Photographs from the past

I always enjoy a good rummage in dusty old boxes in junk/antique shops to see what I can unearth. I had a good look a few weeks ago in my local antique shop and I found these beauties. I spent quite some time deciding which to have. I couldn't afford to buy them all and I do find abandoned photos touching. I don't like to think that no one cares about the people photographed any longer and I always think that I need to rescue them. That is coupled with the fact that I love seeing fashions worn by real people in the past. So here are the choices I made:

Edith Dolan 1940's

One fantastic thing about these photos is that most of them had names written on the back and I do like to be able to put a name to a face. Many of them also had date stamps which is so very useful, especially for the starts and ends of decades where the fashions of one are merging into the new fashions the next and clothes alone aren't always enough to go on.

Isn't she just perfect?! Amazing hair, the arches on her eyebrows, glimmering pearl studs, puff sleeved jumper. I think the jumper is a hand knit and it looks to have dark thin stripes knitted in from the bust down. I think I have a similar pattern. I would love to know more about her.

Winnie Gibson and Douglas 1940's

Winnie's hat stopped me in my tracks and she went into the 'must keep' pile straight away. It is pretty amazing and so very big! Her dress is worth a good look too with those big round buttons on the shoulders and the diagonal stripes that cross at the bust. I wish I could see the rest of it. Douglas looks rather jolly and very smart in his uniform. I hope they came through the war unscathed and were happy together.

Ethel Booth 1920's

Ethel Booth 1920's

I couldn't leave Ethel behind for two reasons. One is that I found two photos of her and I wanted to keep them together. The other is her gorgeous 1920's day wear. I particularly like the first dress, the second is very pretty but a bit floaty for me. The first however, is one that I can imagine wearing. It appears to be a leaf print with a central white bib in the front and a long, pointed collar. Lovely shoes too.

I think Ethel is older in the second photo. Her face has slightly changed shape, her eyes are more defined like she may have some make up on and she has waved her hair. Her floral print dress has pointy, plain cuffs and collar. The floral fabric appears to be see through with a slip underneath, I think the slip is lace trimmed. Great shoes again. I can't quite see what she is holding but I think it is a beaded purse and so that is what it shall be.

Elsie Godard 26th October 1930

Bob and Elsie Godard 6th April 1931

I think Elsie Godard is such a glamorous beauty and I was so pleased to find two photos of her. I just love the top one; the casually knotted pearls, the big fur collar, the sparkle from the ring, the waved hair and that beret. It looks to be tweed, possibly with a bow at the back. I want it.

It is a bonus to get to see whole of her coat in the second photo; I'm sure it is the same one. I would like to know why they are in their outdoor clothes. Are they pretending that they lived in or visited the thatched cottage on the painted backdrop? Elsie looks more set for town than country to me though. Elsie still has her pearls on and I'm wondering if that is a dress clip on her cloche? Her shoes are marvellous too, with white edged bow shaped cut outs on the front.

Bob appears to be in a rather nice three piece wool suit, I can just about see his waistcoat. I like his big turn ups on his trousers. Nice tartan scarf too. I would like to know more about them.

Hilda and I 1920's

On the back of this photo it looks like the writer (I), on the left,  has written that they were 15 and a half and that Hilda is 17. I found out who was who as the next few photos are clearly labelled as Hilda. I think from their positioning that this is Hilda with her sister and I will come back to this in a couple of photos time.

I do like these dresses. You can clearly see the dropped waist of the one on the left, it is marked by several rows of small pleats. From the waist down the skirt are decorations which look rather like rosebuds. These appear to go all the way around the skirt. Hilda's dress has printed flowers and leaves which seem to reach just above waist level. There is a lace insert in the V neck. They both have lovely pearl necklaces and Hilda is spotting some very pretty, glittery star slides in her hair.

Hilda Price 11th April 1931

I would like to know what Hilda is thinking here; she has an interesting expression. I like her smartly belted coat with the big buckle and the thick fur collar with the corsage pinned on. I think her hat is woven fabric though it is hard to tell.

Florrie and Hilda Price 1930's

This was taken on 1st November but I can't read the year of the date stamp sadly. I think it is safe to assume that they are sisters. I am certain that Florrie is the I in the first photo with Hilda.  I have studied them a lot to make the connections. I like the matching huge bead necklaces and the carefully set hair. Hilda could well be wearing the same coat as in the previous photo.

