Resolutions For 2008

Time to get ready for the New Year. My daughter, M, is going to make 2008 a KNIT FROM THE STASH Year. I, on the other hand, have other ideas. We have successfully come through a half year of severe budget constraints, so, as I enter the new year, I plan to:

1. Finish that darned Must Have Cardigan

2. Buy whatever yarn I want when I want it

3. Make whatever project I feel like, when I want to, or put it aside when I want to

4. Have no, absolutely no, stash guilt

5. Try not to get caught in an avalanche in the sewing room

And there you have it. On to 2008!

Retro Knit Friday!

I can't remember where I got this old Sears booklet, but it dates back to 1965. The cover states that it is a wardrobe created by Lois Holmes of California, who, according to a bio article, was a production knitter who supplied shops in Beverly Hills, Palm Springs and Miami. All of these designs are done in Sears worsted weight yarns. The wardrobe consisted of mix-and-match pieces to interchange for different looks. The cover shows 'The Empress' , a pullover with crochet trim, worn with the straight skirt.













Here the model is showing the basic skirt teamed with the shell.

The color-blocked cardigan is called 'Crazy Quilt Cardigan' and is layered over the shell and skirt. LH says, in the text, that this outfit is perfect for club meetings, luncheons, or shopping sprees. The cardigan is trimmed with crochet.

A classic sailor cardigan with a somewhat giant tie. Those sunglasses are pretty funny, but it was 1965. The collar is knit in one piece but it has two layers. The contrast band in the back of the collar is knit as a stripe into the middle of the collar piece, then the side borders are knit on last.

There are more pieces to this wardrobe, so I will show the rest next week.

Retro Knit Sunday!

Only one more day until Christmas Eve. I have finished all my sewing, the daughter is home for the holidays to do the Christmas baking, so I guess I will wrap the presents. Instead of getting right to it, I will take time for a little blast from the past from Spinnerin Volume 163 (1963). The first picture shows a classic cardigan for men. That model looks a little like Bobby Flay to me. The instructions for this sweater come in three yarn weights, sport, knitting worsted, and bulky. Kind of a Mr. Rogers sweater, but still nice looking.

The red sweater is called 'Daytime Intrigue'. I wonder if it was a chore to have to think of names for all the designs in all the many books Spinnerin put out. Anyway, this is a classic sweater with attractive front detailing with cable and ribs. It is knit in knitting worsted weight yarn at 5 sts/inch on sizes 5,6, & 8 needles.






"Very High Fashion' was a his-and-hers sweater with instructions for sweaters to fit both men and women. It is knit of knitting worsted at 5 sts/inch, and the V-shaped pattern is embroidered on after the sweater is knitted.

This pullover is knit of three different strands of yarn held together. The collar is divided in the front but can be buttoned into a turtle-neck position.

These two are called 'Cheerful Caprice' and 'Unerringly Chic'. His sweater , knit of knitting worsted, also has instructions for a 'Her' version. 'Unerringly Chic' has instructions for the pullover with tab front and one button, and the skirt.

My daughter wishes to make her Christmas cards, so it is time for me to go into the sewing room and try to find my hoard of colored papers. I will try to avoid the usual sewing-room avalanche.

Pacific

Not much (or any) knitting content today. We had to go to the Monterey area for business this weekend, but after the business part was done, the spouse suggested we walk on the beach. I have been to Carmel-By-The-Sea many times, but never down to the beach there, so it was all new to us. Ocean Avenue ends in a small parking lot and a drop through lovely soft sand to the beach below. The waves were extremely large and high because of the storm that was headed inland. A lovely overcast day.

Heading down the dune to the Pacific with the curve of land in the distance.

Large curly waves. Must not be a surfing beach because not a surfer in sight.

View down the beach to the golf course in the distance.

The view across town to the sea over the rooftops of Carmel-By-The-Sea.

I guess I feel obliged to add some knitting content. Did you know that that odd long needle that has been sitting in the box with the knitting needles for decades without being used, the odd one with a hook on the end (I think it may be an afghan stitch crochet hook) is excellent for fishing a clog out of the end of the vacuum cleaner hose? And I must observe that people who sew and knit can produce lots of fodder for vacuum cleaner clogs. At least the masses of threads and fabric scraps are colorful.

