My journalistic debut for In Retrospect magazine

Image rozrussell.com

I have become a 'reader' at the British Library, and a 'writer' for In Retrospect magazine.

The former feeds my need to look at vintage knitting patterns all day long. (It doesn't fulfill my need to own them, but I'm hoping that will follow, before I have to re-mortgage the house to pay for them).

The latter is something I have never done before, and it was one of the hardest things I have ever undertaken. Anyone who thinks writing is a doddle is either a natural, a genius, or has never tried. I have so much respect for good writing. Many of my friends make it look effortless, from music journalists to novelists.

Mat Keller asked me to write a piece about the music of the 1930s after hearing me play it at my house when he came to interview and photograph me for his Southern Retro series for In Retrospect magazine. He had also seen the Shellac Sisters in action at the Rivoli Ballroom several years ago. I kept jumping up and changing the song every 3 minutes, and I expect my passion for the hot dance music of the 1930s became apparent, if somewhat annoying. It was really important for me to have the music I love playing while being photographed wearing clothes from that time. (It helped with the nerves, as it was still too early for cocktails!)

Image Mat Keller for the Southern Retro Collection

Naturally I chose to wear knitteds. This is my cable jumper, a Copley's pattern from 1940, worn over my now threadbare 1940's day dress.

Image Mat Keller for the Southern Retro Collection

The hat is a design I haven't released yet, called 'Hat with a Tilted Brim'. It is crocheted in Fenella 2 ply wool, by Susan Crawford Vintage.

Image Mat Keller for the Southern Retro Collection

The wool cupboard, in its untidy state. (Did you notice the moth killer at the back? Oops.) Here I'm wearing a 30's full length floral dress, which is a favourite, and goes very well with my 'Draped Beret'.

Image Mat Keller for the Southern Retro Collection

Here I am on a typical day, lounging on the sofa, reading The Needlewoman, and deciding where to lunch (I wish). I'm wearing The Rose Jumper from A Stitch in Time Vol 1.

I got very nervous when the magazine arrived, but my article was there, as well as the Southern Retro interview. There was a lovely article by Miriam McDonald about vintage caravans, and why they make such a great holiday choice for accommodation. I also enjoyed her piece in the last issue about Jazz Age holidays, which included the hotel I long to visit - The Burgh Island Hotel.

It was grand meeting Mat, and we had a good chat about everything from babies to bakelite, and, of course, 78s and vintage knits.

Theodora.

Summer knitting and crochet

We're back from our holiday in the US, and I'm being kept busy with the children on school holidays. My boy starts Year 1 in September. I am quite sad for him that his Reception year is over. It was just a whole year of pure play, with a bit of fun learning thrown in. Now it's down to the real thing.

I didn't get much knitting done on holiday, surprise, surprise. I did start a crochet hat from a 1930s Leach's Sixpenny Series booklet though. I found it on Ebay, but it was a booklet from the USA so it was much cheaper to post it there than here. It is a reproduction, but I am so pleased with it. It has a glossy cover, and the magazine is reproduced in its entirety. I shouldn't have taken it to the beach though, as it is full of sand now.

I made a start on the hat below, originally intended for raffia, I'm using crochet cotton in a teal shade.

The brim is worked back and forth, and turned up. The only thing I don't know about the booklet is the year it was published, but it looks like early 1930s to me.

I also picked up six balls of Copley's 'Excelsior' 3 ply wool in navy, that I found from a seller in the US. Which is odd, as Copley's was a British company. I have a few Copley's patterns which used Excelsior wool, so I shall have to go and find them to see if any take my fancy. 

We stayed in Kennebunkport, a pretty seaside town, so here I am outside the Clam Shack! My husband and I had a couple of evenings out, so we did the sensible thing and went thrift shopping. We bagged some bargains, including several pairs of sunglasses, a 1980s trouser suit, and a huge full-length faux fur coat! It was a challenge getting that on the aeroplane. I think I will do an outfit post on some of the things I bought. It will be fun, and ridiculous.

Dig for Victory

The kiddies had fun on the beach. My son particularly liked exploring in tide pools where he found a small lobster, a sea urchin and lots of hermit crabs.

I am on the sleeves of my Stitchcraft cardigan now. I am knitting them at the same time, as so often I get second sleeve syndrome, and this will hopefully rectify that.

I am off to Rainham Marshes with the children next week, to do some pond dipping and bug hunting!

Are you having a good summer?

Theodora.

Back in the world

I'm back, from nearly a month of feeling absolutely rotten.

