Spring to Summer Knitting - Free Pattern

 

Knitting for Spring and Summer can seem like a weird thing. Wool is warm so why use it for the warmer months? It's used because it is also a great insulator and regulator of heat.

I could bore you silly with my explanation of how modern sheep have been bred them to have thick fleeces but their ancient counterparts had scraggly locks that would fall naturally but that's something for another day. Instead I shall share this lovely jumper with you from the early 1930s. 

The pattern says the model is Nancy Carroll who was an actor active in Hollywood from 1927 to 1938. I think this was from her most popular times so will date this from 1932 to 1934. She received the most fan mail of any actor of the early 30s (according the Wikipedia) but was 'difficult' so was released from her contract and was no longer considered an A-lister.

To get the pattern, just click on the image and it will take you to the pdf.

A Summer Day Jumper

The Lady Needlework Book No. 2

34 and 36" bust; length 20"; sleeve seam 5" - for 36" bust use 3.75mm US 5 instead of 3.25mm US 3

Original used 6ozs Beehive Fingering 3-ply in pale green

Fun Friday Freebie Pattern - Dorette Dressing Jacket

 I did a post a few years ago on Dorette designs. Dorrete was a subscription based magazine that emerged after WWII. It was produced a few times a year and prided itself on beautiful and modern designs. This design dates from 1946 - although there is no date, the magazine features Rhondda Kelly, who was Miss Australia at the time, and her trip to London.    

This elegant dressing jacket could easily be worn as a light summer cardigan or in the boudoir for that extra bit of glamour.  

The measurements are : bust 36", length 19"; sleeve seam 19"

The original used 8 ozs William Briggs 3-ply Melody wool and used 3.75mm US 5 and 2.75mm US 2 need;es, 3 press studs and ribbon to make the bows that trim the front.

If you'd like a copy of the pattern, just click on the image and it will take you to the pdf.

Copley's 1076 - Lady's Jumper

Lady's Jumper

This pattern is a great easy sweater where the back and front are the same. As the heading on the pattern says "serviceable for mornings, smart for afternoon occasions with a neat neck and ribbed yoke". It has minimal shaping and produces a great vintage look. It can be made with either long or short sleeves and although it is 32 to 33" bust, by increasing the needle size and even the yarn weight this could easily be adapted to fit a 36 or 38" bust.

• Measurements - 32 to 33" bust; length 18.5"; sleeve seam 18.5" or 5.5"
• Materials - 4ply or fingering; 3.75mm US 5 and 3mm US 2.5 needles; small oddments for the embroidery
• Original used 6 ozs for short sleeves and 7 ozs for long sleeves of Copley's Excelsior Crepe Wool
• Tension - 7.5 stitches and9.5 rows to 1 inch using 3.75mm US 5 needles

New thoughts and blah blah blah for 2020

Well, I suppose that it's that time of year when we all start making plans and setting goals for the forthcoming year. In all honesty, I'm really bad at this kind of thing. If I was planning something for work, getting the site sorted and developing a strategy I boss it like no-one else, but personal plans and goals have often eluded me.

I have things that it would be nice to do. It's been a while since I have sat near the sea just looking out. I'd like to be a bit fitter. I'd like to start making clothes again. I'd like to knit more. I'd like to less frustrated in my job. I'd like to have a little bit more money in my pocket at the end of the year. I'd like to be happier. I'd like to be easier on the planet. I'd like to start and finish a Nebosh Health and Safety qualification. I'd like to design some more knitted things things. I'd like to start outdoors swimming. I'd like to get a pet. I'd like to finally get my cave archaeology data online after over a decade. And a whole load of other things.

So where do I start? Maybe the way to go is to try it all at the same time. I think when I make a plan, that becomes the only thing but I think that I'm too butterfly brained to concentrate and I get bored so the thought of only having one thing fills me with dread, but if I spread my self, maybe, just maybe, I might actually get some of my things finished.

It's a plan - not necessarily a good one, but one that I am happy to give a try. I suppose that I should also add I'd like to get to sleep at a reasonable time as I'm currently sitting here are 2am and have just over 5 hours before I start on site. Wish me luck

Updated Vintage Knitting Map

I'm a total nerd. Just spent the past couple of days adding to my vintage knitting places of the UK. There are independent stores (purple), pattern and wool companies (blue) and have started adding the almost 300 stores for the Scotch Wool and Hosiery Stores (red.)

