Ranch Red Complete

It is all finished except for the blocking. It still amazes me that I managed to find matching buttons. I tried it on and the spouse gave it the seal of approval, meaning that it is a more fitted sweater. I don't do a 'pin-it-all-out' blocking like you would do to a wool sweater, I wash it in the machine for the first time and spread it out to dry on a towel somewhere, smoothing it into the shape I want. Sometimes I gently steam it without letting the iron touch the fabric, but you have to be very gentle with acrylic because you can flatten it and remove the 'spring' from the yarn if the temperature is too hot. This is a Red Heart yarn, much maligned in some knitting circles, but I confess, I like it. It washes beautifully and softens with washing. Some knitters object to what they call the harsh feel of it while knitting, but since I use a knitting machine a lot of the time, this does not concern me. I have learned how to treat this yarn to get the best out of it. I like the colors, and I love the price. This sweater took less than 4 skeins of Red Heart Supersaver and with the cost of the buttons, cost me about $10 to make. It will last for years and years and years, wash well, keep me warm, and no moth will every ruin my work. And if a baby ever throws up all over me, as has been known to happen in the past, I will just throw it into the washing machine and dryer. Since my goal is to make a dozen of these sweaters, trying out different techniques and designs, I could not afford to make them in wool at $50 to $100 or more a sweater.

My plan is to have maybe a dozen of these 3/4 sleeve cardigans to wear in the winter and fall when it is chilly in the house. Since I plan to begin working with the polymer clay again soon, the sleeve length will prevent me from getting little bits of clay stuck to my cuffs. I have several books on faux techniques with polymer clay, and I want to try some of them out. I can make some good-looking faux turquoise and amber so far. My daughter, M, makes jewelry and really liked the amber I made for her which I aged with brown acrylic paint and studded with a little faux turquoise. My hope is that if I will supply her with supplies, she will make me some interesting pins to wear on my sweaters. That is why the green cardigan will be plain, so I can wear a pin with it like the ladies of the fifties did with their cardigans.

The spouse and I finally set up my small greenhouse so I can start my seeds for the year. I am pleased with the design of this product, which was not very expensive at all. I think It cost about $100 or so. It seems very well made. This is the Starterhouse, but they make all kinds and sizes. We set it up on a little table to keep out the snails and earwigs. Next to knitting and sewing, I like starting seeds the best.

Spring is galloping along in California. The poppies have just started blooming. One year I threw out some California poppy seeds onto the brick patio and they are gradually seeding themselves all over the yard. The color is fabulous and the velvety feel of the petals is a spring delight.

Retro Knit Friday!

I finished the button border of the Ranch Red cardigan in garter stitch with stockinette on the under side and a purl turn row. Right now I am working on the buttonhole side. Since I am usually knitting a pattern I made up myself, I have no instructions to tell me how many stitches to pick up and where to put the buttonholes, so I have to design it myself. When I figure out the buttonholes, I first pick up the stitches (5 stitches to 6 rows for ribbed border and 3 sts to 4 rows for garter stitch)and do a few rows. When I see that the number of stitches is correct and will be nice and flat, I get a piece of paper and figure out the spacing of the holes. I usually leave 4 sts at the top and the bottom in worsted weight, then decide how many stitches to bind off for each one-row buttonhole. There are many places on the internet that tell how to do a one-row buttonhole, and they are mostly the same way I make mine except that on the next row after the buttonhole is completed, I knit (or purl depending on stitch being used for the border) into the back loop of the stitch where the buttonhole was started, closing up the little hole that can develop. After I know if the buttonholes will have X number of stitches, I figure out how many stitches are left for the spaces by dividing the stitches left by the number of spaces. It helps to draw it all out.

Now, for Retro Knit Friday, some more fashions from the 1940 Bucilla booklet, American Fashions in New Hand Knits. The woman in the turban hat is wearing a blouse-sweater called 'Sophisticate'. This sweater is knit in pure silk yarn with the design at the yoke and sleeves embroidered when the knitting is completed. There is no picture to show what the short sleeves look like at the cap. I am fascinated by that huge piece of costume jewelry on the jacket.


The shape of this cardigan appears in many knitting pamphlets of the 40's. Typical of the period are the close fit, heavier yarn (4 sts/inch), and emphasis on the shoulders. It is the kind of sweater Rosie the Riveter would wear. I think it is still very attractive today.

This jacket is a fast knit at 3 sts/inch. The Materials list says that it is Barley Beige, Yellow, Brown, Almond Green, and Capri Rose. The sleeves have a stipe pattern that matches the pockets. At the end of the instructions is another suggested color combination: Colonial Navy (probably the background color), Millitary Red, Queen Blue, White, and Cruise Blue.

Called a 'flattering, hip-hugging sweater', this cardigan features a zipper front closure and a cute cherry pin that I would like to have. The sleeves are knit from side to side. It is knit on size 6 needles at 4 1/2 stitches/inch.