Retro Knit Friday

I have finally finished the Christmas present for my nephew's little boy, a book of family stories illustrated by me. I had run out of humorous stories about my own branch of the family, but my lovely MIL took me aside at her birthday party on Sunday and told me some really funny stuff about my brother-in-law, the little boy's grandfather. These embarrassing tales were very shortly immortalized in living color. Here is a sample page from my favorite story, wherein my BIL gets his head stuck in a gate and a rescue must be arranged. There is also a great story where my BIL runs away and sneaks into a field and gets chased by a bull. Ah, the good old days!

Our retro offering for this week comes from a booklet I found in a bookstore in San Jose. This is Spinnerin Volume #163 which sold for $1 in 1963, the year it was published. This first pullover is knit in knitting worsted at 5 sts/inch on size 7 and 9 needles. It has a boat neckline, dropped shoulders, and the longer length of a ski sweater. I recall that skiing was a popular sport back in the sixties, if you could afford it. Lots of my school friends would go up to the Sierras with their families in the winter for the skiing and would sometimes come back with broken legs. I have never gone skiing in my life (which is a lucky thing for me, I think, not being overblessed with coordination) but I have always liked this look, popular in the sixties, of long, lean stirrup pants and a long ski sweater. Though I have always wondered if that would really be warm enough for outdoors.


This shorter sweater is a fifties throwback, and there are instructions for three different yarn weights. The sleeves are really big squares folded into tiangles and sewn in place, resulting in a batwing look. This is not the world's most attractive sweater.

'Furred For Fashion' has a texture stitch and fur trim. It has a classic jacket shape and is knitted at 4 sts/inch on size 9 and 10 1/2 needles. It would require some advanced sewing skills to sew that fur, which looks real, around the collar to look as nice as it does in the photo.

The yellow sweater has several interesting features. It is a stockinette raglan pullover, but the bottom section is knit in a pattern stitch with slip stitches that creates a fabric that looks like cross stitch fabric or huck towels. This is later embroidered in a pattern that does look like huck towel embroidery (Swedish Weaving).

Another raglan pullover, this one called 'Stunning Impact'. It is also knit in knitting worsted. The bands of color are knitted first, then the center black motifs are embroidered.

I spent today doing fascinating things like changing sheets, clearing a clog from the vacuum cleaner, and going to the hardware store. Now I am going to go sew some more.

Almost Done With Christmas Sewing

And when my Christmas Sewing is done, it will be back to the knitting machine. In the meantime, I may as well show a picture of my Royal Jumbo Yarn Winder which I got at Stitches last year. I just love this thing. I chose this one over the wooden one at another booth because it is similar to the little ones I had for the knitting machine, and it doesn't have any belt mechanism that might need adjustment. It works like a charm and makes lovely big yarn cakes almost as big as my head.

I approach Stitches with a different plan from most people at the market in that I never buy yarn, unless I am buying sock yarn for my daughter. I go to look for books and notions. I save up my spending money months in advance and allow myself one big purchase like this winder, a computer program, or an instructional video. Now that M is back living in California, we go together, sometimes with my sisters. Stitches used to be held in Oakland, but now they are holding it down in Santa Clara near San Jose.

Now I have to head back to the sewing machine.

Retro Knit Saturday!

The husband's big birthday was very enjoyable. He liked his new socks and hat, and ate delicious cake. I made the Barefoot Contessa cake, Beatty's Chocolate Cake, from the recipe on the Food Network site, and frosted it with chocolate whipped cream. That cake recipe is a keeper, very easy and moist, and made with no butter. It uses buttermilk, coffee and salad oil as the liquid ingredients. I think this will be my go-to chocolate cake recipe from now on.

My new mittens have not progressed much because of Christmas sewing.



This week we are going to look at the very first issue of Needle and Yarn which was published in 1963. The cover outfit is peculiar but colorful. The roll-collar blouse has a multi-color fringe trim that matches the "bon bon" stripes in the slightly A-line skirt. It is knit of Bernat Mohairlaine on size 6 and 8 needles at 5 sts/inch. I have never heard the term "bon bon stripes" before, so I wonder what that means.



The sheath dress is different from the ribbon patterns of the fifties in that the ribbon seems to be much wider or thicker. The fifties ribbon knitting was done at a much finer gauge, but this dress is made on size 10 needles at 3 1/2 sts/inch. The style is attractive and classic.




