Brown Woolease Socks

Finally finished the woolease plain socks for the spouse. He should still get some use out of them this season as the nights are near freezing still.

For my next project, I am working on the Monkey socks I set aside when the husband's feet got cold. I am halfway through the heel on the first sock.

Retro Knit Monday!

Still working on the toe of the second brown Woolease sock. I keep goofing it up by trying to watch Hayao Miyazaki movies while knitting. Reading subtitles and knitting does not work well for me.

The booklet I am going to show today is one of those that I got at the fundraiser booksale last week. It is in excellent condition and dates to 1940, shortly before WWII. The inside cover makes the case for sweaters in every woman's wardrobe: 'Wherever you go...whatever you do... you can do it in a sweater, for it's a sweater world whether you're a stay-at-home or on the wing! These Chadwick's Red Heart Sweaters consider the comprehensive sweater needs of the smart American woman...casual little affairs (quite a different meaning in 1940)...honest-to-goodness sports types...classic designs...and sophisticated sweater-blouses for town.'

The cover sweater is a cute blouse-type cardigan. The instructions just call for Sweater Wool, which the inside cover explains was a new type of soft, fluffy thick wool. The needles called for are Casein Knitting Pins, which were made from a biopolymer plastic invented in the last years of the 19th century (1899 or thereabouts). The plastic was made from the proteins from skim milk, and produced needles that were firm but flexible and good for arthritic hands. They supposedly produced much less static in the yarn when in use.


The sweater at top left in the photo below has ribbed sleeves and what is described as a 'spongy' front. The biggest size included in the instructions in this booklet was a size 20. The finished bust measurement for this size was about 40". Notice that these two sweaters are much longer than the sweater shown on the cover. During this time, the 'long-bodied line' was in style, and the ribbed sweater at the bottom of the page is a good example of this type. The instructions for the ribbed cardigan call for 'penny buttons' up the front. I have never heard this term before and wonder if it refers to how the buttons look or how much they cost at the time.

The sweater set below, knit in sports yarn, has a pretty, staggered cable design with moss stitch in the center of the fat part of the cables.

Zippers were just starting to be used in men's trousers in the late 30's, having previously been used in boots and things like that. They first started to appear in women's clothing around the time of this booklet or a little before. In some quarters, zippers were considered risque because they allowed women to disrobe faster. However, with the invention of zippers that could open at both ends (separating zipper), their usefulness in jackets and cardigans made them more popular. The lacy cardigan below, with the zipper front closing, has bands of color in the yoke section that create a scalloped design because of the stitch pattern. The white pullover has waist-cinching higher ribbing, puffed sleeves, and a pretty stitch pattern that looks like fagotting.
The pullover below is called 'Campus Belle' and is knit in sports weight yarn. I like the entwined cables. The pin she is wearing on her sweater is kind of peculiar and I can't figure out what it is supposed to be. This sweater uses 'Phantom Knitting Pins which I think were made of aluminum.

It is still really cold here, but the days are bright and sunny, and I saw a tulip tree in bloom yesterday, so maybe Spring is on the way.

Fabulous Day At The Booksale

I went to the fundraiser booksale this last Friday, and I hit the jackpot for retro knitting and crochet books. They had a bin full of them in the main sales area, and then, when I went to the back room they use for better books, I spotted a magazine holder full of them stuffed sideways into an empty shelf on a book cart in the corner. I fished it out and asked the saleslady if it was sold as one item or many, and she told me that if I would just take it, I could have them all for free!! Most were old crochet pamphlets, one dating to 1917, but there were some knitting gems in there too. The condition was not the best, but I take them home and clean them up and iron them out, and presto, they are great. My daughter was impressed with my booklet score and said that I can spot a hidden knitting booklet from half a mile away. The picture only shows the few I have cleaned up, and there is a big stack of them waiting off camera.

