Vintage pattern collection - men smoking.

I have spoken before about my love of vintage knitting patterns, both ones that I wish to knit and ones that I pick up for a whole host of other reasons, some of which are covered here. At the end of this post on manly pursuits I mentioned that one of the other activities men undertake on the covers of knitting patterns is smoking. The more you look out for it the more patterns you find that feature smoking, even if the pipe is at the edge of the picture almost out of sight or the cigarette is almost hidden between fingers.

This dapper chap is holding his pipe on his knee, a detail that can be passed over at first glance.

From a social and medical history point of view I find the predominance of smoking on the cover of these patterns really interesting. Cigarette smoking became more popular in the UK after the death of Queen Victoria and in the 1920's and 1930's it was seen as a very sociable and glamorous activity. Throughout that time it was men who smoked and it gradually became more acceptable for women to smoke, from the flappers of the 1920's to the Hollywood stars of the 1930's.

In the 1940's the prevalence of cigarette smoking increased again, especially during the war years. Tobacco companies donated cigarettes for Service men and women, families sent them to loved ones who were serving and school children saved up and collected them to send from individual schools. Obviously, the donations from tobacco companies were not entirely altruistic, sending cigarettes to people in miserable, frightening and stressful situations increased the likelihood of people becoming addicted, therefore gaining the companies more customers.

In the 1950's the first murmurings about health issues relating to tobacco were arising and the tobacco companies went on an advertising offencive to deny this. This is the period where the adverts featured film stars, Santa Claus, opera singers, sportsmen and women and of course, doctors, talking about how good for you smoking was. This seems unbelievable given what we now know. Later on in the 1950's and into the 1960's the tobacco companies began to acknowledge some health issues, like coughing and an irritated throat. This lead to the development of filter tips and menthol cigarettes.

As a child I remember tobacco advertising on the television, in magazines and on billboards and then of course, it was banned. So I find it really interesting to see how it was perceived in prior decades. I think this is one reason why men smoking on pattern covers really leap out at me, as it is something that just would not happen now.

If you want to see examples of the tobacco advertising that I have mentioned do check out my vintage cigarette adverts board on Pinterest.

Now back to the patterns. Let's start with a fine selection of tank tops, a men's classic:

Such a jolly chap in his cable tank top. Looks like he is just ready to put his feet up after work and smoke his pipe.

Another lovely cable tank top and a much more serious chap, pondering the meaning of life over his pipe.

You almost can't see his sneaky cigarette. I love the diamond/trellis pattern on his tank top.

Quite the business man in his pinstripe trousers and cuff links. Not only is he holding his pipe, he also has his tobacco pouch in his hand.

A couple of Oxbridge students, in their hand knitted tank tops, lounging around the quad whilst smoking their pipes.

Here are a few waistcoats:

Waffle patterned and button through, perfect for a bit of nonchalant lounging on your mantelpiece, gazing at your mesmerising heavily patterned wallpaper.

Lots of Brylcreem here! Lovely shaping on the waistcoat. You can just spot his pipe at the bottom of the picture.

Now for a spot of Fair Isle:

Modelling a mighty fine Fair Isle tank top. I love the pattern and colourway.

Look at that smart haircut. This is a pretty motif.

Another fine pair of pinstriped trousers but a more casual look than before. There is more leaning on the mantelpiece going on with the owl watching it all wisely.

 Now what is this? A very freaky and unflattering tank top. No wonder the poor man won't make eye contact and is hiding in his greenhouse, he is far too ashamed to be seen in public.

Fancy a spot of map reading? A true manly pursuit as we have seen before.

A super sized map to make it easier to find your way. I like the cables on the tank top and matching cardigan, so cosy.

Nice contrast stripe on this V neck cardigan. He looks a little worried, maybe he can't find his way on the map.

Of course, if you are out and about walking after your map reading you may need a specific piece of knitwear - a windcheater.