The production values in this magazine were not very high because the paper quality is poor. It is like thick newsprint paper, unlike the gorgeous paper used in Japanese magazines. The next garments are a three-quarter length coat knit in a bulky textured yarn called 'Fleisher's Nubby-Fleece' at 2 1/2 sts/inch. The picture gives the impression that it was meant to be worn with the dress shown, but the patterns appear pages apart in the magazine. The dress is an A-line coat dress knit in Bernat SunlinSpun at 5 sts/inch. It has pockets that are knit by the pocket lining method by creating a separate pocket lining that is added at the time you leave the pocket stitches on a holder when knitting the fronts.



These two pullovers use color blocking. I like the "Bib Pullover" with its V-shaped front color blocking. The other pullover is called "Argyle Stripe Pullover". It has classic styling except for the pointed tabs created at the bottom of the pattern panels that add a touch of whimsy.

And lastly, the Mother Hubbard version of a bathing suit. This is the kind of modest suit that was worn by Annette in the Beach Party movies. It is knit of Red Heart Super Fingering at 10 sts/inch on size 1 and 2 needles. I can't help but wonder if a knitted bathing suit would soak up the water, be very heavy, and sag all over the place in embarrassing and revealing ways.

We had our first good rain in ages Thursday, but now it is back to being clear and cold.

Retro Knit Friday!

I picked up this booklet at the thrift shop recently. It does not have a date on it, but I would say mid to late sixties. They are mostly classic styles with a few humourous items thrown in for laughs (my laughs anyway). The front cover has a basic attractive Aran pullover knit in knitting worsted on sizes 4 and 10 1/2 needles. The back cover has another basic pullover with color blocking and ribbed detail, but most importantly, that girl has cute hair. That is the haircut I tried to get in high school, but could never quite manage to achieve.

The jacket and cardigan set are knit of knitting worsted in reverse stockinette with a woven-look trim done in a stripe pattern. The woven detail is done last with three strands of yarn embroidered into the stripe pattern.

Here's another pullover and cardigan combo, also done in reverse stockinette. The pullover has raglan sleeves, and the cardigan has set-in sleeves. The cable/lace panel up the fronts is done in stockinette. It is also knit of knitting worsted on size 9 needles.

These sweaters give me the creeps. You'all know I hate those bobbles because they give out unpleasant skin disease vibes. Oh my goodness, these are just as ugly as it gets, to me anyway.

I always thought those big collars looked chic. I have never worn one so I don't know whether they are comfortable or not, but paired with 3/4 sleeves as in the sweater on the right, it really looks nice in a sporty way. It is knit in a rib pattern at 4 sts/inch on Size 10 needles. The jacket is very interesting in that it tries to achieve a high-fashion look. The covered buttons look great, but that belt, which is sewn into the side seams, is made of "plastic leather", and has a bit of the straightjacket look to it.

The weather here has gotten cold at night, though the days are very sunny and pleasant. I am spending most of my time making Christmas presents and ignoring the housework.

Happy Birthday

Finished the birthday knitting for the husband. His birthday is not for two weeks yet, so I might have time to make him a pair of mittens, too. I have been reading that it is supposed to be a cold winter this year, so if it is, he will be ready.

29 Days Left Until Christmas

Though I am busy sewing Christmas presents, I am also thinking of the next sweater. Here are the ribbings ready to go in a bright apple green. The color is so strong that I am just going to make a plain cardigan with 3/4 sleeves. It will look very nice with navy blue wardrobe items.


M gave me these two colors of Lion Brand Baby Soft. These are not your usual blah baby pastels, and they go together so well. Our Joann's does not carry these two colors but M found them in LA when she was visiting a friend. The colors are a pinky lavender called 'Violet' (Color No. 191) and a great soft acid green called 'Pistachio' (Color No. 170). I only have one ball of each, but I want to use them together, so maybe a hat and some mittens. These balls have 5 ozs and 459 yds each, and this yarn knits up easily and well on the machine.

I was reading the BrainyLady knitting blog (http://brainylady.blogspot.com/) and Alison showed her old book, The Complete Book of Knitting. This reminded me that I also have that book, so I went to look at it again. This is a wonderful old book from 1947 with many old patterns in it. Alison is making some great mittens from this book, which I would like to make when I have the time. One of my favorite patterns in this old volume is the ruffled bedjacket. I love the idea of bedjackets, because it brings to mind cozy evenings reading in bed. This particular jacket has an interesting ruffled edging that would look good on a baby item too. I have long wanted to knit a baby dress, and this ruffle would look good on the bottom edge of the skirt and sleeves. The jacket is trimmed with velvet ribbon. You don't see much done with velvet ribbon anymore, but I remember it from my early childhood on some of my little dresses.


























