I know I’ve been such a bad blogger lately. My sincerest apologies. I hope I can make up for it with a free pattern for you all! This is something I wish I was knitting now. It is a lovely stripped sweater with a pretty lace panel in the front to give a little touch of vintage femininity. I hope someone knits it up and lets me know how it goes!

People have been asking how to easily print my free patterns. I’m not to much of a help with that. My only suggestion is to save the image onto your comptuer and cut it up into pieces to print on pages. I cut it up into 4 pieces this time so if you save, make sure to get all the pieces.

Yes, I am still lost to the dolly world. I started a little at home business of selling their knit and crocheted clothes called Dolluxe! It’s 10x less money than I was making at a “real” job but completely forfiling. I keep busy, use my creativity and get to play with dolls all day! What a lucky little girl I am!

I have to admit, my two vintage projects still remain unfinished. I believe it is all about fear! The lavender sweater has me perplexed. I finished the back and did decreases for the arm holes. I’m not sure if it did it right though as the pattern was very vague about how to do it. I did it along the edge but the lace pattern makes waves on seam ends. I just can’t see this seaming up as nicely as I’d wish it too so I stopped at the decreases on the front. Honestly, I bet if I sat with it for a week it would be done since I stay at home these days.

My husbands sweater is also unfinished mainly because I worry it won’t fit him. The body with out the arms is seamed up. I think with a nice thick zipper it will fit perfectly and snug. Each of those seams took me a few hours though so I’m not looking forward to arm seams. Again, I think this is a daunting task of vintage knitting, new patterns are written to give you really easy to work seam areas and bigger stitches so you can see what your doing. I hate to turn anyone off to vintage knitting because I admit this though. It just takes patience and forethought.

Anyways, on to the pattern!

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I tend to love 1930’s patterns the best. They are form fitting with just enough feminine charm with added bows, ruffles and lacey patterns. They haven’t quite gained the massive shoulders and boxy shapes of the 1940’s, though some of those can be charming still. I am happy to add another vintage knit and crochet book to my collection by Virginal Snow. I have one of her other crochet books but they amazing thing about this one is that it has added color! You get to see all the beautiful color combinations used in that time. Doesn’t they world seem so monotone compared to then?

I scored some really lovely patterns this week. Isn’t this charming? It is dated 1933.

Today, with my stolen half hours between working on Excel sheets and invoices, I pondered what to knit next. I stared at all my vintage knitting patterns stored on my online database, yarn options in both color and fabric content and I even a had a little ruby red swatch I knit up last night on my work clipboard. The color combinations, seasonal guidelines and endless styles leave for an unnumberable amount of combinations that I just can’t fathom. When I think I have the sweater I want, I can’t find the color yarn or one that is the right weight. When I find a perfect yarn, nothing I can think of suits it. Sometimes I feel like I’m on the quest for The Perfect Sweater. It might be a delightful perfect jewel color or maybe a unique vintage color mix like rose and green, honey and copper or nile green and ecru. It would have some ruffle here, laciness, or perfectly placed cables. Vintage patterns are often titled by female names. Is my perfect sweater matched to a name personality? Do I see myself as an Antoinette or a Natalie? Bernadette or Marilyn? Well, I may never find that Holy Grail of sweaters but here are some condentors from recent purchases.

Today I purchased the S n’B Happy Hooker book to teach myself crochet. For the last hour I’ve been trying and trying but am dumb founded. I get the idea slightly but my left hand doesn’t want to move or grip the yarn like they say. I’m supposed to grip with my two last fingers. They open up and let the yarn go when I grab the crochet chain with my middle finger. I went as far as taping my fingers closed but my hand hurt and yarn didn’t flow. Also, my chain stitch v’s aren’t so v-ish. Hmmm. Lordy! I want to learn to crochet! It’s supposed to take like 1/18th the time of knitting, boasting you can finish a project in a night or weekend at most. I’m all for that!

That and I can’t let pretty patterns like these go to waste! (more…)

The verdict is in, I’m addicted to buying vintage knitting pattern books. I have two coming in the mail and one other just arrived. I couldn’t resist buying a pattern with these two lovely ladies decked out in feminine lacey trim and puffy sleeves.

Here is some patterns I have that I’ve been pining over knitting. They are on the long to-do list! Now, only to find yarn!

 

I am enjoying stripped sweaters a great deal this spring season. When done in bright colors accented by whites it feels very sporty or nautical. What you can’t see about the first image is that the white in the middle is a lacey fishnet type panel. I think that it’s a great feminine touch. The second picture here calls for warm browns and beiges. I can see this would be very beautiful in “Silk Ice” type wool. Maybe this one can wait for Fall.

 

This shrug pattern came into my life not to long ago. It’s perfectly modern but even more delightful coming from a vintage pattern. I hope to get some flower colored fuschia or maybe a purple tone cashmere for this. The next pattern is so scrumptious because it is knit very rectangular and only comes together on the shoulders in two small areas leaving your shoulders exposed in a sexy peek-a-boo mannor.

 

Cap sleeves are adorable with out going to ruffly, full or ballooned. The image after shows a pullover with so many interesting points. I love the seed stitch, topped by cable patterns and a ruffle at the colar.