{"product_id":"hand-knit-antique-car-shawl-collar-cardigan","title":"Hand-Knit Antique Car Shawl-Collar Cardigan — Cream | XS","description":"\u003cp\u003eA hand-knit zip cardigan in cream with a gray shawl collar, two antique cars racing across the front, checkered flags at the hem and a red touring car across the back. It is a classic pictorial cardigan, closed with an old Lightning zipper, and every stitch was knitted by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy it's vintage\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCowichan sweaters began with Coast Salish knitters in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, who took up European knitting around the 1860s and made heavy wool sweaters with knitted-in designs. From the 1950s to the 1970s, yarn stores in Canada and the United States sold patterns copying the look, and home knitters made pictorial versions with animals, sports and antique cars. Here's how collectors read this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKEY INDICATORS: what to look for\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLIGHTNING zipper (photo 4):\u003c\/strong\u003e A silver metal zipper with the pull stamped LIGHTNING on both faces. Lightning Fastener opened its St. Catharines, Ontario zipper plant in 1937, and the plant closed in the early 1980s. Older all-metal zippers like this one are a good sign on a hand-knit.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHand-knit pictorial (photos 1-2):\u003c\/strong\u003e Two antique cars across the front, checkered-flag pockets and a red touring car across the back, all knit right into the sweater rather than printed or sewn on.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShawl collar (photo 3):\u003c\/strong\u003e Gray shawl collar that rolls over like a scarf, on a straight, boxy cream body with ribbed cuffs and hem.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHand finishing (photo 4):\u003c\/strong\u003e Loose yarn ends beside the zipper top and no maker or size tag, both normal for a sweater knit at home.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow to check:\u003c\/strong\u003e Read the zipper pull for the LIGHTNING stamp, then check that the pictures are knit in, not printed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe piece\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eHand-knit, Cowichan style\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eCream with gray shawl collar, red, yellow and black car motifs\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eCheckered flag pockets, red dot trim\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eSilver metal Lightning zipper\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eNo size tag; fits like XS based on measurements pictured.\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eEra: older\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeasurements are pictured in the photos (PP, NH, SS, PC).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eBlue stain and faint pink marks on the wearer's right forearm, above the cuff, as pictured\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eLoose yarn ends at the collar beside the zipper top\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eLight fuzzing to the yarn consistent with age\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShips from Ontario, CA.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Handmade","offers":[{"title":"XS","offer_id":50889392488613,"sku":"0109","price":249.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0508\/6520\/9509\/files\/01_IMG_5791.jpg?v=1792852635","url":"https:\/\/shop.intivintage.com\/products\/hand-knit-antique-car-shawl-collar-cardigan","provider":"intivintage","version":"1.0","type":"link"}