Show us your vintage knitting and crochet!

wahine · Nov 1, 2013

Just in time to push up these pumpkin cuties!

But the true reason why I'm posting is to encourage those ladies that aren't as perfect as the superbe hook'n'needle magicians who posted before.

I'm one of the humble beginners, and I'm still proud of my very first crocheted snood which I just made. It's a bit too small because I didn't have more of the yarn. I think I'll use it as a mini beanie cap.
The next, bigger, net is in the making

Babydoll · Nov 1, 2013

Fourth year at the pumpkin farm. (3.5 years old) I made the sweater and the hat.

A better shot of the hat - cabled owls.

wahine · Nov 19, 2013

After I failed on the knitting instructions for a fifties sweater, I tried on a later model - with instructions much more detailed. It's the first sweater I ever made, actually the first "real" piece of clothing (I only made socks and smaller accessories like scarves so far)
I hope it's okay to post it although the pattern is as young as from 1976. I guess it's not too seventie-ish.
Since I have a long upper part of the body, I had to lengthen the bottom a bit.

Alice Blue · Dec 9, 2013

Is that really your first sweater, Wahine? Well done!

lolly_loisides · Dec 9, 2013

Wahine, I love your sweater & Babydoll, your daughter (and her cardi & cap) are adorable.

wahine · Dec 9, 2013

Thank you ladies!
Alice, it's the first sweater I finished. Before that, I tried to make a sleeveless sweater from a fifties pattern. I thought it was the easiest pattern I could find, but the instructions had too little details and confused me; after I finished the front, I realised it didn't come out like the photo at all and it was way too small. So I unraveled it and made the one I finished now. Better instructions, better result.

Alice Blue · Dec 9, 2013

Yes, I am a reasonably competent knitter, but I am finding vintage patterns very difficult. The yarn is different, and the sparse written instructions do not have modern charts or diagrams. I am knitting my first vintage patterns with "training wheels" (i.e. modern adaptations with more explanation by Susan Crawford). However I just discovered that some of the shaping techniques were different back in the day which gives you a different look, and I am having to do over a large piece because of it. Fortunately I am able to ask questions of experienced vintage knitters on Ravelry, and I am learning a *lot*.

wahine said:
Thank you ladies!
Alice, it's the first sweater I finished. Before that, I tried to make a sleeveless sweater from a fifties pattern. I thought it was the easiest pattern I could find, but the instructions had too little details and confused me; after I finished the front, I realised it didn't come out like the photo at all and it was way too small. So I unraveled it and made the one I finished now. Better instructions, better result.

wahine · Dec 9, 2013

Very true, the lack of diagrams can be a problem. Those "training wheels" sound interesting. I'm not 100% sure if I know what you mean by shaping techniques.

Since I'm not an experienced knitter, I so far try to stick to newer instructions. There are a few pieces with sort of a timeless look to them in the book where I found the striped sweater. Most patterns are typical seventies, though.
Anyway, since I have no big output, I'm happy about each single piece I finish.

Babydoll · Dec 9, 2013

lolly_loisides said:
Babydoll, your daughter (and her cardi & cap) are adorable.

Thank you! She's quite a handful. Sometimes the cute/adorable factor is all that stands between her staying with me and being sold to the gypsies!

(Just realized that the leaf pin on her sweater is vintage. Was my Grandma Ruth's. She sure did love bling! Have an entire jewelry box stuffed full of costume brooches, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.)

Alice Blue · Dec 9, 2013

wahine said:
Very true, the lack of diagrams can be a problem. Those "training wheels" sound interesting. I'm not 100% sure if I know what you mean by shaping techniques.

Since I'm not an experienced knitter, I so far try to stick to newer instructions. There are a few pieces with sort of a timeless look to them in the book where I found the striped sweater. Most patterns are typical seventies, though.
Anyway, since I have no big output, I'm happy about each single piece I finish.

The shaping issue that I was referring to had to do with how decreases are worked at the armhole edges. I was using a modern technique of inward-leaning decreases that shows a ridge, while vintage decreases were worked by knitting the two end stitches together. I'm told the evidence of the decrease disappears once you sew the seam.

