The pattern emerges with the completion of the first front half of the cardigan. I think it looks quite striking. Basically the pattern is yo holes on the side of two slanting decreases. At the end the stitches are “plaited” or cabled front and backward over six stitches. Click to see the whole piece. (more…)

Here is another charming free pattern for my guests. This one was obtained through the NYPL image search and is from an old periodicle. I apologize for the bad quality scan. Scan was obtained from their digital database.

For pattern click, (more…)

Knit, knit, knit. K1, P1 rib on size 1 needles takes a long time! I worked almost a week after work hours on the ribbing alone so far. Ah well, it’s very satisfying to come out with these wonderful small stretchy stitches. Last night I did complete the back piece of my sweater. As you’d have it, 4 rows before the end my ball of yarn runs out and I have to start a new ball. C’est La Vie!

I started working on the left front side first, the side with out button holes. What is interesting about this pattern so far is that once the bottom ribbing is done you put the button hole row of stitches on a spare needle to come back to as that part is done with smaller needles. Later you just sew this piece together. What struck me as interesting and some what of a challenge is that size 1 needles and ribbing make for much shorter rows. You need to do many more rows of this for the buttonhole row than you do on the main body. Yes, again my vintage pattern is very vague, never telling me exactly how many rows or inches of ribbing to do for this button hole area. I assume they use the measure of the gauge and tell you to do 17 rows between button holes. Being that stockinette stitch gives you 11 sts. per inch in height, I am assuming it is about 17 rows that will give me an inch in ribbing. This seems about right from my measurements. I still am weary about button holes ending up in the right place. I also have not seamed up anything that does not have matching rows on either side. I will be sewing 2-3 rows of ribbing to 1 row of stockinette stitch when done. Like I’ve said before though, you can’t let these things scare you. There is always a first time for everything!

Here pictured are some very useful things I keep close while knitting. You see here my Cavallini & Co. “Flora” journal. I have found it so handy to write down how many rib or knit rows I do so I can match up front and back pieces the same. It is also great keep a log of what increases or decreases I used on a certain pattern so I can come back to my favorites later on. I also draw diagrams to help me understand exactly what shape my knitting piece will take on when complete. Every new sweater I work on seems to have different construction. It’s some times hard to piece it together in your head. Each page I just title the name of the current project I am working on. The handy attached elastic band helps keep my page while working but keep everything closed up tight when I travel with the journal.

Also shown is this great plastic matchstick like trinket box I found at my LYS, Article Pract. The front has an image of a glamorous 1920’s lady with dramatic feather in her hair side by side with a parrot. For $4.95 how could I resist making my life that much prettier? In it I keep all my stitch markers, tip ends and needles.

Here is my next project I’m really excited about. It is from 1940’s Corticelli pattern book graciously scanned by my friend Stephanie. I have seven balls of oatmeal (earthy beige) colored cashmere to do this in. At the rate I’m knitting I think that should cover it well. I love how this sweater has lots of ribbing at the bottom to make your waist look small. The pattern on the bust is really cute and a little deco. It doesn’t really resemble anything to me (ie. leafs, wheat, fan, etc.) so I figure its just a geometric design. One thing I am omitting is a random centered stripe of the pattern down the back of the sweater. I found that a very odd placement so I am just doing the back in plain stockinette stitch. I am debating if I want to do that on the sleaves or not still. I have a ways to go and time to think. One think I’m also excited about with this sweater is picking out a set of 11 vintage buttons. I love old buttons. I started collecting some baby sized ones but need larger for this sweater. I am thinking clear etched Czech glass or perhaps jet black. Your going to have to bare with me here as this is 8 stitches per inch on a woman size sweater, not just baby. It might take me a month to complete but will be well worth it in my opinion.

Well, it’s getting there. I pretty much finished knitting the main body a week ago. I have let it sit all week. I needed good day lighting for seaming such small stitches, so today I seamed up one side. It was easy-peazy. I might work at the other seam tonight as well. I need to pick up stitches at the neck and sleave edges for the k4, p4 rib. It’s something I’m slightly dreading only becuase I’m doing it on lace and not stockinette stitch. I do hope to have it all completed by next weekend. Then I’ll model it for everyone. I confess, I have started another sweater in the mean time which I will show you soon. I have to finish the back of that to get my size 3 needles back for picking up stitches on this sweater.

US UK Metric 0 14 2 1 13 2.25 2.5 2 12 2.75 11 3 3 10 3.25 4 3.5 5 9 3.75 8 4 6 4.25 7 7 4.5 8 6 5 9 5 5.5 10 4 6 10.5 3 6.5 2 7 1 7.5 11 0 8 13 00 9 15 000 10

Looking at the reccomendations for needle sizes on vintage patterns often can be daunting. You see size 13 needles on a small guage and just think to yourself “that can’t be”. We’ll, I’ll try to clear things up for you a bit. Please use this information as a guide and remember to always make a test swatch to check your guage. First off there is US sizes, the kind were used to here in the states. Basically in our knitting life we use size 0-9 , 0 being small, 9 being large. Sometimes different companies over here also use metric sizes for needles. Since metric is what we use here still, you can find metric sizes on most modern knitting needle measurement cards. So far I have found one US acception in the Columbia and Minerva knitting books. They call for steel needles which are sized more like UK needles, even though their celluloid and bone needles are sized by standard US measurements. Don’t confuse these metal needles with aluminum needles. I believe Boye needle sizes have not changed over the years. I have picked up some vintage Boye needles and their sizes matched up normally to my other needles. Overseas in the UK their scale is quite different. The larger numbers like 13 are smaller needles. Canadian printed patterns also used this sizing as well as vintage Australian patterns. I am told Australian patterns switched over and now uses the US metric sizes now so be aware. Here is the list of some yarn pattern companies I have collected knitting books from. I have decifered what size needles they go by. UK: Lux, Beehive, Monarch US: Columbia (excludes steel), Minerva (excludes steel), Fleishers, Jack Frost, Bear Brand, Chadwicks Red Heart