I get the places from the old patterns, often independent stores would add their stamp to the cover. I also try to add the patterns they supplied and the approximate decade. For the companies that's a simple matter of taking the address from the back of the patterns and I add a note for the decade and sometimes a little bit of their history if I can find it.

The Scotch Wool and Hosiery Stores info comes from a small booklet they sold in the 1920s "Handbook of Knitting and Crochet" that details the nearly 300 stores they had across the UK and Ireland.

Easy and Quick . . .

. . . . well until I get distracted again and start something else.

I have been working on a pinwheel cardigan and it's gorgeous but it takes so long to go round now I wanted a rest. And I found this wonderful late 1930s beauty to give me some quick and easy relief.

It's a great blouse that is made from thick yarn and big needles so shouldn't take too long to make. I have 2 of those huge 400g balls of aran something with wool and hunted down my 7mm needles and away I went. In just over a day I have made the front so if I'm lucky I might even get to finish is this weekend.

Free Pattern Friday - 1930s Garter Stitch Jacket

How wonderfully chic is this gorgeous jacket? I love it as it subverts the idea that older clothing was knit in a standard way. The body is worked from side to side, decreasing slight under the arms then increasing for the back so it sits right. Once you've done that you pick up the stitches along the top of the body for the yoke. Finally you knit the arms and just sew everything together. The pattern suggests patch pockets of garter stitch but placed across the body to make them stand out. 

It's a lovely early 1930s example of knitted perfection (there are a lot I know). As knit, it's for a 36" bust - using 4-ply on 3.25mm US 5 needles, but I think that increasing the weight of the yarn and the needle size might bring it up to a couple of inches. To be frank, the pattern is that simple that it would only take a little bit of maths to make it larger using 4-ply. 

If you'd like a copy, click on the link below and knit your own 

Garter Stitch Jacket

Free Pattern Friday - A Child's Sun Suit and Cardigan Bestway 1525

Look at this little cutie, isn't it a sweetie? And the kid isn't bad either.

I like how this is such a summer image with the sun-suit and the parasol but the designer also knew about the British summer so included a cardigan.

Not sure how such a baggy suit would keep shape when paddling. Surely this would be on the ground by the end of play but these were very popular so there are loads of designs out there. My dad tells of my gran trying to get a 3 year old me into one she had made. Every time she tied me into it, I stripped it off  - he thinks it went on for about an hour. In the end my gran relented and let me run naked across the beach 'cause it was the early 70s and kids did that then.

Anyway if you have a toddler that you think would love this click on the link below to download the pattern
Sun Suit and Cardigan

Free Pattern Friday - A 1930s Crochet Gnome Cap

I love this sweet crochet cap. I realise that it's meant to be chic and smart but I kind of like the idea that it's a dragon or dinosaur cap. I might make one up to see how it look. Reading through the pattern, I think it needs an aran weight - the original says 3-ply held double but there is no indication of the hook size so you might have to play around until you get the right hand.

Click below to download the pattern and please post here if you do make it up as I think that it's great fun

Crochet Cap

Free Pattern Friday - A 1930s Bathing Dress

Knit yourself a fabulous bathing dress and be part of the 'Bright Young Things' set. Throughout the late 1920s and early 30s magazines showed the glamorous side of life and fashion changes from the 1920s meant that women were not restricted with their clothing as previously. This meant that legs were seen for the first time and not just in the privacy of your home, you could go out to the lido or beach and strut your stuff for the world to see. 

Suddenly there was the need for a garment that covered the important bits but gave you the freedom to play. This dress is in 2 parts: the long-line vest with a pair of knitted panties underneath, but there are also instructions on how to join them if you wanted a bit more security or to stop you from losing your kecks when swimming. 

You have to wonder how practical a woolen swimming costume would be but they were incredibly popular so women must have been willing to put up the any slips that happened. I also like that women of every size took the opportunity to embrace the fashion. From this photo, I think that the women were actually swimming and their hair is under wraps and they obviously gave no figs about what others thought.

So if you give no figs either, or just want to revel in the glamour of the 1930s then have a go at the pattern - just click on the link below

Bathing Dress