A plethora of patterns. Part Two.

My friend's pattern pile that I talked about here also contained several Stitchcraft magazines from the 1940s and 1950s. Because she is very lovely she let me keep the ones that I did not have in my collection which I was overjoyed about. I have been building up my collection over the past couple of years but am not near to completion yet! I love Stitchcraft for its interesting mixture of knitting patterns for the whole family and for all the other craft projects that it contains. As with any vintage magazine it gives a real flavour of the times and a peek into other lives.

I thought it would be nice to have a look through these magazines here. I am going from earliest to latest in date and from the front of the magazine to the back so that it is as near as possible to flicking through it yourself.

December 1943.





 Fancy fur bonnets on the front cover; patterns for adults and child's sizes are inside.

As this is the Christmas issue there are some ideas for gifts for young and old. At the top is a necklace of a butterfly and flowers made from wood or cardboard that has been enamelled and then tied with a shoe lace. This gives a great insight into the inventiveness needed for wartime gift giving.

The cigarette stand is made from painted cardboard or wood. It is interesting that this was a really acceptable gift, showing clearly that it is from the time when the health risks of smoking were not widely known about and were not publicised.

The part photographed item is a belt made from a length of binding with buttons, wool and stitching for decoration.

This is a boy's pullover which has socks to match. It is knitted in a lovely cable stitch in 3-ply.



Titled 'This little jumper is Teddy Bear's parade ground', this is a lovely jumper for a small child knitted in 3-ply. I love the marching teddies.



These three patterns are featured on a double page spread entitled 'Ready for the cold spell'. The first is 'Bobbles and Rib for the slim'! It is knitted in 3-ply and suggests using a dark shade for the ribbing and a lighter shade for the body and sleeves. In another nod to wartime austerity they suggest knitting the body and sleeves with pulled back wool if you have any available.

The second is the 'Brick patterned cardigan-jumper', again in 3-ply and with a lovely collar. I like this stitch pattern.

The third is called 'With pockets in the welt' made in 3-ply. You can just see the pocket on the left hand side of the picture.

I think it is amazing that all these patterns and more are found in a magazine that is A5 in size due to wartime paper shortages and is only 19 pages long.

The back cover

This lovely rabbit and duck require transfers that readers could send away for. The rabbit design cost 11d and the duck design 6d. Within the same series there is also a fox-terrier, a squirrel and a teddy bear.

April 1948.

 The front cover features a 'pretty jumper' knitted in 3-ply. It uses a main shade and two contrast shades and involves slipping and dropping then knitting stitches to create the pattern.

This 'Design from the East' was inspired by an oriental panel and is for the 'critical needle-woman'. To make the tea cosy and accompanying tray cloth you would need to send off for a transfer for the pattern. It is worked in a delicate colour scheme of pinks, peach, blues, gold and greens.

This sun-suit, knitted in 3-ply, is for  a little boy or girl. It has a pretty two colour pattern and comes with a matching cardigan.

 'A smart jacket' knitted in 3-ply. This is such a bright and cheerful colourway and uses moss stitch and stripes to create texture. I think it is very elegant but I am not sure that I actually like it.

 Another two page spread containing three patterns 'For sunny days'. 'Woollies for warm spring and early summer days. Stitchcraft selects these three lovely designs for your new knitteds.'

The first is a square neck jumper knitted in 2-ply. The lovely stitch pattern is a twisted rib.

The second is a two colour short sleeved cardigan, knitted in 3-ply. It has crochet scrolls across the yoke.

The last is a tuck in sports shirt, knitted in 2-ply to give warmth without weight. The main part is worked sideways.

Back cover.

'If you are going to the sea this year start early and knit yourself this attractive two-piece beach-suit - for sunning or swimming. The suit will behave itself in water as the main fabric is a close twisted stitch and the two colour cable panels are very firm and help keep the shape'. Would you wear it?

April 1951

 Look at this totally fantastic set! I love it! A matching cardigan and gloves  worn by a quite severe but stunning woman, accessorised with a puppy. What is not to like?! This is a 'Set for the Summer'. It can be knitted in 4-ply with long or short sleeves and with or without the necktie. The finished items are embroidered with satin stitch hearts and lazy daisies with stems and leaves.

'White is right for the sun, and what could be prettier than this attractive holiday twosome, with a Tyrolean air, for those days when the sun is shining but a chilly breeze makes it not quite as warm as it might be. Wear this light-hearted set and you will look cool and fresh and be comfortably warm. Quick to knit in inexpensive and hard wearing wool you can make the complete outfit very cheaply'.