Sickness hit me and my husband, annoyingly at almost the same time. I'd been fighting off a virus for a while, but it just wouldn't shift. Then it went and took up residence in my chest. Three courses of antibiotics, a chest X-ray, and two blood tests later, and I can breathe nicely again. It got so bad I couldn't even take my son to school. It got to the point when we thought we just weren't going to get better. It sounds so silly I know, but it got quite scary. I knew it was bad when the GP rang me to come in for an appointment.

I am never going to take my lovely lungs for granted again. I never want to feel like that again.

And, what made it worse - I couldn't even knit! I did manage a bit of crochet after a couple of weeks, though, which saved my sanity. I have finished my wavy blanket! Hooray!

It is a great length, and has kept me very cozy as I have been recuperating.

I cannot take full credit for it though - it was heavily inspired by Vanessa at Coco Rose Diaries. This is her blanket.

Her version is a little more sedate, (and beautifully photographed). I got a bit carried away with a few garish colours, but I'm just so glad I have actually finished it.

My granny stripe is almost done, too, and I have made some progress on a cushion cover (above it). At the top is my Clamshell blanket from Cherry Heart. That is still a long way from finished, but it's a fun pattern to work, and I love the colours I chose.

I have to make a confession. I have broken my New Year's Resolutions completely now - I had the overwhelming urge to cast on a new project once I started feeling better.

Can you guess what it is?

Image courtesy of V&A

It's Your Victory Jumper. I can't believe I haven't made it yet, but I thought it just the right time to get started, so that it will be ready for the 70th anniversary of VE day in May.


I'm using a vintage wool for it, too, Patons Beehive Fingering 3 ply. I'm quite excited. It's a really bright navy blue. I haven't a red or white 3 ply, but I am using Cygnet 4 ply in red, which is a very fine 4 ply, quite the match of the Beehive. I had to make do with a 4 ply in white, too, (Jaegar baby merino). I just couldn't justify buying ANY MORE WOOL. It seems to be fine, not changing the tension. Phew. I'm increasing at the moment, and will keep an eye on the width, as I don't want too much positive ease.

On a related note, I am also happy to be better for the opening of a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum - Fashion on the Ration. It opens next week, and I'm hoping to go if not on the first day, then soon after. I think I should wear my knitted dress, as it perfectly illustrates the make-do-and-mend spirit of the war. And it is my favourite knitted.

Image courtesy of Susan Crawford

I'd hope to see some knitwear, but I haven't seen any on the website. Hmmm...

Last Sunday, I DJed at a great dance club, Mouth Full O' Hotcha. I didn't think I would be well enough, but it was SO good to get out of the house. My husband came too, which was lovely. Two inches of makeup, a headscarf to cover the 'natural', (i.e. frizzy), look of my perm, and I was ready to go. Wearing a knitted jumper of course.

It was back to the shellac. The dance instructors Paul Crook and Louise Holland run a beginners Balboa dance class at the start, then it's social dancing for the rest of the afternoon.

Paul Crook and Louise Holland

with Swing Maniac on the decks

I hadn't played 78s out for quite a while, so it was great playing for dancers again, as well as having a whirl around the dancefloor with my hubby. I was slightly taken aback when someone asked if I was actually playing my own records! It wouldn't be the first time someone has tapped me on the shoulder while I've been queueing up a record, to ask me if I can get the DJ, (a guy in my general vicinity), to play a request. And that time it was a woman.

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday - Polka-Dot Sweater and a pair of cozy mitts

I received some lovely pattern books for Christmas from my in-laws, so in the same spirit of giving I thought I would share a couple of the patterns with you.

It is from 'Woman's Day Knitting Annual', an American publication from 1948. It is the cover sweater. I chose it chiefly because of that, as it is a large image, and it is in colour. The images for the rest of the garments are all tiny and in black and white. I don't usually post patterns that are this 'new', preferring the older ones, but it is so pretty, I had to. It is offered in three sizes, although the largest is still only a 36 inch bust! It can be easily be upsized if you use a 4 ply or even d.k. yarn and larger needles.

I couldn't resist throwing in a pair of mitts too, considering the time of year. They are knit in 'worsted' weight wool. I thought it meant a d.k. weight, but not going by the tension - 4 sts to the inch. I was slightly baffled, until I read the pattern properly. 'Use double strand throughout'. So it will work with an aran weight yarn.

I love cables, but haven't made much using them. I've done a 1940s jacket, (which I have no pics of), and a Copleys jumper from 1940.

 

I also have a pair of mitts, which I made last winter, from Sarah Dallas's 'Vintage Knits'. 

I added a few lazy daisies with some vintage embroidery wools I found in a charity shop. I love the colour combination - grey with dark and light coral. Yummy. And they're warm.

