Free Pattern Friday - Golden Eagle Lady's Jumper

A really classic knitting pattern this month, a solid 1940s number with a sweet two-colour design and shaped rib. It even has two little pockets to add further interest.

Using 3 ply wool, 3 ozs in each of two shades, one light and one dark. For long sleeves, 4 ozs of each.

For a bust size of 34 - 36 inches.

Needles used are 2.75mm and 3.25mm.

If I didn't have such an aversion to colourwork it would go on The List. I think the longer I leave it, fair isle. that is, the harder it will be to tackle it again. It looks so lovely though.

Theodora.

Free Pattern (Black) Friday

The free pattern this month is from 'Easy Stitch Jumpers', a small sized magazine that was originally a free giveaway with My Weekly magazine. It looks to be mid 1930s.

This pattern is knitted in K1, P1 rib and moss stitch, it has a pretty contrast collar and cuffs, with little ties. The colour suggestions are rather fun: primrose and brown, or 'Margaret Rose' (which must mean a pink shade) and brown. Or the safe choice of navy and white, or scarlet and white.

Worked in 3 ply wool, with a tension of 7 stitches and 9.5 rows to an inch. Instructions are for long or short sleeves.

We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, as my husband is American. Turkey and all the trimmings. My husband even baked a pumpkin pie. It was lovely.

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday - One to knit and one to crochet

It's half term this week, so I've been out and about with the children. Play dates, shopping, playing board games. It's been fun, but there has been very little time for knitting.

The free patterns this time are from Woman's Journal 6th book of Knitting and Crochet, from 1935. Found at the British Library, but not scans, just pics again I'm afraid.

'Crochet this Three colour jumper! The main part is just two straight pieces with the new straight-across neckline.'

This looked interesting, as I am yet to crochet a whole garment. And why not start with a vintage one? Stitches used are dc (double crochet), and dtr (double treble).

 Excuse my thumb!

I assume it is designed for summer, with it's cap sleeves and airy pattern. So if I start now, I might finish it by June! What I like is the combination of knit and crochet, with the waistband and cuffs knitted in rib, as there is really no equivalent to the stretchiness in crochet. It gives it a very professional finish.

I would do it in cotton, but the original suggests wool. The colour combination sounds a little dull too. Dark brown, medium brown and fawn. Very 30s though.

For the knitting pattern I chose this for the unusual shape, and the colour, I'm a sucker for bluey greens. And belt buckles!

'With a Slit Basque. A Charming Jumper With a Waistcoat Effect. 

Here is the new line in jumpers for those who cannot wear the short waist-length. This one, knitted in basket pattern, has a basque with an open front which gives play round the hips o' various measurements at that point.'

It is larger than the usual jumpers, at 37 inches around the bust. And longer, at 22 inches from shoulder to lower edge.

'A pretty stitch, a neat Eton collar, buttons at the back, and a slit basque are all points that encourage you to make this jumper which looks enchanting in green. If you are going on a cruise it is ideal to slip on when the air is crisp, or you could have it in white for tennis.'

Ah, I can only imagine how glamourous cruises were in the mid 1930s, and all the chic knitwear that accompanied them. And beach pyjamas. And evening gowns.

I'm off to plan my summer cruise wear.

Or maybe just clear up the mess in the house caused by children. Oh, the glamour.

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday - 'Corrugated Stripes'

This pattern is from the Woman's Journal 7th Book of Knitting and Crochet from 1935. (I think).

This is a scanned pattern from the British Library's archives. Actually it is a picture from my phone, as I forgot to scan this magazine, and quickly took some pics before having to give it back. I hope the text is clear enough.

I chose it because it is a very simple design, suitable for a beginner. It has 'magyar' sleeves (I love that word), which means the jumper is knitted up and over, with the sleeves cast on as part of it. Which also means no sewing up of shoulder seams, or sleeves eased into armholes - hooray!

I have only knitted one jumper in this style before, and loved it. I have also done baby matinee jackets and jumpers in this 'magyar' style, as it was very popular in the 1930s and 1940s.

Image courtesy of Alistair McCaskill

This is a pattern from a Beehive booklet from the 1930s, suggestively named 'Interlude'.

The pattern for ' Corrugated Stripes' is a simple 6 row repeat, with just knit and purl rows. The yarn used is equivalent to a modern 4 ply going by the tension. For a larger size, you could try using a DK weight, but go up a needle size too.

There are so many lovely patterns I want to share from the British Library, but I am finding the scanning very tricky, as Caroline (The Sunny Stitcher) has mentioned before. It is hard to get the bound copies to lay flat without damaging them, and I am so loathe to do that, as many are already in such a fragile state. There is also a problem with glare from the scanner, which affects the text, but by tilting the magazine it seems to help. It is a trial and error process, which I will persevere with; weighting the pages down with tiny sand bags, beads and my hand obscured under black paper!

