Vintage Knits

Did not get a chance today to slip downtown to the fashion district for interfacing and other goodies, trapped in the home office with a proposal.

Sigh.

Just as well I guess. It's pretty chilly out and my house is nice and warm. I did get a chance, while waiting for email responses, to scan a vintage knitting booklet I found at Value Village, just the loveliest thing really. I *think* it's from the 1940's, based on the hairstyles and clothing styles. Warning, this post is image heavy! But worth it if you love vintage, vintage knitting, vintage clothing, vintage hair....you get the idea!

The front cover. Note the original cost of this booklet (which is a 30 page booklet). Fifteen cents! As you can see, I paid $1.99. I saw a similar booklet by the same yarn company online today on sale for $11. Love that Victory Curl!



This is a lovely ad for the yarn this booklet calls for. Fluffydown, it's a bulky yarn that knits up to 3 sts per inch (according to some research I did).



First pattern is the Sports Jacket, containing many, many buttons. Lots of buttons down the front of that. If I knit this (and let's be honest, I'm gonna eventually), I think I'll reduce the number of buttons, since they put the buttonholes in the single crochet edge. Not sure right now how many buttons, how big and placement I'd use, but yeah, not as many buttons. The yoke, sleeves and bands are an interesting looking pattern of two rows k1 p1 rib and 2 rows garter stitch.



Afternoon Pullover. Not sure about this model's hairstyle, but she looks a little Jean Harlowish, don't you think? The pattern on the sweater is neat. From the instructions:

"Smocking - Using brown wool and starting from the lower edge of front sew together the first three K ribs. Oversew three times and fasten off. Skip next three K ribs and sew together the next three K ribs. Continue to sew the K ribs together as illustrated"



Sports Pullover, modeled by the lady from the front cover and a puppers. I like this one.



Ski Cardigan. Apparently a Lady skied in a skirt. Not in pants. A skirt.



She also plays Badminton in a skirt. 11 little buttons.



This sweater is just plain pretty. Pretty, pretty, pretty.



A sports sweater. Nothing fancy, plain rib, but with a bit of embroidery at the front neck.



The Sailing Cardigan.



The Sport Jacket. Note the lovely hairdo. This is not a sports hairdo. If I ever manage to coax my long and thick hair into those lovely little curls, sports is not what I will be doing.



The Bed Jacket. My maternal grandmother had some of these (no, she did not knit them sadly. She had MS and couldn't. But she was always 'done' and ladylike.)



The Evening Jacket. Another pretty sweater.



And two sweet little sweaters for girls.





And a picture of the yarn itself.



Hope you enjoyed that! I know I do everytime I open that booklet! I've got one from the same era for men (full of giggles) from Beehive which I'll share in a future post.

work overdrive!

After about 3 weeks off, work kicked my behind this week! I should have figured it was coming.

For reference, I hold 3 jobs, office manager at my cousin's rocking dance studio over in Oshawa, which involves regular travel between there and home in Toronto (evenings, and not counting dance competitions, which are coming up bloody fast!), Virtual Assistant for the Management Consulting firm I once was full time Executive Assistant for (went home office, this rocks) and bookkeeper for our friend's used bookstore over on Queen West here in Parkdale. Which means, sometimes everything falls on my lap at the same time and makes things a little....hectic.

Example, we are currently prepping for the dance competitions this spring, filling out entry forms, finalizing routines and costumes, that sort of thing. On top of the start of year end recital preparation (ordering the recital costumes, a pretty involved process, and we haven't even done the hip hop costumes yet!) and the regular scheduled stuff. Then, a massive proposal for a municipality came down the pike from the consulting firm, plus I have to make a quick run down to the bookstore to pick up the accounting to get that done!

I did manage to get the pieces cut out for my new dress using Simplicity 5914 from 1973, however I have not yet had the opportunity to run down to the Fashion District to pick up interfacing and I can't find the damned zipper I bought the same day I bought the fabric. I'm hoping to get both those tomorrow, cross your fingers! I really can't wait to get this dress done and on!

(Also, using Christmas money, I picked up Amy Butler's Style Stitches and am DYING to make two of the bags in this book.

Take Flight Handbag and Blossom Handbag

Aren't they amazing? So, I guess when I run downtown tomorrow, I'll be picking up materials for those two (and rooting in my stash in the morning).

I also have a whole upcoming list of sewing projects to share with you, probably this weekend.

If dance competitions and proposals and bookkeeping doesn't drive me insane first.

Let's Try This Again

Ok, seriously. I set up a blog and then ignore it? What kind of person am I?

So here's to a new year and hopefully a resolution I will stick to. To regularly update and actually USE this blog! Since I have so many projects on the go at all times, this just might help me keep track of it all.

Ok. First up. Ultra Long Stockings!

I found this knitting book from 1973 (the year I was born) in Value Village and I had to have it.



Full of early 1970's looks, some good, some, well.....not so good. I instantly fell madly in love with a pattern called "Striped Stockings"



I love long stockings. Store bought, hand knit, even hand sewn (yes, I do have a vintage sewing pattern for stockings. Will show that off in another post). So I knew I had to knit these....just not how the pattern originally is! A gal has to modernize ya know!

During a last minute, pre-Christmas run to Romni Wools , a favourite yarn shop of mine, I stumbled across Supersocke 100 Wellness III Color (stumbled across....HA! I gravitate towards the sock yarn section at Romni. It's the honest truth. I knit alot on transit! Socks are easy and portable and don't take up any room beyond my personal space). I chose colourway #1318, a lovely mix of pink, grey, red and black. And used this yarn to knit Diana Biggs' Striped Stocking Pattern.

The original pattern calls for 4 different solid colours, original yarn in the 1973 pattern is Sirdar Top Line Nylon DK. This yarn is unfindable in an online search, and given that the pattern is 37 years old, it's safe to say it's long been discontinued. The pattern is simple, a 1 x 1 rib all the way through, switching colors every 27 rounds and decreasing every 12th round after the first 45 rounds down from the original CO of 86 sts to 58 sts at the ankle. Basic heel, basic toe. I maintained the rib, the decrease, did a slip stitch heel flap (I admit to being rather partial to a slip stitch heel flap on a simple sock) instead of the basic St st flap in the original pattern.

Here is the first stocking, finished! (second is on the needles)



The striping on the second stocking isn't going to match up to the first (it could, but I can be lazy that way), so I think I'll call these Pippi Longstockings!

Next on the agenda is a sewing project, pattern from 1973 found at Value Village. (I think I may have a soft spot for that year!)



Simplicity 5914 (note the original price on the pattern? $1.00! Canadian! I paid about $0.69 at Value Village, most patterns at my store run that price, a handful for one reason or another are $0.99.)

Went to The Workroom down on Queen West in my 'hood (Parkdale) and picked up some fantastic cotton fabric!



Will be doing View 2 with the contrast collar & cuffs shown in View 1. The purple print is the main body of the dress and the peach will be the collar & cuffs. Might make a matchy matchy bag if there is enough fabric left over. Still have to pick up some interfacing, then I can get started!

So that's what's on tap at this exact moment. Well....not really. Have a pile of other projects sitting around. Need to sort through them to tell you all about them! And show the finished Pippi Longstockings once stocking #2 is done and they're on my legs. And show off the dress during construction and after!

See you soon!