This 'Summer Roses' cross stitch chart could have been obtained for 7d and is suggested as a picture or a cushion. I really like the colours they have chosen.

'Cables or stripes add colourful touches and use up those precious half ounces'. Of the first pattern it says 'this cheerful outdoor sweater for a girl in her teens, in the best-loved-of-all classic shape, with diamond patterns adding a gay, youthful note. If you want to use up really small scraps don't stick to one colour for the diamonds and cables'.

For the second pattern you are advised to 'go as gay as you like with this jazzy cardigan, specially designed to introduce three or more shades. Stick to one colour for the foundation - white would be pretty for summer - but use as many colours as you like for the stripes'.

These three pictures show garments which have been decorated using the transfer 'Nursery friends to embroider' which cost 11d. The instructions to make the heart shaped pinny and the dungarees are also included in the magazine. I really like the blue tits and the ducks, they are so cute.

Following on with the cute animal theme are these 'Nursery friends to knit for boys and girls of 3 and 6'. The animals are a duck, dog, puppy, lamb, rabbit and a cockerel. I would have adored this cardigan when I was a little girl. My Grandma knitted me one with Scottie dogs around the edge and I loved it.

At first glance it is a little difficult to decide what this is but it is a candlewick knitting bag. 'Candlewick is very popular at the moment, chiefly, I think, because it is cheap and quick to do, and gives cheerful, striking effects that go well in the average living room of today.' To do it doubled cotton is sewn in running stitch in the desired pattern. The stitches are not pulled down flat to the material, a little loop is left. The loops are then cut and rubbed over by hand to fluff them up and remove any loose bits'. My Grandma had several candlewick bedspreads and I used to enjoy playing with the patches of different textures on them. It is funny how something that was once as common as a bedspread is now so out of fashion.

'For the men at home'! Some lovely patterns for men and boys - a school pullover, a weekend waistcoat and diamond socks. I think the socks, in particular, are a lovely interesting pattern.

Back cover.



This image is just so pretty and I do love an ensemble! I am sure I would be better dressed if I thought about ensembles more often. Perhaps that can be something to aspire to! This ensemble consists of an angora twin set, the jumper is cabled and the cardigan is in stocking stitch. These look lovely either worn separately or together. I have several twinsets on my to knit list as they are so versatile and really increase your possible outfit combinations. The skirt is knitted in 4-ply. I really like the thought of a knitted skirt but I don't know how flattering they would be to all figures. Also, I can not imagine how long they must take to do!

This is already a giant post so I have decided that A Plethora of Patterns will continue into a Part Three.

To finish here are Stitchcraft's three golden rules for the good knitter:

Follow the instructions carefully, paying particular attention to materials and tension.

Take great pains with the making up and don't rush this.

Wash often and wisely.



Top Ten vintage brides in glasses

You may have noticed that I like to collect vintage wedding photographs, which I have used as bunting, and keep to admire and discuss  I like them as they are a snapshot of fashion history, not just the bride and groom's outfits, marvellous as they are, but those of the guests if you can find a photo with them on. I like them because they mark such a significant event in a person's life and I like to wonder about their back story and about what kind of future they managed to build together. I also feel in a way that I am rescuing them, I don't like to think of someone's once treasured wedding snap ending up in the bin or in a sad dusty pile in the corner of a shop. I like to give them a home and a place where others can admire them.

I don't find them all that easy to find when out and about which makes it all the more exciting if I manage to spot any. When I discovered the wonders of Pinterest I found a new way to come across more and more wedding photographs, you can see my board here.

I have mentioned before that I have a particular love for photographs of brides in glasses as I was one and we are not all that common, as so many people choose to remove their glasses on their wedding day, or sometimes just for the photographs. I can totally understand that, I just like to see some other spectacle wearers occasionally!

So on the day of my first wedding anniversary I thought it would be nice to take a look at my Top Ten vintage brides in glasses. These are all from my Pinterest board. They are in no particular order, because I didn't like to choose between them. That seemed a bit unfair!



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Aside from the amazing pastel coloured splendour of the bridesmaids I like this picture as the bride looks so happy. It is not easy to see the details of her glasses but they look to be straight across the top and curved underneath, echoing the lines of her dress. 

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It is nice to get a less posed action shot of a wedding. It is lovey to get a shot of the band too. This bride looks so petite and neat, down to her glasses.