I hope you like it.

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday - a prize winning jumper

This pattern is from The Needlewoman magazine from July 1934. Worked in 'Viyella' laceweight wool in red, white and blue. To fit a 34 inch bust. (The pattern is at the end of the post).

I chose this design because it took first place in The Needlewoman competition, but also because they name the designer. '...an original design by Miss E. W. Fisher...'

The 'house' designers working for magazines had no such fame, they anonymously toiled away, churning out designs week after week, unaware that their work would be so highly regarded 80 years later, (by me at least). I would absolutely love to know who they were, what they thought of their job, and how much they were paid in comparison to clothes designers. The couturier Schiaparelli occasionally designed for The Needlewoman in the 1930s, to great acclaim.

Schiaparelli - The Needlewoman

It is a very structured jacket, but I personally don't think it is as attractive or imaginative as the jumpers being designed by people who worked for the big knitting magazines like Stitchcraft, Good Needlework & Knitting, and Woman's Weekly. It is just a tailored jacket in knitted form. It was popular for that very reason; it successfully resembles a jacket sewn in fabric. A jacket smart enough for a lady to go riding in.

I have also included the page on which the runners up and their designs are featured. It is fascinating reading (for vintage knit geeks). First prize was three guineas, and the 'consolation' prize one guinea. This competition was so close for runner up that a third place was awarded for the 'Harlequin' jumper, also an original design. It was let down only by the neck shaping and fit. I would have awarded it first place! It is by far the most fun.

What I also find interesting is the design that took second place (below), designed by a 'mere male!' This is actually the jumper I would be most likely to knit, but the 'Harlequin' jumper is still the most fetching, with it's contrasting bow neckline and belt.

Here is the pattern for the prize-winning jumper.

I hope you like it.

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday - The Smartest Thing in Plain Knitting

Easy enough for a beginner and in a larger size

Thank you all for the comments on my last post about what 'women of a certain age' should or shouldn't wear. I cringe writing that phrase. There is so much more I want to discuss about this, so watch out for more posts on women daring to age in public. Funnily enough, I found another blog post about this issue, written a couple of days before mine, by Forever Amber. She had seen an article on Facebook - 24 Things Women Should Stop Wearing After Age 30. (I did NOT click on the link to read the article - I didn't want to be sucked into it. I've got enough to be angry about!). Amber commented on it in a way I would expect of any woman over 30. It is so worth reading; she is a fab writer.

The free vintage pattern this month is a very elegant long sleeved jumper/jacket, and I chose it because of the model.

'Jumper Jill' gracing the covers of my Good Needlework's

Caroline, The Sunny Stitcher, recently shared a vintage pattern featuring this model, and it seems we are both intrigued by this nameless woman. She has fascinated me since I got my hands on a copy of Jane Waller's 1972 edition of 'A Stitch In Time' in 2007, and for the purposes of this post I will refer to her as the name The Sunny Stitcher has given her: Jumper Jill. The earliest I have seen her is from 1932 in Woman and Home magazine, wearing With A New Cowl Neckline, which I modelled for the updated edition of 'A Stitch In Time'. Seeing her over and over in the jumpers that were to be recreated for the book, her face became so familiar to me, as did her expressions and poses. She is the complete opposite in looks to me, but I adore her. I think the main reason I collect these magazines is for her. I like to see how her hair and makeup changed over the decade. I'm a total fan girl.

Image A Stitch In Time 1972

Here she is in Stitchcraft magazine from 1933, in a very alluring pose, modelling lingerie. Called 'Step-Ins', I tried to step into a beautifully crocheted version to be photographed for the book and couldn't get them past my thighs. In fact, I ripped the stitching!

Image - A Stitch In Time 1972

(She looked just as elegant in a knitted dressing gown.)

She is the most popular model of the 1930s - and considering the explosion of knitting design that happened in that decade, that is quite something. I wonder if she was stopped in the street by women of all ages and mobbed for her autograph? I doubt it. I imagine she had a very ordinary life, although I would like to think that she went to wild cocktail parties hosted by Noel Coward, and danced all night with men who weren't her husband.

'Jumper Jill' graced the covers and pages of magazines including Woman's Weekly, My Home, Stitchcraft, Woman and Home, and Good Needlework and Knitting, which is one of my personal favourites. The patterns are very well written, always include schematics, and the best thing is the suggested colour schemes. They excite me more than they should, but it is a glimpse into fashion history. It seems so elaborate now to think of planning an outfit, an everyday outfit (not occasion wear), down to the shade of your stockings. And yet, women's wardrobes were so much smaller than ours - capsule in fact. The Girl With The Star Spangled Heart has done some great blog posts about capsule wardrobes, particularly the 1940s one. A suit for every season, a few day dresses, evening dresses, and maybe two coats? Oh, and tons of accessories. I would not be able to make that work - or would I?