The next cable project I want to tackle is Tri-Cable Stitch Jumper. I just need to pick a yarn from the ever growing collection. I've already broken one of my resolutions - I ordered more wool! It was sale wool though, so not too naughty. I'll show it off when it arrives. It is coming from the States with my in-laws at half term. I think I want to use Excelana for it, I have some Sweet Chestnut, but I also want to use that shade for my skirt pattern. Decisions, decisions.

Here are those patterns:

And the mittens:

Theodora.

We're Gonna Hang Out The Washing On The Knitted Line - Part 2

Bored of the knits yet? I'm not. In fact these posts have made me realise I haven't got nearly enough! And these aren't even all of them, but the others are either duller colours, or cardigans (which are tricky to hang on a line).

I've been longing for some colder weather, and at last I can start wearing my woolens again.

I'll start with 'Embroidered With Tiny Flowers', from, you guessed it - A Stitch In Time. I knitted this before the new edition was even photographed. In fact, I finished it just before the first shoot in February 2008, and took it with me. It was a hit with Susan Crawford, and it ended up in the book. I knit it in the first (and only) size from the original pattern.

Unfortunately, you can't always rely on vintage patterns being free of errors, which is one of the reasons I now prefer to knit patterns from updated versions of vintage knitwear. To put in excess of 40 hours into a jumper, then for it to turn out the wrong size is a little infuriating. That's not to say you can't ever work from an original pattern, and even size it up or down, you just need to know what you're doing. I still have a recent example of this on the needles (When Jumpers Go Bad, from June 8th).

The tiny flowers were the first embroidery I had attempted, and they were sweet and fun to do at first. However, after a few hours I realised I wasn't even halfway through. Still, it got done, and I was thrilled with the result. I used Drops Alpaca which is super cheap, and made it for less than £20! Alpaca gets bloody hot though; I've worn it dancing, and I bake.

Here is 'Such Flattering Puff Sleeves', in Jamieson & Smith 2 ply jumper yarn.

This strong mustard shade for 'Such Flattering Puff Sleeves' is long discontinued by Rowan now (Scottish Tweed 4 ply - I was lucky to get it in the sale). One of the simplest knits you could ever undertake, which makes it a really satisfying beginner project. I would strongly suggest knitting shoulder pads in the same yarn, or all that knitting will be wasted without the puff. Also, unlike so many vintage patterns from the 1930s which require 3 ply wool, this calls for a 4 ply. A plethora of yarn choices!

The beret in the middle is the pattern I mentioned being photographed in my last post. It's now almost ready to go, if I can stop stressing about any mistakes and the layout of the pattern. It's not like it's a new design - it's from 2006! It will probably take a bit longer. Grr.

Onto the 'Eleanor Sweater' from 'The Corticelli Sweaters for Spring' booklet. It is one of Iva Rose's copies. I made this with some coned pale grey cashmere. The pink is angora, from Orkney Angora.

I have to eat my words about not trusting original patterns, but then I had no choice, this was made pre-Stitch In Time. I had to hunt around for button moulds, but they really set off the jumper. Such a simple design but so pretty. I haven't worn it that much, as again the heat factor is off-putting. It is the first and last time I have knitted with cashmere. Give me breathable wool please. Cotton's good too...and silk...

Next is my leafy green 'It Cannot Fail to Please'. I've talked about this in a previous post, so I won't go on about it. The pale green beret next to it is rather a good shade to tone with it, though. Knitted in an aran weight alpaca and silk mix, it has such a wonderful sheen and drape, even after years of wear.

Let's look at the Copley's wartime jumper again. The pattern calls for 3 ply 'Excelsior' or 'Climax' wool. I'd certainly get excited if I could get my hands on that wool now! I knitted it in 'supersoft' lambswool from the Handweaver's Studio. It's not actually soft - it's quite scratchy, in fact, but I don't mind. It holds its shape better than softer yarns. The colour I used is no longer available, and I recently bought some to try out the tension for a skirt. It's not strictly a 4 ply, but nearer a 3 ply. I wouldn't recommend it without stringent tension swatching. You have been warned.

It comes on cones - what is it about me and cones? I couldn't get enough of them back then. I took along my 1940s floral dress to the shop to match the colour so I could pair them up.

(Sorry, but this is one of the only pics I have of me wearing it!)

I knitted some shoulder pads for it, even though the original doesn't have them. I think
it suits the short-sleeved version. The velvet ribbon finishes it off (along with some badges).

To finish: 'The Rose Jumper', a very special knit for me, which features on the cover of A Stitch In Time.

The silk and big sleeves make it quite heavy on the washing line, but it is a beauty.

I'm a bit knitted-out now, so I need to rest before Saturday when I am going to a Joan Crawford dinner party - a virtual one! - to mark the launch of the Joan Crawford cookbook by Silver Screen Suppers. I'm particularly looking forward to making the Joan Crawford cocktail. And taking some funny pictures of the cooking and drinking while wearing my own Joan Crawford.