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Look at the beaming smile on this 1950's bride. I love her dress, with the shorter skirt and many petticoats and the lace sleeved bodice. Her cat's eyes spectacles just finish off her look.
 

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Another beaming couple ready to cut their cake. Look at her lovely hair do and neat, rimless glasses. Very pretty sleek dress too.



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We can barely see this bride's glasses, they look to be completely rimless. Her dress is very beautiful even though it hides the bride almost entirely. She is not drawing attention to herself. I do like the sleeves with all the tiny buttons though they must have been a pain to do up.


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 Another pair of cat's eyes spectacles, possibly my favourite shape. In this case I love that they are so angular yet the bride has a massive ruffle/meringue dress going on. It is such a contrast.
 

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I love this pair as they both have their glasses on. This is even more rare to find. It is a nice close up shot so we can see the spectacles in detail. Loving the cat's eyes again!
 

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Gorgeous dress shape, gorgeous details, gorgeous bouquet, gorgeous lace, gorgeous collar.
 

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The most modern of the vintage brides in glasses. I love the balance between her glasses and her flicky hair and the veil. She looks lovely.
 

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The last bride in my Top Ten. It is a fantastic close up shot and shows so much detail. She is possibly my favourite bride in glasses, she just looks so relaxed, happy and glamorous. She is also proof, with the others, that men do make passes at girls who wear glasses.

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!

Patons and Baldwin raglan with V neck matinee coat.

I am taking a break from knitting adults garments as there is a flurry of babies around here at the moment! This is lovely and very exciting but it is somewhat dictating my knitting choices! However, it gave me a great reason to dig through my vintage baby patterns. Whilst I was admiring the many gorgeous designs I made two decisions. The first was that I wanted to use vintage patterns which would not look overtly vintage when knitted in a modern yarn. This was because the babies that I am knitting for do not have vintage loving parents and I didn't want to frighten them with a full on 1940's pilch and pram outfit. The second was that I was going to knit them all in MillaMia yarn, choosing the bright green shade 'grass' for this coat.

If you don't know this yarn it is a Scandinavian brand of 100% extra fine merino wool which comes in an amazing array of colours and is so, so soft. Their pattern support is amazing. It knits as a 5-ply, so between a 4-ply and a double knit. I found that I had a good number of old Patons and Baldwins' patterns that use their yarn called Quickerknit. After flicking through several of the patterns I found a reference to Quickerknit being more than a 4-ply and less than a double knit so I thought that the MillaMia would be spot on. It can be hard to match up modern and vintage yarns when only a brand name for the vintage yarn is given. Sometimes it is educated guesswork going on needle size and the type of garment. So it is always nice when you find out exactly what sort of yarn would have been used originally.

The pattern I used is shown on the baby on the bottom right. This is the start of the back. It has a moss stitch band, then stocking stitch with regular lace inserts to form a patterned panel at the bottom. The yarn is a far more vibrant shade of green than the first photo, more like the second, I found it hard to get photographs showing the true colour.

This is the completed back. After the armholes have been shaped the last stitch on each row is slipped onto a stitch holder. The back, sleeves and fronts are joined together using laced joinings.

These three pictures show from the top - the right side laced joining, the wrong side laced joining and a sleeve inserted by laced joinings. To do these the stitches at the end of each piece (e.g. a sleeve) are slipped onto a stitch holder until needed rather than cast off. When the time comes to say, attach a sleeve to the back, the sleeve stitches are slipped from the holder onto one needle and the back stitches are slipped from the holder onto another needle. The needles are held side by side and a third needle is used to slip a stitch off each needle and to pass the first stitch over the second to cast it off. It is a bit like plaiting the stitches. It is tricky at first as holding the needles feels uncomfortable but is really neat when you get the hang of it and gives a lovely finish.

This is a close up of a sleeve inserted using laced joinings. The sleeves have moss stitch cuffs.

Here are the various parts of the coat.

This is the coat laid out once all the laced seams have been completed. This leaves the side and sleeve seams to sew up.

This is the view of the back once the sewing up has been done. The moss stitch borders at the bottom are not sewn up and form side vents.

This is the completed coat from the front. The button and neck bands are completed during the making up process.

I found these gorgeous shiny apple buttons to finish the coat off! I love them and thought a baby would too. I sewed them on super securely!

Here is the coat wrapped and ready to go to its new owner! I thought the teddy bear ribbon was divine!