Hilda 7th My 1939

Another interesting expression. What were you pondering Hilda? This photo really has something about it. Here she is a few years older, still liking a big pearl like necklace and a fur collared coat and a star shaped hair clip.

Hilda and hubby 1930's

I loved finding this and realising that I had photos of Hilda from her teenage years to her wedding. The back of the photo just said hubby, so sadly we don't know his name. I'm surprised that the writer didn't say having been so good at writing the names in the first place.

It is a perfect vintage wedding photo. Floor length veil, gigantic bouquet, beautiful full length, long sleeved dress and the groom is carrying his white gloves. I hope they were very happy.

Hilda Price and hubby

I nearly left this one when I first found it as it isn't my kind of thing and as I said I couldn't buy them all. But then I realised it was Hilda and it kind of finished her story off for me. I want this to be a honeymoon memento and I really think it could be. It was taken in a studio that has two branches, one in London and one in Blackpool. I'm so sure that Blackpool is where this was taken, it just feels right!

I think that these photos all came from one person's collection. I wish we knew the links between them all.

A 1960's knitted beret

What an outfit! What a colour!

However, for the purpose of this post all we are interested in is the beret. I have been after a knitted beret for a good while, and am going through a phase of finding all the beret patterns that I have and knitting them up one by one to find my favourite. Berets are so versatile in their look and in their period correctness and I have a gap in my hat wardrobe.

I have knitted the Sunday Pictorial Beret from A Stitch in Time by Susan Crawford but I can't get it to look right on me, though I have seen it look fabulous on others. It has a separately knitted and stitched on bow and I think it might be the placement of that which is causing me problems. I need to remove the bow so the weight doesn't pull the beret down and then I can position it on my head more to my liking. So whilst that is on the 'to fix' pile I am trying other patterns out.

I bought this fabulously soft, beautifully coloured yarn from Temporary Measure when I saw them at Yarndale in September. It is 100% baby alpaca DK and it knits up beautifully with a lovely drape and good stitch definition. It is most lovely and warm too.

The colour is a bit lighter than this really but I can't get a good photo of it in this winter gloom! I love the radiating decreases.

This is quite a big beret; I would say it is larger than the pattern suggests. I rarely check my tension if I'm knitting an accessory for myself and the yarn is pretty drapey. I rather like the extra slouch; I can wear this like a tam which is a style I am comfy wearing. I'm going to go down a needle size for the next one for myself for comparison. The headband is just garter stitch so I probably would like that on a smaller needle for a closer fit.

This is it hot off the needles and straight on to my head, hence the bad lighting and the sofa selfie. I liked wearing it straight away.

It has continued to get lots of wear. This is me early in the morning on a freezing station platform waiting for yet another late train to work! It keeps my ears nice and cosy. This is a better idea of the colour too.

I have knitted another one as a commission knit. Here it is:

This one is knitted in black Drops Merino DK and it feels lovely.

Finishing touches - woven labels and vintage thread.

I have a beret from another pattern knitted up which just needs seaming so that should be getting tested out in a few days.

Do you have a favourite beret pattern?

From 1978 to 2018

Some 1970's crochet goodness to start off with there. I'm pleased they have given us two different styling options just in case you weren't sure how best to wear it.

A trio of wonder. I'm sure that we can all find two friends who would willingly wear these so that we can recreate that photo.

Assuming that you didn't get enough tabard wearing time in science lessons you could knit yourself one (or both) of these stunners. The one on the right does have a wave pattern on it after all.

Words fail me.

This is not just a post about slightly suspect 1970's knitting and crochet. Although it could be, I have plenty of patterns in my collection. The real reason is this:

This is the most recent edition of Slipknot, the journal of the Knitting and Crochet Guild. The Guild is a charity dedicated to UK domestic knitting and crochet. The Guild has a network of local groups which meet regularly where people learn new skills and share knowledge. I have shared one of my local group meetings here.The Guild also has an archive collection of garments, patterns and equipment to enable it to preserve our textile heritage. I have written about the Guild before here, here, here, here and here.