I have scanned for you a few vintage guage cards to view, click here (more…)

Well folks, here it is. I am very proud of the finished product. I think the yarn color is a perfect dusty rose. It looks as it if was knit up seventy years ago but here it is today a product of my vintage hands. I displayed this on an adorable vintage childrens hanger with a painted cat on it. Can we say awwwww!

Yarn Used: 3 ply pink 100% cashmere hand twisted from 1 ply cashmere from ColormartUK for me. This loose twist works A’ok with stockinette stitch.

Time Spent Knitting: Started 12/23/05, Finished 1/8/06.

New Skills Learned: This item starts with a mitre edge which is basically an increase in sts at bottom front corners. The edging also has a mitred edge. This allows the edge seams to come together neetly at an angle.

Frusterations or changes / clarification made to pattern: I notice that vintage patterns do not have decreases one stitch before the end of a row. K2tog’s are often at the very end of a row. When seaming items you don’t have a neat row of slanting decreases to pull my mattress stitch from. You seam from a pretty raw edge, if you get what I mean. I modified this edge in this pattern. What I have learned with knitting is that sometimes you have to be gutsy and go with intuition. Here are the changes I made. It worked out great I think, through the neckline almost looks like it has small darts since I seam further in from the edge. It’s just so much easier to seam this way though that it’s worth it.

For anyone doing a pattern with scalloped edges, brace yourself to be patient while heming all the edges. It took me all night after work to hem. I hemed using a duplicate stitch but picking up a purl bump from the opposite side of the work ever few columns.

“With angora’s popularity riding high, this fuzzy three piece set will bring smiles to any girl’s face. The hat is capable of infinate variety in shape and angle according to her whim or style. There’s just enough pattern in the stitch to lend distinction, but it’s not a pattern that makes work for the knitting. All in all it makes a grand gift - for someone else - or for yourself. ”

Yarn Suggestion: Bouton D’or in color 050 “Blanc”.

Needle Size: Please note that needles are UK sizes. I believe they convert to a size 1 & 2 US needles.

For pattern, click (more…)

This may sound hokey but it’s true!

I have more appreciation for the things I have, especially if I make them myself. When knitting I tend to contemplate the steps it has taken to get this yarn to me. The earth has supplied food for a sheep. The sheep grew wool. The wool was shorn, cleaned and turned into roving, then spun and dyed. The long hours that go into a hand knit item are well spent. You come out with a garment you made youself, making you appreciate it that much more. Your proud of youself and the finished product. It also takes quite a long time to knit garments. This forces you to have greater appreciation for fewer things, rare in these days of mass consumerism and hording “stuff”.

Knitting, like life, always has mistakes. Knitting has helped me come to realize that mistakes are inevitible. They don’t usally mean I am any less of a knitter or person. When you realize this it is much easier not to dwell on those faults but just pick up and correct what you did or just accept the mistake and move on.

In the same light, with knitting & life there isn’t always a right answer. You may use one decrease, someone else might use another. Ce’st La Vie!

With hand knitting I have learned patience, and patience is a virture. In this modern age everyone moves so fast with cars and computers. We have the ability to have instant gratification in so many ways, be it for food, clothes, fun or information. Us modern day people can be very daunted when something does not happen as quickly as we are used to. For example when that credit card company charges you wrong and you have to spend endless hours on the phone, or perhaps when you have children and your patience is tested hour after hour. The slow pace of knitting slows down your mind, calming you. You learn patience because you know that this garment will not come out in an hour or a day, sometimes even weeks or months! Knitting also fills void hours of anxiously waiting for something to happen here and now, fast, fast fast. You have something to fill your time instead of worrying about something that is going on at work or in your family life.

Knitting is like meditation. The repetative movement is not too unlike yogic breathing. Meditation is good for the body and spirit.

Knitting has given me a way to connect to people. Knitters understand each other. It also gives me a connection to people of the past. I can understand more about how people lived. I picture women in the 1920’s taking great pride in the garments they made for their family. I find this a very special way to do things for your loved ones and connect with them.

This is the vintage image of the bonnet I recently completed along with the matching baby sweater I am working on now. Again I am using pink cashmere to make a matching set. The pattern has raglan sleeves, a sweater construction that is new to me. I further rationalize knitting baby clothes as a good start to learning different sweater techniques and knitting stitches in a shorter amount of time. If I mess up, less to frog! At the moment I have finished the body of the sweater. I have the sleeves and edging left to complete. I was a little confused on how the garment would come together. With the body knit in one piece, laying flat the garment looks like it has huge arm holes. Upon folding the fabric into three pieces (back, left front, right front) I now can see the diagonal edge that sleeves will be set into. Just from seeing the body of this sweater I’m baffled, babies are this tiny?! I’m anxious to see my complete set come together. Maybe a good set of weekend hours will get this item complete. Then maybe I will get back to knitting my diamond stitch pullover. I have a feeling I might get distracted though and try to make some closer matching booties to this set now that I know the scalloped edge technique.