The patterns that I described as having "training wheels" are from the book A Stitch In Time Volume 2 by Susan Crawford. She takes vintage patterns and rewrites them in multiple sizes, with the vintage pattern printed at the end for reference. There are also chapters on fit and techniques.

In addition to Susan Crawford, I enjoy these websites with tutorials:

Skiff Vintage Knitting Patterns
By Gum By Golly

The vintage knitting discussion boards on Ravelry are very helpful and interesting as well.

wahine · Dec 9, 2013

Thanks a lot for those interesting links, Alice Blue! I'll save those for later.

As I'm not a very advanced knitter yet, I think I'll better stick to German instructions for now. Although my English isn't too bad (I think), even a hard-to-understand vintage pattern in German will be easier for me than an easy up-to-date pattern in English.
believe me - I tried, and even failed on a very easy snood instruction in English.

Plus, I'm a very stubborn person, and all those vintage patterns I have lying all over my place here have to be conquered somehow! And since I'm a try and error gal, I might even finish a second piece one day

pineapplefruitcake · Jan 8, 2014

Hey all

I cant remember if I've posted the things I've made before on this thread but my account with photobucket was having issues (some very naughty people were up to no good with my photos!) so all my image links got deleted so I'm trying again

I've made a few other bits and bobs but this is my vintage stuff at the moment. The red cardigan was my first ever attempt at knitting something other than a scarf - I decided after knitting one scarf in knit purl that obviously a cardigan would be no problem and who needs patterns anyway! so I just made it up. As a consequence it's pretty terrible - see the woefully uneven everything about the back! - but im nostalgic about it so i still wear it as a bolero

The oversize cable knit was my second, far more successful cardigan that I made using a vintage pattern. I wear it pretty much ever day in winter and took it overseas with me so its in quite bad condition and is missing a button but it's ridiculously comfortable and i love it. Next up was the green short-sleeved cardigan which i made this year using a pattern from ravelry and then i made the mauve sweater usinga vintage pattern that i found on ravelry also. I decided a little while ago that each pattern i knit would have some new technique so that i would learn as i went so the green cardgian had a pattern i'd never done, the mauve had lace, i did a christmas hat for a gift for someone that had colour work etc. i've found it's been a really good way to increase my wardrobe and my skills at the same time

[/IMG]

wahine · Jan 11, 2014

pineapplefruitcake, those are wonderful, I esp. like the green and the mauve! you are a busy bee, thanks for sharing the photos!

wahine · Jan 28, 2014

This isn't exactly vintage, but quite vintage inspired. I just finished a Scotty hat, inspired by the Monkapone summer hat.
It's a bit more thirties than I hoped - I'm more of a fifties gal - but I think it's wearable, even with modern clothes as I do in the pic (excuse my non styled hair and makeup).

pineapplefruitcake · Jan 30, 2014

Wahine that is one of the cutest things i've ever seen!

wahine · Jan 30, 2014

pineapplefruitcake, thank you ever so!

I forgot to mention that the little hat is crocheted, not - as it might seem - knitted. it's called a knit stitch.

Antje · Apr 22, 2014

Wow nice work everyone!! This is a top I made from a pattern I found in vintage life magazine

Clabbergirl · Apr 23, 2014

Lovely!

I have been browsing vintage patterns lately (due to binge-watching Call the Midwife!) and this post is most timely.

pineapplefruitcake · May 25, 2014

Call the Midwife and Foyle's War always inspire me to knit! I'm in the midddle of a long sleeve cardigan in King Charles Brocade

I've also made a moss stitch beret to match my mustard cardigan - though I love wearing it with the mauve cardigan

Dixie_Amazon · Mar 15, 2015

I ran across http://grandmotherspatternbook.com/ today. Lots of vintage patterns from the 1800s to the 1950s. They are not dated or sourced but there is a lot to look through.

Check out these knickers http://grandmotherspatternbook.com/?p=285.

Show us your vintage knitting and crochet!

Practically Family

Call Me a Cab

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

One Too Many

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

Call Me a Cab

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

Practically Family

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

One Too Many

Attachments

One of the Regulars

One of the Regulars

Practically Family

Similar threads

Log in

Forum statistics