Knitting Copley's no. 1876 ladies dressing jacket from the 1940s - plus free pattern

I've been wanting to knit this pattern ever since I saw those amazing bishop sleeves. I started in late January 2025 and after frogging it 3 times and leaving it in time out for nearly a month, I finally finished it in June 2025.

It's another pattern I've sized up to fit my 43 inch bust. I feel it's a bit baggy at the back on the sides so I might do a gathering stitch at a later date.

I found the instructions in the waistband rather confusing so I rewrote it to make sense to me.

So I knitted 66 rows of rib instead of 56 rows as stated in the pattern on the back, left and right front pieces. I knitted the buttonholes on rows 6&7, 20&21, 34&35, 48&49 and 64&65. I increased on rows 26, 30, 34, 38,42, 46, 50 and 54 -These were the wrong side rows.

I knitted it with 4 ply merino wool and used 3.25mm , 2.25mm and 8mm needles.

You can watch a YouTube short about it here on my channel

https://youtube.com/shorts/Vc59LevISkg?si=8zU3thHrlRgUlRbf

Copley's no. 1876 Ladies Dressing Jacket

Dainty and attractive with bishop sleeves and a full lacey bodice giving ease and elegance.

Materials:

9 ozs 3 ply yarn

1 pair of No. 13 knitting needles

1 pair of No. 11 knitting needles

1 pair of No. 0 or No. 1 knitting needles

7 small buttons

Measurements:

Length from top of shoulder to lower edge, 19.5 inches

Width all round at underarm to fit a 34-38 inch bust

Length of arm seam, 18.75 inches

Tension:

Using No. 11 needles, work to produce 8 sts and 10 rows to 1 square inch in a smooth fabric (stocking stitch)

Abbreviations:

K = Knit, P = Purl, St = stitch, Tog = together, Sl = slip, Wf = wool forward

The Right Front

Using No.13 needles, cast on 74 sts.

Proceed in broken rib pattern as follows:

1st Row - Working into the back of the sts * K1, P1. Rep from * to the end.

2nd Row - Knit.

3rd Row - * K1, P1, rep from * to the end.

4th and 5th Row - As the 2nd and 3rd row.

7th row - (K1, P1) twice, cast on 2 sts, K1, P1 to end.

Working into the back of the cast on sts, on the first row only and working a buttonhole, as before on the 13th and 14th rows from the previous buttonhole, continue in rib for 18 rows, thus the wrong side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Next row - Increase 1 st by working into the front and back of the first st, K to the end.

Working a buttonhole on every 13th and 14th rows from the previous buttonhole, continue in rib increasing, as before, at the beginning of every following 4th row until 7 more increases have been worked and there are 82 sts on the needle.

Working a buttonhole, as before, on the 8th and 9th rows, continue in rib for 17 rows, thus finishing at the side edge.

Change to No. 0 wooden needles and increase as follows:

Next row - K2 * increase in the next st, K 4, repeat from * to the end (98 sts now on the needle)

** Proceed in pattern as follows:

1st Row - K1, * wf, K2tog, rep from * to the last st, K1.

Repeat this row until the work measures 12 inches from the commencement, finishing so that the wrong side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Shape the armhole as follows, keeping the continuity of the pattern:

1st Row - Cast off 6 sts, work to the end (92 sts remaining)

Proceed with out further shaping until the work measures 5.75 inches from the commencement of the armhole, finishing so that the right side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Next Row - using No. 13 needles, K2tog twenty times, K3tog four times, K2tog twenty times (44 sts remain)

Commencing with a 2nd row, proceed in broken rib pattern, as worked at the commencement, for 1 inch, finishing at the front edge.

Shape the shoulder as follows, keeping the rib correct:

1st Row - work to the last 14 sts, turn

2nd Row - Work to the end

3rd Row - Work to the last 28 sts, turn

4th Row - work to end

Cast off.

The Left Front

Using No. 13 needles, cast on 74 sts.

Proceed in broken rib pattern as follows:

1st Row - Working into the back of the sts, * P1, K1 repeat from * to the end.

2nd Row - Knit

3rd Row - P1, K1 repeat from to the end. Repeat the last 2 rows until 25 rows of rib in all have been worked, thus finishing so that the wrong side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Next Row - K to the last 2 sts, increase in the next st, K1

Continue in rib increasing, as before, at the end of every following 4th row until 7 more increases have been worked and there are 82 sts on the needle.

