A Little Vintage Inspiration

Last month I went to a big sewing expo with some of my friends, and I picked up a few vintage patterns. They’re a great source of inspiration for me, but I also have hoarding tendencies so I have to be careful. I don’t actively seek out vintage patterns generally because that would get out of hand fast, but I never can resist them when I run across them in shops or at events. Here’s a look at my two new ones.

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One of the pattern booklets is a 1930s sweater booklet featuring mostly worsted weight knitting projects. It’s full of cute, good stuff. The other is from the 1950s and full of little crochet projects. There isn’t really anything I’d make in it, but I loved the overall look.

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In the sweater booklet, I had fun matching the cover illustrations to the actual patterns. This sweater is the bottom illustration on the cover. They even have the styling details like the little hat.

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I really love this pattern, and it happens to be in my size. Each sweater only comes with instructions for one size, and knitters were expected to develop the skills to adapt patterns to fit them.

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The crochet booklet has a lot of patterns like these accessories. They’d be a little harder to incorporate into a modern wardrobe than a sweater would be.

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It also has gems like these creatures from my nightmares. They’re awful, but I adore them because I laugh every time I turn to this page. Whenever I see patterns like these, I always wonder if they were seen as cute at the time or if 50s crocheters found them just as creepy as I do.


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10 responses to “A Little Vintage Inspiration”

  1. Flossie

    Is the face an oven mitt? Are the nightmare knits meant to be functional?? YIKES haha.

    1. Haha! Yes! The face is an oven mitt, the cat face is a potholder, and the other two pieces are napkin holders.

  2. Ann

    Oh me too Im a demon for picking up vintage patterns, I love this shawl collared 4 buttoned cardigan its adorable. I always get confused with the ply of yarn used so never really use any of these patterns……….. mind you I am a size 18 which is usually out of the scale of most vintage patterns!! tee hee

  3. This post had me laughing out loud when I read the last paragraph. I have noticed that some vintage toys were a tad bit on the scary side. Especially those clowns in the jack in the boxes and stuffed animals! I absolutely love reading your blog and I am knitting my first cardigan using your Myrna pattern.

  4. Nancy Turney

    Oh dear, I still have that crochet pamphlet, it was my mom’s. She made me the doll clothes and then when I was a teenager she made me the bun covers for my hair, but she never made the creepy pot holders.

  5. That cat looks evil. I love it, lol ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. That potholder pattern is amazing. I must find it! (and learn to crochet)

  7. Great finds! I love that cowl neck sweater with the diagonal stripes. So neat ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. I’ve enjoyed reading your blog for a long time and just wanted to thank you for making knitting interesting, fun and do-able. Love your styles and colors. Each post is such a treat! ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Marty

    I was so surprised when I saw the Quick Tricks booklet, I found the same one yesterday when I was going through some of my mother’s things that my sisters sent to me after my mother past away 16 years ago. I’d never gone through these items until yesterday.

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