Saturday, January 12, 2008

Retro Knit Saturday!



I am pleased to announce that I can actually see the sun this morning. It is still damp and cold, but there is blue sky up there, something we have not seen in a week or so.



My mom used to get the Woman's Day magazine when she went grocery shopping. The magazine's target audience during my childhood was housewives with children, and it was sold at the magazine stands near the checkout counters of the grocery stores. I recall that it cost about 25 cents an issue. In addition to the articles on food and other things, the magazine had articles about crafts, including an especially good issue in the fall on 100 gifts to make for Christmas. At other times during the year, there would be articles on knitting. Some showed sweater designs, but you had to send away for a pamphlet published by the magazine in order to get the instructions. I never had the money to pay for the pamphlets, so it has been nice to find both the pamphlets and the booklet I am showing today in thrift shops and antique stores.


This booklet, well magazine really, is Number 1 of 101 Sweaters You Can Knit. It sold for 50 cents in 1963. It is a compilation of the articles that appeared in the magazine with some extra stuff thrown in. A lot of the sweaters shown had an international flavor. As I recall, jetsetting was the ultimate in cool during the 60's.










These two sweaters appear in an ad for Diamond Yarn Corp. The striped jacket is called Cha-Cha-Cha and is described as 'a tri-color open jacket spiced with rosebuds which are knitted right in.' The brown coat is knit all of mohair. For obvious reasons, it reminds me of the movie 'Harry and The Hendersons".


These variegated sweaters appear in another ad. I have never seen variegated mohair in real life, but I know that mohair was popular at this time. The sweaters are raglans and were sold in kit form. You got the pattern and enough yarn to make the sweater of your choice for $10.95.






A paisley coat! This coat really has not much to recommend it but the color pattern since it is boxy in shape and has sleeves of indeterminate length. It is the accessories that save the look of this coat, especially the turquoise scarf worn around the head.

The back cover has an advertisement for a Bernat booklet that highlights the designs of Mirsa Of Italy. The jackets have a Chanel look and have raglan sleeves. The coat and strangely elongated hat are crocheted.

Today I vow to cast on for the second Trekking sock and to clear off the knitting machine. And maybe stand out in the sunshine a little.

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