I have an article in this latest edition and wanted to share it here:

If you think about the fashions of the 1970’s, what are the knitwear themes that stand out for you? Tank tops made from granny squares? Knee length tasselled ponchos? Crochet trouser suits? Lurex spangled sun suits? String vest loose knits on punks? Sequined crochet skull caps? Flick through any book on 1970’s fashion and you will indeed find these items. Dig a little deeper and you will find a whole lot more, much of which chimes with current fashion trends.

Good old granny squares.

Sun tops and skirt.

His and hers tank tops

The 1970’s started with a craft revival; people were drawn back to traditional crafts such as knitting, crochet, weaving, macramé and patchwork. This allowed people to express their individuality through what they wore and also acted as a rejection of mass consumption. Not too dissimilar from now in fact.

Knitting (both hand and machine) and crochet became very popular and this was reflected in the wardrobes and homes of ordinary people and in the top flights of fashion. Crochet skirts, dresses, suits and shawls were hugely popular alongside crochet home ware including throws, blankets, cushions, pot holders and items made from the good old granny square. Knitwear ranged from long line cardigans, aran jumpers, argyle patterns and skinny rib tops to picture knits, knits featuring many different types of stitches (bobbles, cables, diamonds, blackberry stitch), Fair Isle (taking 1930’s and 1940’s garments as inspiration) and striped garments.

Traditional Aran knit.

A long line knit

Fashion designers Missoni and Sonia Rykiel were producing fantastic knitwear. Most of us can recognise the iconic Missoni knitwear featuring multi coloured stripes, flames and zigzags. Sonia Rykiel was designing intarsia jumpers with cartoon and Pop Art motifs. As is usual, these fashion trends trickled down and you did not have to be able to afford designer fashion if you could knit or crochet yourself something similar.

Knitwear designers such as Kaffe Fassett, Sasha Kagan, Patricia Roberts, Sarah Dallas and Elizabeth Zimmermann were producing some wonderful designs and patterns using colour, innovative techniques, intarsia, Fair Isle and graphic patterns.

In 2018 the Guild is 40 years old and we will be marking this milestone with a series of events and celebrations along the theme of ‘from preservation to innovation’, reflecting on our past and looking towards our future. We thought that members might like to work within that theme and make an item using a pattern from 1978 with an innovative twist to make it into something that would be at home in your current wardrobe. A 1978 pattern would be ideal but we recognise that poses some problems as patterns are not usually dated and we can not release any from the Collection as they are covered by copyright. So 1970’s patterns in general, which cover the fashion trends above, are good enough. You may be lucky enough to have a 1970’s book of patterns. If not, 1970’s patterns are easy to find in charity shops and online, sometimes for free. Have a look and see what you can find.

I would happily wear this one. And the sunglasses.

I like brown so I would happily wear this but a change
of colour way would also produce a stunning cardigan.

If you ignore the polo necks and hair cuts these are good,
classic jumper shapes and the geometric one is nice and fancy.

Innovation does not mean that you need to redesign a whole garment, though do go for it if that is where your skills lie. You might want to look at the work of the designers mentioned above and use one of their patterns. On the most basic level you could use a 1978 pattern but change the colour way to update it. You could use the shape of a 1970’s jumper but add your own graphic pattern. You could take the granny square as your starting point and see how you could incorporate it into a garment. You could take a popular garment of the seventies and update it for today’s taste. For example, you may not have a need for leg warmers but the pattern could be used to make welly toppers which you might wear. You might want a long line cardigan and you could knit it in Missoni stripes. You could just add some metallic thread to your knitwear.

Sadly the knitted leggings are not included in the pattern. The
polo neck insert is though. If you left that out and made it to
our preferred length this would work for modern day. 

I would wear the jumper without hesitation. If I had the
blouse I would wear that too.

I’m imagining next year’s Convention with everybody wearing their 1978 inspired knitwear. What a fascinating and interesting sight that would be. Better get planning!

Lovely tank top and great hat.

You can read more about the Guild here. A head's up for vintage knitters, as a member of the Guild you have access to their pattern archive. It is a treasure trove!

I've got a bit of time to decide what to knit for the anniversary but I have a lot of patterns so I need to get thinking!