In honor of this wonderful find, the booklet I'm going to show today is a full-color Star booklet from 1951. The ladies on the cover look so elegant with their hairpin lace stoles, and although the hairpin lace is rather plain in these designs, it does give the stole a fluffy, feminine appeal.
The introduction says that stoles and shawls are 'comfortable wool fashion accessories to wear to the movies, church suppers, Grange meetings, the theater, and the senior prom.' The stole on the left below is crocheted of sock yarn in straight panels of hairpin lace. The right side shows a crocheted stole in knitting worsted. 'Nob Hill' and 'Park Avenue' shown below are knitted stoles. I would never have thought of wearing a stole with a daytime suit, but the model looks very nice. Her stole is knit in a feather and fan stitch in rows of Buttercup, Sand, and Wood Brown. The stole she is holding is knit entirely in garter stitch in rows of Jockey Green, National Blue, Scarlet, White, and Maize and is finished up with a row of sc all around the edge.

The lacy white stole is crocheted of crochet cotton in the knot stitch. Not much warmth to be had there (the model looks cold), but it certainly is very pretty. The shrug is knit as a rectangle for about 51 inches in sport yarn, then changes to ribbing after a decrease row. The ends are then seamed up for about 6 inches and the ribbed collar/edge is picked up and knit around, I guess, but the instructions forgot to put in the part about the collar.
The yellow stole below is knit in baby yarn in blackberry stitch, and the red stole is crocheted in knitting worsted. The yellow stole is about 64 inches long.
I love this next photo. Look at the fabulous dress the model is wearing with a skirt that took yards and yards and yards of fabric. The shawl is called 'La Louisian' and is crocheted in 'crimp-set nylon' which seems to have been a sport weight.

Today I am going to finish up another husband sock and start the next one.

4-Day Socks

Finished these socks in 4 days. They are made of Woolease with some Wooly Nylon in the toes and heels (Wooly Nylon is a nylon serger thread sold in fabric stores in the thread department). These socks were knit on Size 4 Needles on 52 stitches. The top ribbing is 14 rows of K1 P1, and the leg portion and top of foot are K2 P2. Here's the pattern for the size that fits the spouse:

Woolease Socks For Cold-Footed Spouse

Shoe Size: M 8.5
Style: Cuff to Toe
Gauge: 6 sts/in, 8 rws/in
Needles: 4 dp Size 4
Yarn Estimate:
Estimated Ydg: 328. I used about 1 1/2 skeins, maybe a little more

Cast On:
Cast on 52 sts loosely.
Divide sts on 3 dp needles as follows:
N1: 13 heel sts.
N2: 26 instep sts.
N3: 13 heel sts.
Join. BOR

Leg:
Work in pat st for 88 rnds. [11" or length desired] I make the top about 8 1/2 " long including the ribbing. That is about 14 rows of ribbing to start and 48 to 50 rows of pattern depending on your row gauge. I find the gauge varies with the color of the yarn and whether you are knitting stockinette or ribbing.
Complete sts on N2.

Heel:
Slip N3 sts onto N1. [26 sts]
With RS facing, work back and forth as
follows:
Rw 1: *Sl 1 purlwise, k1. Repeat from * to
end.
Rw 2: Sl 1 purlwise, p to end.
Repeat these 2 rows until 26 rws are
complete. [ 3.3"]

Turn Heel:
Note: Sl 1 = sl 1 purlwise
Round Heel
Rw 1: (RS) K15, ssk, k1. Turn.
Rw 2: Sl 1, p5, p2tog, p1. Turn.
Rw 3: Sl 1, k6, ssk, k1. Turn.
Rw 4: Sl 1, p7, p2tog, p1. Turn.
Rw 5: Sl 1, k8, ssk, k1. Turn.
Rw 6: Sl 1, p9, p2tog, p1. Turn.
Rw 7: Sl 1, k10, ssk, k1. Turn.
Rw 8: Sl 1, p11, p2tog, p1. Turn.
Rw 9: Sl 1, k12, ssk, k1. Turn.
Rw 10: Sl 1, p13, p2tog, p1. Turn.
Work 8 sts. BOR

Heel Gusset:
With free needle and right side facing, k
second half of the heel sts. [N1]
Continuing with the same needle, pick up 13
sts along the side of the heel.
Pick up and knit st from the row below the
first instep st to prevent a hole. [N1: 22 sts
total]
With another needle, work across the 26
instep sts. [N2]
With free needle, pick up and knit st from the
row below the first heel st to prevent a hole.
Pick up 13 sts along the side of the heel
and work across the remaining heel sts.
[N3: 22 sts total]

Shape Gusset:
Dec. Rnd
N1: Work to 3 sts from end, k2tog, k1.
N2: (instep) Work even.
N3: k1, ssk, work to end.

