017843, GH017844).

Children's knitwear with borders and bold motifs, using a vast array of colours and patterns, became popular in the 1950s and continued until the late 1970s, at which point manufactured machine-knitted fabrics were cheaper, less time consuming to produce, and more readily available.