I still have two sweaters to assemble, the V-neck pullover in Fiesta and the Ranch Red cardigan, but that will not stop me from starting anything new. I am in the home stretch on the second tan sock, and may start some hats for Christmas gifts.

Patons Cabled Hoodie

My daughter is home for the holidays and asked to do most of the cooking for Thanksgiving. I am not a fool, so I said 'yes', and now I am taking my ease on Thanksgiving and goofing around instead of peeling potatoes. She also brought one of the sweaters I knit for her about two years ago, so I had her model it while the rolls were baking.

This is the Patons Cabled Hoodie. It is knit in Caron Simply Soft, which is the only yarn we could find with the particular rich dark red color she wanted. It has been in and out of the wash many times and still looks pretty good. The color line across the sweater back is from the light from the window, not mismatching dyelots. This yarn tends to get much softer and drapier with washing and machine drying, so you should not use it for a garment which needs to be very structured. It seems to be holding up well though. At first she was complaining that the sleeves had grown in length very much, but then she remembered that the cuffs were meant to be turned back and all was well.

I am still working on the second tan sock for the spouse, and sewing a lot of Christmas presents.

Retro Knit Friday!

Here's a view of a street over by my childhood home showing the fall colors that we get here in California. It does not compare with the great reds and oranges back East, but it's still lovely in its own way. And besides, the fall color means that it's not 110 degrees outside, so it's all good. They trim the trees away from the power lines, which leads to odd-looking trees like the yellow one in the foreground.


We are still looking at the styles from Fleisher's Volume 91, from 1952. The first page shows a group of three sweaters called 'Round The Clock Sweater Blouses'. The top sweater is shaped like a polo shirt, but is crocheted in a glitter yarn, has the typical 50's Peter Pan collar, and cuffs on the short sleeves. The middle sweater has a lace pattern on the bodice and sleeves set off by a ribbed midriff, cuffs and neckband. The bottom sweater has a modern-looking pattern of blocks of texture against a stockinette background. It is knit on Size 1 and 2 needles at 8 1/2 sts/inch.


The striped top has a diagonal line down the bodice front set off by small squares of color. It is very striking with its short kimono sleeves and bateau neckline. The picture is black and white, of course, but I see this sweater in my mind in navy and white with small red squares. The crocheted top is made up of small granny squares. It requires 165 large squares and 38 half squares. At least it would match absolutely everything in your wardrobe.


These next two are called 'Middy Type Pullovers' for unknown reasons. Maybe it refers to the longer length. I don't understand the fashion of turning up the bottom couple of inches of the sweater, a fashion usually seen on menswear sweaters of the period. This is the first time I have ever seen it on sweaters for women. Other than that, these are lovely classic styles. I especially like the wide ribs of the bottom sweater that turn into cables across the upper chest.


This pattern lets the knitter make a vest or a cardigan. The cardigan has the ribbing knitted around the armholes the same as the vest, and the sleeves are sewn in under the ribbing, leaving the band free. The checkerboard pattern is knit with bobbins.






These are called 'Practical Favorites'. The bottom sweater has appeared before in other volumes and is a typical fine-gauge cardigan with 3/4 sleeves, picot edging, and beaded trim on collar and cuffs. I remember my grandmother trying to get me to sew sequins or beads on a plain cardigan I made in high school and not understanding why I didn't want to do that. The other two cardigans have dolman sleeves. The top sweater has 3/4 sleeves, a shawl collar, and comes only to the waist where it fastens with two large buttons. The middle sweater is knit from side to side. I have always wanted to try that, maybe only on the fronts so that a fairisle pattern would be vertical on either side of the button bands.

I am still working on the husband socks. Looks like I will not have the Must Have Cardigan done for Thanksgiving, seeing as how I have not knit a stitch on it. Oh well.

November Knitting

Since the last thing the spouse would ever do is to read a knitting blog, I feel safe showing the progress I have made on his birthday present. I finished one pair of socks and made a watch cap to match. The cap pattern came from an old Patons booklet. Top of the cap looks pretty funny in the picture, but looks fine when the cap is on someone's head.

I have one sock done on the second pair. It is the same sock pattern (52 sts on Size 4 needles) but the stitch pattern is from the Blueberry Waffle Socks. All items are made from Woolease.

The spouse requires new hats from time to time. He loses them, shrinks them, burns them up (hanging to dry too close to the heater), and wears them out. This may be California, but it can get down to the 20's some years, so he needs a cap for working in the yard and for driving to work.