Spot the pipe in his hand? It is blending in with the railings. Keeping snug whilst looking out onto the Thames and the Houses of Parliament. I like the cravat, a nice bit of accessorising.

This is interesting because it is a different pattern company and a different style windcheater but possibly the same model and same cravat?!

 Of course, it is not just for walking that you need a windcheater, it is most useful for keeping warm whilst driving your tractor.

Now for some cardigans:

He is posing rather awkwardly but I think he is riding a bike, whilst smoking a pipe, in a natty ribbed cardigan.

So, he is not actually smoking but his expression lets us know that he knows he has been caught out with that cigarette packet in his hand. Lovely pattern on the front of his cardi.

 Some poor person is on the receiving end of a death glare.

Now for some jumpers:

I like the contrasting cuffs and neck ribbing. He looks very happy to say that he has just found out that they can't afford to do an outdoor photo shoot and he will just have to imagine that he is strolling about the forest smoking his pipe.

A serious pose. It looks like he is by a river and he too is wearing a cravat.

Take your pick from the crew neck or the V neck. They are enjoying sitting around in the study smoking and drinking sherry.

I do like a good his 'n' hers knitting patter. Looks to be by a river again, I think she looks overjoyed as a boat is on its way to rescue her as he is a terrible bore.

 
No wonder he needs to take a pipe break, working out how to unpack that big fragile crate, can he lean his ladder against it?

I like this ribbed jumper.

He is a bit smug for my liking. I bet no one wants to play golf with him.

Just a few Aran knits to finish off:

I do like a nice, traditional Aran.

Messing about on the river!

Learning the tourist hot spots so that he can impress the ladies with his knowledge later on.

So there we have it, some of the best of my men smoking pattern collection.

Maybe one day - knitted dresses

If you have read some of my posts before it probably won't come as a surprise to know that I have a thing for vintage knitting patterns. I collect them; some I wish to knit, some I really don't, I just want them as they are a piece of fashion history, or they have comedy value, or I like the picture on the front or I like the props that were used. I catalogue my patterns into women's, men's, children, accessories etc but also into groups like men smoking, scary doll's clothes, bed jackets, 1940's models with great eyebrows, kitsch household items and so on. It is one of these categories that I want to have a look at today - women's knitted dresses.

Marvellous dress with a shirt bodice and lace stitch panels

I really enjoy a great knitted dress pattern like the one above and I am partial to knitted suits too so will also feature them here. As is so often the case with dresses they look elegant, glamorous and well put together whilst being quick and easy to pull on and style. Really, you can look very well dressed for minimum effort if need be which has got to be a winner. But, whilst I adore a knitted dress and have many patterns that I love I have never actually made one and I don't even have one lined up in the 'must make this next I NEED IT pile'. I have questioned myself about this and it seems it is down to two main issues. The first is whether I have the patience and stamina to complete a knitted dress. After all, it would be an enormous amount of knitting. The second is whether, having made it, would it be flattering on my shape? I am not convinced that even with all the greatest underwear in the world, a knitted dress wouldn't highlight any surplus lumps and bumps that one might not wish to draw attention to. It is hard to judge from pattern covers, after all, models are models for a reason.

What a beauty, a belted cardigan and A line skirt, with a
marvellous hat.

A teal V neck dress with a pencil skirt and pockets.

Gorgeous patterned jumper and flared skirt. It looks
like it could be very flattering.

'A slender, elegant dress in a new tweed texture'.
From a Vogue pattern book.

So, at the moment the knitted dresses and suits remain on the 'maybe one day' pile whilst I keep on picking up the patterns when I see them. No reason why we can't take a look at a few though! These patterns from the 1940s-1960s are all for hand knitted garments. Obviously many commercially available knitted dresses would have been made on knitting machines, making the process much quicker. Throughout the period home knitting machines also became more popular.

Great cable detail on the skirt and a blouson jumper to
match.

Scoop neck dress with pencil skirt and moss stitch
panels.