I would really like to know about her, where she lived - London? How did she start modelling knitwear? What was it like working with the photographers then, and what was the studio like? Did the knitwear designers style the shoots, or were they just kept busy churning out new patterns every week?

I think she was married, I've seen a ring on her finger in some photographs. Did she have children? And what was her name? She reminds me of Mrs de Winter in "Rebecca". She was gone by the 1940s, perhaps her 'look' had dated, but I don't think so. We'll probably never know. If there is anyone out there who has any information about this lovely lady, I would love to hear from you.

The jumper below is knit in the elusive 3 ply wool, with 3mm and 4mm needles. The size given is about 38 - 39 inches across the bust, and 20 - 21 inches long. 'Definitely the jumper should be in every wardrobe'.

The pattern stretches over a few pages, and unfortunately I had make do with phone pictures as I had scanned them with a really high resolution, and was then unable to upload them. (After more than an hour, I failed). I think they are still readable in this format, though.

Suggested Colour Schemes - Eek!

Now back to channeling Jumper Jill.

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday - Cable-And-Tuft pattern jumper

I think I have been a bit slack in my free pattern shares recently. Sorry about that.

This one comes from a 1949 edition of Woman and Home.

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday and a year of blogging

The end of April marked a year of consistent blogging for me. I actually started this blog in 2011, and managed four posts before I let it slide. I still don't really know what my blog is about, but the consistent theme seems to be vintage knitting, interspersed with the fun things I get up to.

Sometimes, I combine the two, like on a day out with the kiddies in coordinating colours. Here's another look at my Victory Jumper, this time with shoulder pads. They just finish it off. I'm so happy with the length of the sleeves, too, just above the elbow. This was a very popular length in the 1940s, as it made it a very wool-saving alternative to long sleeves when wool was in short supply.

The free pattern this month is from the 1950s, and it's a twinset. A longish polo-neck jumper paired with a dolman-sleeved bolero.

I just love her pose on the cover, and the bold blonde highlights at the front of her tousled, bobbed hair. Quite fancy the skirt and chunky bracelet, too!

It is a larger size than usual: 35-37 inch bust. Worked in 3 ply at a tension of 7.5 sts to the inch, it would be easy to substitute a 4 ply for a slightly larger size.

It will be on the Free Vintage Patterns page, too.

I went to another International Club at the end of April, with my friend Simone. We met for dinner, and headed over for an evening of 78s and a live band. There was a vintage photo booth set up in the basement by Hanson Leatherby, a rather marvelous photographer, who specializes in vintage-style photography. I haven't seen any of the shots from that night yet, but everyone had a great time doing it, so I'm sure they will be amusing.

Simone promised vintage knitwear, and she did not disappoint. Here, she's wearing the Miss Marple coat from A Stitch In Time Vol 2, in a very sensible brown shade.

Her jumper is from a 1930s edition of Stitchcraft magazine, in D.K weight wool. She describes the shade as Sea Green, which sounds very 30s to me. She was very kind and gave me some 3 ply wool, in the same sea green shade, and some in cream. I will give it a very good home. I'm still trying to decide what pattern to knit with it. I'm wearing Embroidered With Tiny Flowers from A Stitch In Time Vol 1. I love the enormous balloon sleeves.

We had some fun in the restored pub where the night is held.

Simones' long-suffering pal Gordon took these pics of us clowning around.

On to the next night of frivolity. I'm still wearing pink, and my hair is still curly. Just fast-forward fifty years.

Mixtape was all about the Yacht Rock last month, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to wear a turquoise jumpsuit and my 'Stevie Nicks' sparkly kimono blouse.

My hair got some serious scrunching action, and I wore it to one side with a hair-comb and copious amounts of hairspray to keep it there.

My partner in crime was Magnum P.I. (see what I did there). The 'tache was pretty impressive.

There was dancing and white wine spritzers were sipped langorously.

I hope this photo thing doesn't mess with your head, my phone did it automatically.

Last month wasn't all fun and games. We had to say goodbye to our beloved puss, Mr Tibbs. He'd been with us since 2006, wandering into our garden as a stray, and becoming a very willing house cat. He was an ace mouser, too.

I'm glad I got some pictures of him before he was put to sleep. He was very ill by the end, so skinny.

He lost that eye quite recently, as a result of an infection made worse by the FIV he had. He was such a loving cat, but he shared a house with two female cats who never took to him, so there was always tension. He had a good life though, I think.

Theodora.