Continue in rib for 17 rows, thus finishing on the front edge.

Change to No. 0 wooden needles and increase as follows:

Next Row - * K4, increase in the next st, repeat from * to the last 2 sts, K2 *(98 sts now on needle)

Complete as the instructions for the Right Front, from ** to the end, reversing all shapings.

The Back

(worked in broken rib pattern throughout)

Using No. 13 needles, cast on 100 sts.

Proceed in broken rib pattern, as worked on the Left Front, for 25 rows, thus finishing so that the wrong side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Change to No. 11 needles and continue in rib until the work measures 5.5 inches from the commencement, finishing so that the wrong side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Continue in rib, increasing in the first st and last st but one, on the next row and every following 8th row until 4 sets of increases have been worked and there are 108 sts on the needle.

Continue in rib without further shaping, until the work measures 11.5 inches from the commencement, finishing so that the right side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Shape the armholes as follows:

Continue in rib, casting off 10 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows when 88 sts will remain.

Continue in rib without further shaping until the work measures 6.5 inches from the commencement of the armhole, finishing so that the wrong side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Next Row - Work 34 sts. Slip the remaining 54 sts onto a safety pin and leave for the present, turn.

Continue in rib on the former set of 34 sts for the left side of the back, until the work measures 7 inches from the commencement of the armhole, finishing at the centre edge.

Shape the Shoulder as follows, keeping the rib correct:-

1st Row - Work to the last 11 sts, turn

2nd Row - Work to the end

3rd Row - Work to the last 22 sts, turn

4th Row - Work to the end

Cast off.

Slip 34 sts from the safety pin on to a No.11 needle, the point to the centre, thus leaving the centre 20 sts still on the safety pin for the present.

Join the wool and proceed to work the right side of the back as the instructions for the left side.

Slip the 20 sts on to a No.11 needle and with the wrong side of the work facing, rejoin the wool and using No.0 wooden needles proceed in pattern, for the collar, increasing as follows:

Next Row - K2 * increase in the next st, K2, rep from * to the end (26 sts now on the needle)

Next Row - K1 * wf, K2tog, repeat from * to the last st, K1

Repeat the last row 13 times.

Cast off.

The Left Sleeve

Using No.13 needles, cast on 56 sts.

Proceed in broken rib pattern, as worked at the commencement of the right front, for 7 rows.

Next Row - K4, cast off the following 2 sts for a buttonhole, K to end.

Next Row - Work to the last 4 sts, before casting off, turn, cast on 2 sts, turn, work 4 sts.

Working into the back of the cast on sts, on the first row only, work 5 rows in broken rib.

Change to No.0 wooden needles and increase as follows:

Next Row: Increase in the first st, K1 * increase in the next st, K1, repeat from * to the end (84 sts now on the needle.)

Proceed in pattern, as worked above the broken rib pattern on the right front, until the work measures 19 inches from the commencement.

Shape the top as follows, keeping the continuity of the pattern:

1st and 2nd rows: Cast off 6 sts, work to the end (72 sts remain.)

Proceed without further shaping until the work measures 5 inches from the commencement of the top shaping, finishing so that the right side of the work will be facing when working the next row.

Change to No.13 needles and cast off, working 2 sts together, whilst casting off.

The Right Sleeve

Using No.13 needles, cast on 56 sts.

Proceed in broken rib pattern, as worked at the commencement of the left front, for 7 rows.

Next Row: K to last 6 sts, cast off the following 2 sts for a buttonhole, K to the end.

Next Row: Work 4 sts, turn, cast on 2 sts, turn work to the end.

Working into the back of the cast on sts on the first row only, work 5 rows in rib.

Change to No. 0 wooden needles and complete as the instructions for the left sleeve.

Make-up

Omitting the portion worked on finer needles, press the Back lightly on the wrong side, using a warm iron and a damp cloth.

Join the 44 shoulder sts of the fronts to the 34 shoulder sts of the back.

Join the side seams, easing the fronts to fit the back.

Join the sleeve seams to withing 2.5 inches of the cuff.

Stitch the sleeves into each respective armhole, gathering the fullness at the top of the sleeve to fit the armhole.

Stitch the edges of the collar to the edges of the ribbing on the back and fronts.

Stitch the buttons on to the left front and cuffs to correspond with the buttonholes.

Press all seams