Next Rnd: Work even.
Repeat these two rnds until there are
52 sts remaining.

Foot:
Continue working in rounds until foot
measures 8.2" or about 2" less than you want the foot to measure. For me, this means about 51 rows after the heel.
Complete sts on N3.

Shape Toe:
Classic Toe
Rnd 1:
N1:(heel) Work to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
N2:(instep) K1, ssk, work to last 3 sts,
k2tog, k1.
N3:(heel) K1, ssk, complete round.
Rnd 2: Work even.
Repeat these two rnds until 28 sts
remain. [12 rnds]
Work Rnd 1 only until 12 sts remain.

Finishing:
Work sts on N1 and N3.
Holding N1 and N2 together, graft sts
together using Kitchener st.
Weave in ends on inside of sock.

Work Second Sock

This pattern was generated by the Sock Wizard program. My husband has been having good luck with these socks, since they keep his feet warm without making them sweaty. They are also wearing very well, but the spouse works in an office and doesn't put in miles of walking in them.

First Finished Object of 2009

Switching to the bamboo needles really made the knitting a lot faster. These socks were made with Opal, Color 1261. I used a #1 needle and cast on 72 stitches. The spouse wears an 8 1/2 shoe so the foot is about 10" long in total.

Here's my working chart, as generated by Sock Wizard.


Now I am about to cast on for a grey pair of Woolease socks.

Retro Knit Friday!

The holidays are over, and I didn't make a single knitted gift this year. I did finish one of the husband socks, and am working on the toe decreases on the second sock. I had a lot of trouble with these socks because the Knitpicks needles just weren't right for the yarn and were always falling out. I swapped them out for bamboo needles and now am galloping along with the end in sight. When I finish these socks I am going to start a pair of man socks in grey Woolease as a nice change from the fine gauge Opal. Also have to get started on a new cardigan.

There are just a few more fashions to show from the Modern Needlecraft from 1963 - 64. The first picture shows two fair isle sweaters done in knitting worsted weight. The man's pullover has bands of uncomplicated colorwork on a simple dropped-shoulder shape with a boat neck. The description says that it is meant to be worn over a 'thermo turtleneck' while skiing. I don't recall ever hearing of a thermo turtleneck before. The cardigan reminds me of one I knitted for my sister for Christmas many years ago. It was cream with the colorwork in shades of vibrant orange. I remember that I didn't finish it in time, and when she opened up the present and lifted it out, it fell into the separate, unsewn-together pieces. I did finish it up later though.

The next picture is from a Columbia Minerva ad. The sweaters were offered in a kit that provided the yarn with instructions for all four sweaters, and you could choose which one to make. These sweaters were called 'Blazers' and had lapels and several styles of front closure. The kit was called the Quartette, and sold for $4.29 at department stores and yarn shops.

The pink V-neck sweater also appears in a Columbia Minerva ad. This raglan-sleeved sweater has the classic styling seen so often in the early sixties. The V neckline has a double band that is turned to the outside and stitched down. The mohair sweater is trimmed with embroidery and beading. It was also offered as a kit and sold for $11.95, quite a bit more than the previous kit.

Knitting magazines from this period had a lot of references to skiing and fashions for this sport. When I was a kid, lots of my friends used to go skiing with their families, driving up to the Sierras in the winter. This was way too pricey an activity for my family, though. I never missed it, since several of my friends came back with broken legs, and since I wasn't all that athletic, that would surely have been my fate. The man's pullover, knit in worsted weight, is a simple two-color fair isle with a nice balance between the dark and light colors. The lady's cardigan is done in double knitting, zips up the front, and has matching mittens.
This winter has made me very glad I am a knitter since it is the coldest, foggiest winter I can remember. I am really using all of my cardigans.