'Double Chic' is described as a tailored sweater for town or country. It is knit in a rib pattern at 6 sts/inch of pure silk yarn with a smocked panel at the top of the bodice. Usually the smocking is created by embroidery after the knitting is done to pull the K rib stitches together, but this is a pattern stitch with YO's which are then pulled over a group of 4 sts to create the smocked look.

All of the patterns in this booklet are written in size 16, but nowhere in the booklet is there a size chart to tell you what size 16 is. The patterns usually contain the measurements for the finished garment. Double Chic is 17 inches across the back width at the underarm and 13 inches for a back shoulder width (which is a very small sweater). It was up to the knitter to enlarge the pattern as desired.

I have knit one front of the apple green cardigan and am about to hang the other front from the machine.

Back At The Machine

All the Easter cooking was finished in time, and we had a lovely time over at the in-laws. They invited several single men friends from their retirement community to share the meal. One was sort of silent, but one is a real treasure, very active and interesting. We love it when he is able to attend holiday dinners. My MIL made her wonderful ham loaf for those who love it, which means my family, and sliced ham for those that prefer that. I did ask my MIL about those 1940 hairstyles with the poofy front, and though she remembered the mesh roll device you could buy to roll up your back hair, she didn't have any experience with the style I was asking about. She said that no one she knew ever did their hair like that, that she only saw it in movies and magazines but not in her real life.

Today I am trying to get to work on the apple green cardigan, but I made the mistake of listening too closely to my book-on-tape and forgetting that I was making a front with the decreases and increases on one side only. I ended up having to rip out about 20 rows, but everything is now back on track. To prevent this from occuring again, since I am constantly being called away from the machine to tend the laundry or phone or whatever, I wrote myself a little reminder.

I have had a new light installed in the sewing room, and the color of the yarn is much more true to life.

The weather is very warm today, but according to the weather person, this will soon come to an end. I have to get the cold frame set up and start my seed cubes, but that is for another day because today is for knitting.

Retro Knit Easter Weekend!

Not much knitting going on here today. I have had workmen in the house most of this week, fixing up the many electrical problems I had be saving up for two mammoth sessions. Now the world is a brighter place because the lights in the dining room and bathroom now work. I also went out and got all new smoke alarms and fire extinguishers and installed them myself. Isn't life in an old house just grand? Now I have to turn my mind to other things like cooking for Easter dinner. I am supposed to make a salad, not my forte, but I decided to make one with apple slices, lettuces, crumbles of cheese and toasted pecans. I got that Trader Joe's Raspberry and Gorgonzola salad dressing, which is fabulous, and while I was there a nice lady customer told me that the Champagne Pear Vinaigrette is also great so I got that too. That taken care of, I came home and just finished making a large batch of macaroni salad. Tomorrow I will make a batch of rolls, turning on the breadmaker for the dough before I leave for church.


I like cookbooks and knitting pamphlets from the WWII years. This Bucilla booklet is from 1940, right before the war began for the United States, but it was also printed in Canada where the war was already a reality. Wartime sweaters were usually done with thicker yarns since the knitter was probably now a working person with less time for knitting. The cover shows a twin set done in two different colors. The instructions say that the cardigan is red and the pullover is blue. They are knit on size 10 needles at 4 1/2 sts per inch. The cardigan is more of a jacket since it has no closures.

The plaid cardigan is a typical 40's silhouette with wider shoulders and a fitted waist. The garment description says that it is "gay, youthful, dashing!". The Materials List says that the sweater is blue, red, and green on a white background. Look how perfectly the horizontal plaid lines match across the sleeve/armhole seam. The tops of the pockets and the bottoms of the sleeves are trimmed with a row of crochet.

Fabric was in short supply during the war so it was common for pullovers to take the place of blouses. This lacy sweater is supposed to be "ideal for suits". It has sleeves with gathered tops and is slightly longer than waist length. It is knit at 7 1/2 sts per inch on size 2 needles. I like the 1940's hairdo, too. I have always wondered how they managed that front section of hair - was it combed over some sort of form or just curled up on itself? I'll have to ask my MIL since she lived through those times.

This sporty ribbed cardigan is trimmed with front pockets that have a croched and embroidered arrow design at top and bottom. The front and neck edges also have crochet trim as does the shoulder seam. The front band is crocheted and so are the buttons.

How Hollywood is this sweater?! The pleated sleeve tops and the bodice neck and front are trimmed with rhinestones, and the waist is made narrow by using a shaped wide ribbed section. The directions call for 2 yards of rhinestone trimming, something I have never seen. The sweater is knit at 7 1/2 sts per inch on size 3 needles.

Right now I am going to relax for the first time in days and crochet on the afghan or actually work on the green cardigan which is still hanging forlornly from the knitting machine.

Odds and Ends

I ran across some fragments of old magazines that used to belong to my grandmother. The scraps date back to about 1923 or earlier. The first is a picture of shamrock lace in honor of St. Patrick's Day, but unfortunately the page with the pattern on it is missing. The Antique Pattern Library is gradually adding old volumes including these old Needlecraft Magazines so it is worth looking at for old knitting and crochet patterns (http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/).