I hope you liked my knitted washing line. I've enjoyed doing it, and writing about it.

Theodora.

It Cannot Fail To Please (Me)

Another finished jumper from A Stitch In Time Vol 1, ahh. Not just finished, but sewn up. Such a good feeling. I have 3 finished, yet to be sewn up - The Rose Jumper, Quick Work In Thick Wool, and Golden Eagle 'Lady's Jumper'. I'm not even going to say what else from the books are still on the needles.

This post is a bit of a trip down memory lane for me, remembering some of the projects from A Stitch In Time.

I'm so pleased with the colour, not so with the photos. I played around with it in photoshop thingy, as it was too dark, and I just couldn't work how to do it properly, so it is a bit washed out, and the one below is still too dark and shadowy. These pics were taken hurriedly one evening while waiting for the cab to arrive to take me to a lovely dance class/club, Swing Cats Corner at The Orford Road Social Club. I was barking at my husband, expecting professional photos, in the 3 minutes before the cab arrived.

I used Jawool by Lang in Spring Onion, in the first size. It came out larger than the original in the book, partly because I think this sock wool is ever so slightly thicker than the Cygnet, but mostly as I blocked it quite wide, to emphasise the leaf pattern. Since I first saw it I knew I wanted to knit it in green - leaves should be green! Not that I don't love the magenta of the original. I have a cable knit in that shade, by Copleys from 1940, (dated by the knitter in pencil). Will have to dig out the photos.

I love this square neckline, so flattering to the old collar bones. I found some dress clips on eBay to wear with this, Such A Debonair Little Jumper, and Such Flattering Puff Sleeves, for a dressier look. I knitted shoulder pads for it too, I felt it needed a squarer look to the shoulders. I did triangular shoulder pads from the chapter Fit And Finish in A Stitch In Time Vol 2. I'm quite pleased with them, although I don't think I sewed them in the right position, as they can tend to flip back into the body of the jumper, not stay in the sleeve head. Grr.

The beret is one I designed after picking up some Drops Silk Alpaca (80% alpaca, 20% silk), at The Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally back in 2007. It is an aran weight, and discontinued now. I remember it so well as I bought the wool that I used to knit Embroidered With Tiny Flowers that day too. I have the date I started and finished knitting it, in three weeks, in January 2008. I can't believe I did it so quickly, as I still shudder at the memory of the embroidery - it took so many hours. I took it with me to the first photo shoot for the book in February that year, and Susan loved it, along with my Tea Gardens dress. Alas, none of the photos survive from that first shoot in a South London listed pub-turned-studio, with a photographer whose name I can't remember now, and a then unknown Fleur De Guerre. But the upside to it was that it launched Susan as a photographer in her own right, and the rest is history.

The beret has stretched a bit, but considering I chose to use garter stitch instead of a rib for the bottom, it's not done too badly. I love the weightiness of it - the combination of the aran and heavy silk (it feels like there is much more silk than just 20%, and the sheen is wonderful).

When I stick it on my head, always on one side, covering one ear, usually the right, I don't know why - it stays there. Whenever I put a beret on, I always hear Al Bowlly singing My Hats On The Side Of My Head, and I feel like a serene 1930s lady.
Until, that is, I have to go to Lidl.

 

Free pattern Friday

Not an original idea, but a great one. Lots of lovely bloggers, including Wendy at The Vintage Pattern Files, post free knitting and sewing patterns. They are usually posted on a Friday, so who am I to argue? Here's my first free pattern for you:

 

 

This was one of the first successful vintage jumpers I completed, back in 2004 (10 years ago already). I was seriously pleased with it. I didn't know much about tension then, and don't even think I tested it. The yarn I used was from The Handweavers Studio when it was still near me in Walthamstow. A soft merino, it came on little cones. The pattern called for a 2 ply - I still don't know the exact weight of the yarn. It came out very well, except it was far too short. I ended up having to pick up along the hem and adding some more ribbing.

This is something I am aware of now - my long torso, and measuring the length before I start the armhole shaping. I think most knitters have to add length to vintage jumpers now - we're taller, and broader. You just have to look at the models in patterns from the 30s, and they were slight - narrow shoulders, small busts, slender hips, like this lady:  

I love that pose, and her regal face. The column is pretty awesome too.
I modified the jumper, using the yoke of this pattern:

I liked the effect so much, I knitted one in red.

This time I added extra pattern repeats, giving a slightly more relaxed fit. I used Misti Alpaca lace.

Here is another pic of me wearing it in a more 50s beatnik style with my Shellac Sisters, at a gig we did in South London somewhere.

So that's my first free pattern, but not the last. I hope you like it.