Vintage Knitting

The weather may not be cooperating, but post Labor Day I am ready to pull out all my cardigans and tights.  I did, however, get a chance to wear this sweater last week before it got super hot again.

The Fall season means my knitting needles will start to get more of a workout, and I will hopefully complete a few of the projects that have been stashed away on needles for quite some time.   

This sweater is “The Rose Jumper” from A Stitch in Time.  The book is filled with knitting projects from the 1920s through the 1940s.  Copies of the original patterns are included along with updated versions with extended sizes.  I am absolutely in love with every project in Volume 1 – if only there were more hours in the day!  And if you are looking for a little vintage inspiration, the photography is stunning.

I finished this sweater back in January, but never got around to wearing it - mostly because I could not find a skirt to wear with it.  That means it is time to start sewing up some 1930s inspired skirts!  Then the weather got too warm, and it was tucked away.  As soon as the weather gets cool again, I will be sure to pull this out again.

More pictures of the finished sweater may be found over at Lilacs & Lace.

Using Hand Sewing to Salvage a Vintage Sweater

One of the things I'm always looking for at thrift stores is vintage and high quality cashmere sweaters. I know I can go to Macy's after the first of the year and buy a new cashmere sweater for $49.99, but cashmere is one of those items that it is true that you get what you pay for. After touching Pringle, or most other Scottish cashmeres, you'll never be content with Charter Club again.

As with many used items, you really have to be careful about condition when buying used cashmere. Some advice: 1) If it pills, don't buy it. 2) Learn to mend small holes 3) Don't be afraid to hand wash cashmere. I use conditioner shampoo.

I recently found a nice tan Pringle, button front with a collar. I knew I'd wear it a lot, but there were two issues - the elbows were getting thin, and there was a small hole. I learned a long time ago that holes are just part of owning cashmere, and that if I was to wear it, I'd have to learn to mend them. So I did.



The elbows were a larger problem. I decided to go with patches. I like the look of elbow patches. I can remember a time when all men's sweaters had them, so maybe this preference is nostalgic in nature.

Here is where it is convenient to have a fabric stash. A stash is not hording. A stash is made up of fabrics and trims and buttons you love and can see yourself using. My stash is carefully edited! I had no problem finding a fabric I liked, a Pendleton plaid taken from a skirt made unusable by the presence of multiple moth holes.


I cut two identical ovals (being careful to avoid those pesky holes) and carefully pinned them to the elbows. I then used buttonhole twist to hand sew the patches to the sweater, using a blanket stitch. This is quite easy, the only problem being that it is easy to catch up both layers of the sleeve instead of just the one where the patch is applied.

There are a few more photos at my blog, The Vintage Traveler.

Early 1960s dress and bolero - Simplicity 2550

I made this dress a few years ago and wanted to share it with you all. It's an early sixties pattern I found somewhere ( I don't remember where); Simplicity 2550.

I've also made the full skirted version, although I don't wear it as often.

There's more information about this dress on my blog.












I've also gotten a bit farther on that lace sweater. Almost finished with the back!

1930s Lace Sweater

I started this sweater just before school started and finally had a bit of time to do some more work on it this morning, managing to make a little time this week for Stitch 'n Bitch at my friend's tea shop. It's a 1930s knitting pattern I found on Ravelry, and the yarn I'm using is a lovely baby alpaca and silk blend. It's absolutely decadent! Some of the softest yarn I've ever found. It's taking considerably longer than my last two sweater projects, but I'm really excited about this one. It's going to feel so nice!

I'm about a third of the way finished with the back.

Detail of the lace pattern.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacouturieredimanche/ 
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/eviecat
http://lacouturieredimanche.blogspot.com/

This is the dress I finished last weekend, made from 2 sweaters I bought at the Salvation Army. I still want a burgundy belt to pull the waist in a little more. I'd like it to look at little more tailored, without having to put a zipper in the side seam.

My hubby the talented photographer wanted a subject to shoot while trying out some new lighting ideas, and I volunteered... I figured his experimental shots would definitely look better than pics I shot of myself in the mirror!


I'm calling it a dress, but in the tradition of early and mid-century fashions, it's actually 2 pieces that are meant to be worn as a set. I always wondered how they could refer to 2 pieces as a "dress"; I always think of a dress as a single piece... Whatever the nomenclature, this is it from behind so you can see the shaping at the waist a little better:



I even left the labels in both sweaters, so the inside of the top says "Eddie Bauer" and the underside of the collar says "American Eagle Outfitters." I even left the sideseam tag on the skirt that says "American Eagle."


The bodice was made from a vest, so there were precious few scraps left from that. There are some small scraps left from the solid burgundy sweater; enough to save for making felt roses for a hat or something...they fit in a ziplock bag. I love getting the most out of my $4 sweaters!

This is my new haircut, without much done to it. I bought a 1-1/2" diameter ceramic-surface curling iron this weekend, so I'm going to start playing with it. I just watched "Chocolat" with Juliette Binoche, and her hair was PERFECT...sigh...