Retro Knit Saturday!

The horrible heat has gone away and we are having a grey day with drizzle. Here's a scene in the far back of the yard and a shot of one of my favorite flowers, the nasturtium.

Modern Needlecraft packed a lot of knitting patterns into each issue. This volume is from Winter, 1952. The cover costume was part of a featured wardrobe which included this patterned top with placket and 3/4 sleeves, the slim skirt, a long-sleeve cardigan top with scallops on the bottom edge, and a white pullover with big loose turtle neck.

This one-piece dress has lace on the neckline, sleeves and dirndl skirt. The skirt of the dress is made in two pieces each of which starts out with 294 stitches at the bottom. The gauge is 8 sts/inch.


I have seen this model in many publications from the early fifties. She reminds me very much of a girl named Janie that I went to junior high with. Here she is wearing a 'halter' top that is embelished with sequins.

I like the typical fifties off-the-shoulder look of this top which is actually crocheted hairpin lace.



This gorgeous dress appeared in a Botany ad on the back cover. Dresses like this would have required serious girdling. Imagine the number of stitches in that full skirt. According to the ad, Botany had a Model-Of-The-Month-Club that sent the subscriber a knitting pattern every month for the fee of $1 for two years. A bargain! This dress was the July 1952 offering.

I am trying to start a new pair of socks in a lovely fall colorway in Trekking, but the band fell off the yarn so I don't know the color number. However, there has been some ripping as I test out patterns in this gorgeous yarn. I am now starting the Jaywalker socks which seem to show the color variations off to advantage. Haven't touched the grey sweater.

New Pair Of Socks

First, a pretty view of the Pacific Ocean out of an upper window at the Ritz-C@rlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay. Not that we were staying there or anything, but they have to provide ocean access to the less-fortunate masses, so we took advantage of this to look over the hotel and take a few pictures. You can see the cliffs, golf course, and off to the right, the, I am sure, highly expensive guest houses with indoor pool. Very lovely spot.



I finally finished off the Tofutsies socks. I found the yarn to be easy to work with, if a little splitty, and soft and easy on the hands. It is an overcast morning so the light is dim, and these pictures are a little dark. The real colors are much brighter.

Work on the grey sweater proceeds slowly. I have finished knitting the neck band and just have to sew in the second sleeve and do the seams. And finish sewing down the band. I read in someone's fashion report that grey is supposed to be big this fall.

Here is one of the big lace charts I have drawn up for the knitting machine. The paper, for reference, is 8 1/2 x 11. I clip it onto the yarn holder rod so that it will be right in front of my eyes as I knit. Very convenient.

Retro Knit Friday!

A nice overcast day today. I am still endlessly knitting on the second sock and trying to get up the enthusiasm to finish up the grey pullover. At least things are looking up in the TV department with a new Burn Notice last night. That 'Doug, The New Client' gag had us laughing out loud. Though I did tell the spouse that the blond lady was up to no good, and I would say that being an assassin qualifies.

These fashions are from the same Columbia Minerva booklet that we started last week. This booklet has more designs in it than you would be led to expect from its thin form. The first sweater is a fitted pullover with high neck ribbing (makes my neck feel uncomfortable just to look at it) and a three-color stripe pattern. The pattern is written for sizes up to Size 16, which was only a 34" body bust. The pattern allows 2" total ease through the chest. It is knit with size 3 needles at 7 sts/inch.

This bow-trimmed pullover has sleeves that are cast on from the body, colorwork bands, and bow trim. The bows are knit separately and sewed on. Though knit of the same yarn as the previous sweater, the needles are size 5, and the gauge 6 sts/inch.

The 3/4 sleeves and high waist ribbing give this sweater a modern look. Knit of Featherweight Knitting Worsted at 7 sts/inch.

Two pullovers, called Slipovers in this booklet. The garment on the right has a slip stitch pattern and three pockets on the classic v-neck body. The sweater on the left has cable trim at bottom and collar, 3/4 dropped-shoulder sleeves, and an interesting collar with a V point in the front.

Another long, lean pullover with rib pattern, front pockets, and wide-placket front opening. The armholes are cut high, and the sleeves are slim and 3/4 length.

This cardigan looks quite different from front to back. The front is a classic slim collared cardigan, but the back has a tucked upper back and blouson effect at the bottom. I remember that there was a fashion for blouson blouses in the early sixties.

My only early sixties handknit sweater memory is of my friend who lived around the corner. I stopped to pick her up on the way to school one day, and her mom was knitting her a lovely off-white sweater. I was very envious. My mom didn't knit, but she made up for that by sewing like a pro.

Retro Knit Monday!

Look at this, Blogger is working again! This Columbia Minerva pamphlet is from the early to mid-sixties, judging from the hand-written note on the inside cover with the previous owner's name and the date 1964. I like all the cover sweaters except for the rather large white tie thingy on the red sweater. Several of the sweaters in this booklet have well-designed shawl collars like the sweater on the left. This white and blue sweater is knit of sports yarn at 5 sts/inch. Look how nicely the collar sits on the neck and shoulders, and the 3/4 sleeves are great too. Both the red and yellow sweaters are knit of Featherweight Knitting Worsted.


I like the pattern on this one, a pretty and functional Mom Sweater. It is knit in a sportweight yarn on size 4 needles. I don't think the collars that are knit straight up are as attractive as those with some increases along the narrow edges, as is shown in some Italian design books.

This jacket has three pockets, two on the right side and one on the left, a semi-boxy shape and an all-over texture pattern. Note how high and tight the neckline is.

Lovely classic sweaters with an all-over cable pattern. Another well-designed shawl collar and the ever-attractive and flatterng 3/4 sleeves.

Hmm, this Featherweight Knitting Worsted certainly seems versatile. Sometimes it is knit with Size 6 needles at 5 sts/inch, and in this pattern on Size 3 needles at 7 sts/inch. I like the idea of a stockinette band with patterning on it, but it is tricky to do without rippling. Note the band on the sweater on the right and how it ripples badly. Otherwise, they are nice classic sweaters.

A knitted coat and a crocheted boxy jacket. Both are made with Featherweight Knitting Worsted with the yarn worked double.

I am in the home stretch on the second Tofutsie sock, having finished the heel after I took this picture.

Saturday!

Looks like no Retro Knits today because the blogger photo function is down. In knitting news, I have finished the first Tofutsie sock and am turning the heel on the second one. The hot hot weather has cooled off a bit, due, unfortunately, to some massive fire somewhere that has blanketed our region in cloudy haze for days now. I have sewed a little and knitted a little now that I am not suffering from the heat quite so much. I have a great Columbia Minerva booklet from the early sixties to show when blogger gets its act together.