The second picture is an advertizement for a needlework magazine subscription from a 1919 booklet. I love the price, 25 cents for a whole year!

This third item is from an ad for Chevrolet automobiles in 1923. My, how times have changed.

No Knitting Content

No knitting was done this weekend because we had to travel to the Monterey Peninsula for a charity function for business. It was fun to mill around looking at the silent auction items and to check out the clothes of all the other ladies. Clothes varied from the semi-formal to the sweater set but there was no doubt that the area's affluent were in attendance. It always amazes me when they hold an auction and ask who wants to bid $20,000, and there are always people who do. It was also surprising that they were able to serve an excellent dinner to over 500 people. I have been to many charity functions over the years, and that was the best quality food I have ever had at one of these kind of dinners. They served salad, filet mignon and a fish dish on the same plate, really excellent asparagus and other veggies, and a chocolate mousse thingy for dessert. They raised a lot of money to benefit children so it was all good.

The first picture shows the view coming over the hill to Monterey and you can see the curve of the bay and the sea in the distance. The weather was nearly perfect, crisp and breezy and clear as a bell.

The morning after the charity auction, we drove to Pacific Grove and parked at the shore. The wind was strong and the waves were spectacular. We climbed down the rocks to the shore and watched the sea roll in.

Shortly after I took this picture, I had to make a run for it. Look at that big swell headed for shore.


We climbed up some rocks that jutted out into the sea and watched the waves roll past on the way to the beach. Just a beautiful, beautiful day.

We drove home through Watsonville. There are no more signs of the earthquake damage from Loma Prieta (1989), and even the church looks fully recovered. From there we drove through farmland and saw the artichokes and strawberries in their fields. We stopped in Morrow Bay near the big old power plant and bought some strawberries and leeks, and drove home through the blossoming trees and green fields. There are not many things more beautiful than a California spring.

Retro Knit Friday!

The seaming is half done on the Ranch Red cardigan. I have decided not to make the bands in K2P2 because I think it might flare out around the buttonholes. I am going to try a garter band since it would match the reverse stockinette in the cable panel. I did manage to find buttons that match at Joann's, which surprised me. I was thinking that I would get a silver metal button, but I didn't find one plain enough. I think this sweater will always remind me of Dexter, since I was watching it while I set in one of the sleeves.

Today's retro fashions are from the Columbia Style Book we started last week, published in 1947. The three-quarter coat is called 'Gadabout'. The description says that it has military smartness with sleeve and shoulder tabs buttoned with silver buttons. I can't see the shoulder tabs even on my full size photo. The coat is knitted at 5 sts/inch with knitting worsted weight yarn in a modified seed stitch. It has a knitted tie belt and plain stockinette lapels. Though the picture is black and white, the instructions say the coat is gray.

The one-piece dress has dolman sleeves, a fan-pleated skirt and a bold plaid on the bodice and cuffs. It is knit of dressweight yarn on size 2 needles at 8 sts/inch. The materials list says that the dress is Light Navy and White. There is no chart for the plaid pattern, just written instructions on how many stitches of what color to knit when in each row.

'Social Register' is the name of this feminine dress. I like the description of this dress because it fits the name of the dress: 'There's a well-bred look- an air of grace, an assurance of charm in this versatile dress. Hand-smocking, with seed pearls, adds a note of finish to the neck'. The belt is crocheted. The dress is knit in a knit and purl pattern, but the yarn is so textured that I can't see the pattern.

The next outfit is a three-piece suit. The skirt has wide ribs, the blouse is seed stitch with short sleeves, and the jacket is fitted. The model looks very sleek and elegant, especially her hair and makeup. The model's hairdo reminds me of an old beauty book I used to get out of the library when I was a teenager. It was written by a Hollywood beauty expert of the 40's and had lots of info about pincurls and haircare. It used to be popular to brush your hair a hundred times before bedtime to give it the smooth and shiny look. It is strange to imagine a time when rollers were yet to be invented.

'Striped for Action' has a tunic top with 'action-free' sleeves (what does that mean, I wonder? Bigger armhole?). The bodice is knit sideways and starts at the underarm with only 12 stitches. More and more stitches are cast on gradually to give the fitted shape. The skirt is called a swing skirt and starts with wide ribs at the hem which narrow up to the waist. There is a plain stockinette panel in the front and back of the skirt.

This weekend I plan to see Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day with the girls and knit on the green sweater.

Missing Sock

I had started a new sock, the blue Sockotta sock, and then it disappeared from the face of the earth. I know that I keep the Ranch Red cardigan in a Trader Joe's bag, and the bag had to be laundered, and I could only assume that the sock was in that bag and was put elsewhere while the bag was in the washing machine. My KnitPicks needles were in that sock!!!

I decided to really look for the sock, and it wasn't in any bag or in the sewing room or the girls' room, so I was about to give up. I went over to look by the sewing machine in the master bedroom, and there was the missing sock, nicely tucked into a small ziplock bag and stuffed into a cubbyhole on the bookshelves. What was I thinking?!