Dress with a pencil skirt and a crossover
V neck top in rib.

Pink dress - ' a deep tuck outlined bib with tiny
round collar and mock gored skirt'.
Blue dress - 'trim blouse with shawl collar and
skirt with can't come out pleats'.
From a Vogue pattern book.

I was inspired to hurry up and write this post after reading a recent post by the wonderful Joanna from Dividing Vintage Moments. It was an Ode to Vintage Knitwear and it features Joanna wearing a fabulous piece of 1950's knitwear. She also features some fantastic knitwear available on Etsy and Ebay. Take a look! It made me go through my patterns and admire all the dresses again!

From a Vogue pattern book. 'A three piece set worked in
boucle wool in broad ribbing for a slender effect'. 

A lace pattern mini dress with matching cardigan.

 A cream suit consisting of a hip length cardigan and
a straight skirt.

From a Vogue pattern book. A ribbed button
through blouse and a straight skirt.

A suit with trim on the shoulders and pockets.

A straight ribbed dress with a matching cardigan.

I think my favourites are the lace panel dress, the belted cardigan suit and the skirt and top with cable details. How about you?

A plethora of patterns. Part One.

Shall we start with a bit of a scary one?

A doll's set for a doll that I find a little freaky. The pattern is in 3-ply and is for a dress, coat, bonnet, bootees, vest and pilch. The pilch is the garment that looks like knickers that would cover a nappy. I like this set for its pretty lace detail, the fact that it offers a complete outfit and the colours in the pattern cover. I love Lavenda pattern covers, they are always so pretty.

A couple of weeks ago my friend was given a plethora of patterns from a customer of hers. What a fantastic customer! There was a huge pile and my friend, having sent me tantalising glimpses of patterns via Facebook, got me sat down with a cuppa to have a look through. The patterns ranged from the 1940s to 1980s, from men's to women's, to children's, to accessories. There were 1980s cartoon intarsia jumpers, 1950s crochet shawls, 1970s aran jumpers and 1940s bedjackets to name a few.

My friend and I have a huge love for vintage knitting patterns so I had a very happy time going through the pile. I have pulled out a few of my favourites to look at in a little more detail.

You might wonder what makes a favourite knitting pattern. The first and most obvious is that it is one that I wish to knit, either for me or as a gift or to sell. It maybe the shape, the stitch pattern, the styling or because there is a gap in my wardrobe that I need to fill. However, there are many other reasons. I might love the colouring or styling of the picture on the pattern cover. I might collect a particular yarn company's patterns (the Lavenda ones for example). It might be Fair Isle. It might fit a sub collection of my collection (oh yes, they exist!) like bedjackets, children's cardigans with intarsia patterns, arans, crochet dresses, men smoking in the picture, 1940s Forces patterns. It might have something that makes me laugh like 1970's male models with huge moustaches or 1960/70's family patterns where everyone has a version of the same jumper on. With 1940s and 1950s patterns it may just be the hairstyle, makeup or eyebrows (yes really) of the model. These are a few of the things that make me choose one pattern over another.

So here are four from the big pattern pile that go in my bedjacket collection.

This ticks several boxes. It is by Lavenda, the colouring and styling is gorgeous, the hair and make up is interesting and I really like bedjackets with a big ribbon bow. This is knitted in 3-ply.

These two are in the same pattern booklet, it is always a bonus when you like them both. It is a Patons and Baldwins 1950's pattern. The top one is called 'pretty as porcelain' and is knitted in white and blue. I do like it when the pattern has a name interesting description and when the original colour choice is given. I might not necessarily use those colours but I like knowing what people at the time had in mind. The bottom pattern is called 'fuzzy-wuzzy yoke and lacy stitch'. The fuzzy-wuzzy wool is angora.

This is a Target pattern knitted in the round with a beautiful diamond lattice pattern and knit and purl panels. It is so glamorous, much more chic than a dressing gown!

