I got a neat request today from Amanda over at Vintage Savoir Faire asking me for some words on why I love knitting from vintage patterns, and for any recommendations when it came to needle sizes and yarns.  Little did she know the wealth of words she would get, but once I get going I just find it hard to stop!  She is writing an article for a British knitting magazine, so keep your eyes peeled!

So what did I have to say?

I love to knit from vintage patterns because, in my opinion, they're more stylish than contemporary knitting patterns.  Many current mass market knitting patterns are either Plain Jane, frumpy, or more "Old Lady" than "old style."  Sites like Ravelry have done wonders to help current designers promote more fashionable knit-wear patterns, but even these designs can't compete with a vintage Vogue Knitting when it comes to clothes that you are just dying to wear.  Part of this, I think, is that vintage designs are knit at a smaller gauge, and aren't afraid of more complex constructions.  Sure, knitting at 7 or 8 stitches an inch is time consuming, but the garment that you wind up with is often much more flattering and chic, which in turn motivates you to keep going.  It seems to me that they weren't as interested in short cuts, and that this shows in the cultured look of their designs.  So sites like mine are trying to show people that the old way is sometimes the better way, and not nearly as frightening as it seems.

I think it is also significant that the photography in these magazines is often captivating.  Not only is the model often wearing a fabulous knit top or suit, but she's often wearing a to-die-for pair of gloves, shoes and hat, and carrying some amazing handbag.  She always looks glamorous and sophisticated, like someone you would want to be, and this mystique plays into at least my passion for these old designs.

On another register, knitting from and collecting vintage patterns is just one piece of my love for the past.  I have always loved old movies, music and TV shows, (and I've always been envious of their clothes), so my collection of vintage knitting magazines fits right alongside my collection of old books, old records, and old movies.  In addition, it makes me feel connected to the generations of women in my family who spent their nights knitting, stitching, and crocheting.  When you buy an old knitting magazine you don't just get the pattern - you get the ads, the letters from the editor, the pictures - and all of it feels like a little slice of the past has just been reclaimed, and become yours.

I could wax existential philosophic about nostalgia, but I think you get the point. 

In regards to Needles and Yarn, I've found that there are many online yarn charts explaining what vintage yarns would correspond to in today's weights.  You can pretty easily find if the suggested vintage yarn was lace weight, for example, then substitute a modern lace weight yarn.  Or, you can always reason backward from the gauge - any yarn that gets you to your gauge is going to work!  There are similar charts for needles, but any pattern's suggested needle size is always approximate - you have to do that gauge swatch, and play around until you get it right.  The trickiest thing about vintage patterns is actually vintage sizing.  Their sizes don't correspond to modern sizes, but there are, again, numerous charts online to help you make the conversion, plus most vintage pattern books come with a bust/hip measurement chart.  The problem I've found, however, is that even once I establish my proper bust/hip size, something else will be too tight, like the arms, or the neck.  This, unfortunately, just takes practice, and a little patience!

I have finally had a chance to scan some new stuff!  I have added two new eBooks and a few new Women's patterns.  Check out some of them below!

There are many, many more to be shared, but it is a time consuming process!  Please let me know if there is something that you would like to see more of, and I can prioritize my scanning and formatting.  I have men's patterns just waiting in the wings, but, perhaps its my own commitment to selfish knitting that makes me less-than-concerned about hurrying those along!

I've mentioned before my love of the cross stitch that is stamped (aka, stamped cross stitch), and here's the proof.  Behold, my vintage quilt squares.  I am still deciding upon the colors, but I think I'm going to go with the lilac you see in three of the small flowers, green for the stems, and a lighter lilac for the large flower in the middle.

Now, I know it's hard to see, but it's a very traditional pattern: big flower in the middle.  Four stems, four little flowers in the corners.  I inherited these squares after my Grandmother passed away.  She had purchased them I don't know when, and had never taken them from their package.  When we found them, I knew that I would love to complete them for her.

I've always imagined that I would love stamped cross stitch.  After all, I love stamped embroidery, like the kind I'd done on felt Christmas stockings.  This project proves it: I am in love.

Here's how it works: I sit down, I thread a needle, and I stitch.

No paper. No book.  No neck strain (well, almost no neck strain).  No fuss. Beautiful results.  What more could a crafter ask for?  My project is coming along remarkably quickly.  I feel that each square really only takes one dedicated day of stitching.  And not the kind of dedicated day where you never put the thing down, but the kind of dedicated day where you stitch whenever you're not required to do something else.  Like eat.  Or speak to someone.  Or play with your cat who is just casually mentioning that she has found a toy mouse inside her favorite box, and that you might want to investigate.  Just to be sure.

Will my tune change once it's time to actually piece together and quilt this thing?  Let's say ... no.  It's good to keep our spirits up, right?

Isn't it about time I was showing you something new that I've been working on?  This pattern, from a vintage McCall's issue, is a waist-length cardigan with an adorable scalloped edge down the front and around the neck.

You can see in this image how that scalloped edge is created by the zig-zag pattern.  The pattern called for the zig-zag to run up the arms and up the middle of the back, too, but that is simply too much patterning for me.  Knitting has to be relaxing for me, too, and looking back and forth between my hands and the pattern just hurts my neck!  Plus, I really like for a complicated stitch to really add something to the overall garment, and in my opinion the sleeves and back are just fine in plain old stockinette.

You can see here that I'm almost finished (and that my cat is having to work awfully hard to restrain herself!)  I have two sleeves, a back, and one front half to the armhole.  I started the tradition of beginning with the sleeves, and I can't recommend it highly enough.  When I start a project I'm enthusiastic just to be knitting something new.  I'm excited by the new yarn, the new needles, everything.

But as I go on I get anxious to just have the darned thing already!  And for me, the most annoying thing is to have completed the big parts, and then have those damned sleeves to deal with.

I am making this sweater in yarn reclaimed from the sweater below.  I am thrilled with the way it is knitting back up.  The stitch clarity is great, and it's a much softer, washable acrylic than anything I would be able to afford on my own.  I highly recommend it!