Retro Knit Friday!

I have no early life experience of shawls or shrugs even though I was a child during the 1950's. I can't recall my grandmother Mimi ever wearing either one (though the thought of Mimi in a shrug strikes me funny as she was soooo not a shrug person), and my mom never owned a shawl or shrug (she always wore her cashmere sweater or Batman sweatshirt). By the time I was a teenager, the hippy, long-dress look was in and shawls came back into fashion. Shortly after I was married, I made a shawl for my husband's grandmother, and my MIL made one for me. I now own both of these and wear them around the house. The shawls and shrugs in this 1953 booklet definitely do not look like grandma shawls.

The cover shawl is crocheted of fingering or sport yarn. It is trimmed with a simple black fringe. The last page in the booklet shows a variety of ways to 'knot a fringe' as the Victorians used to say. Some of the fringes look quite dressy.

The green stole is made of hairpin lace. After the stole is constructed, lengths of narrow hairpin lace are made and sewn down the 'seam' lines to give a furry look. The other stole on the same page is also hairpin lace in yellow and white.

The pink and white stole is crocheted and has a deep tied fringe. It combines flower motif stips with a white looped chain panels. Next to it on the page is a pink and blue stole, also crocheted.

The white shrug looks very much like it was knitted, but it is in fact crocheted of knitting worsted. The classic shrug below it is crocheted, but after the main portion is completed, the cuffs are picked up from the edge and knitted.

Both the shawls on the next page are triangles. The white one is formed from crocheted motifs, and the pink one is afghan stitch with a knotted fringe.

'Cheerleader' is meant to be knitted in school colors and the description says it is 'a must for sportswear'. It is trimmed with little yarn dolls. The blue shrug is called 'Party Girl' and is a cute, dressy shrug with crocheted trim, pearls, and turn-back cuffs on 3/4-length sleeves.



Now that I have finished the Sockotta socks, I have already cast on the Shibui socks. It took me awhile to wind the balls of yarn from the shank, including making a massive tangle, but now all is well and I am about 1" into the ribbing.