When looking through a pile of patterns one of my tips is to remember to turn them over and see what is on the back. Sometimes it is just a continuation of the written pattern but sometimes it is a fantastic haberdashery advert, see this post for some examples. Sometimes there are adverts by the yarn company for other patterns. Although this can be frustrating if you see one that you would really want, it is a great way to check out fashions of the time. The next two pictures are patterns advertised on the back of the circular bedcape.

A glorious Welsh dragon.

A fantastic alpine skiing scene.

The big pattern pile yielded up some lovely knits for babies and children. I love seeing children in hand knits, they looks so comfy and cosy and stylish and individual.

You can see that this is in bad condition but in a way I like that as it means it has been used and those garments have been knitted, probably many times. I like that connection to knitters of the past. These are 'designed by "Ena" of Home Fashions and Children's dress' and are 'two comfy cardigans for tinies of one to two years'. The top is 'the fancy stitch style', the bottom is 'the bordered style' with a pretty floral border above the rib.

This is another Target pattern for ages 3 months to 2 years so you got quite a lot for your 9d with this pattern. The bottom left is the matinee coat for 3-6 months with a single button square neck. The other matinee coat in blue is for age 6-12 months and features a patterned skirt. These would be unisex. The bottom right is the crossover cardigan for 12-18 months. The top right is the embroidered cardigan for 2 years. It has lazy daisy flowers embroidered on after the cardigan has been knitted.

This is the most modern of the children's patterns but I am showing them in order of age of child to give a glimpse into the knitted wardrobe that a child may have had and have been through as they got older. Model A has an all over lace pattern, Model B has a lace pattern on the raglan sleeves. The top cardigan is a raglan with a small lace pattern alongside the button band.

The Sirdar Sunshine series is another of my sub-collections. This one has three baby's cardigans for 18 months to 2 years. I like the fact that many vintage patterns are much less gender specific for babies than modern ones seem to be, and the colours are often more interesting than pink or blue. Model A has a V neck and a lace join at the raglan sleeves. Model B has a lovely neck and button band border and is double breasted. Model C has a high round neck and cables bordering the button band.

From the same Sunshine series, three girl's cardigans age 2,3 and 4 years. Model A with the rabbit border is for 2 year olds. Model B with the Fair Isle border pattern is for 3 year olds; Model C with the floral border is for 4 year olds. All have raglan sleeves; a couple of mums have told me that this makes it easier to get the babies arms in and out of their cardigans. Even if I had not liked the cardigans I would have picked this pattern out because of the random toy poodles. Random props is another sub-collection!

Three Patons and Baldwins Quickerknit Woollies for girls age 2 years. I have just completed a matinee jacket in this pattern range. This pattern has a lovely bolero (bottom left), a lace panel jersey (bottom right) and a lace pattern cardigan. I think they are really sweet garments.

This is one of my friend's favourites from the pile, (she loves green), and it ticks many boxes for me. I love the colours and the styling. I love that it is two really presentable little boys in their smart outfits with clean white socks and proper shoes. I love that it is a little twinset for boys. I love the stripy jumper. I love that the six year old in the picture is wearing a tie! It is fabulous.

I also found two gorgeous twinsets for women.

This is a lacy jumper with a cardigan with matching lace panels.It is very pretty. It also comes in a range of sizes from a 34-40 inch bust. It can be hard to find vintage patterns larger than a 34-36 inch bust so this makes a happy change.

This is a glorious twinset; the lace pattern looks like little ears of wheat. It is a nice touch that the pattern on the jumper is in a V shape at the top so that when the V neck cardigan is done up the pattern continues across.

Some lovely accessories for the final pattern in Part One.

What a fun beret! Using the fuzzy-wuzzy angora wool as spokes gives it such an interesting and pretty effect. The gloves are angora on the backs and 3-ply wool on the palms. The scarf is stripes of these two yarns. I think this makes a gorgeous set.

These are just a few out of the plethora of patterns. More coming in Part Two and Part Three!