Finished Object! Knitted Manta Ray Cover

This week I finished the lace shawl I was knitting. The basis of the shawl was an 'equation' which we were given in our knitting class. You begin at the centre of the longest edge and keep increasing on alternate rows until the shawl is as large as you wish. You can use any kind of pattern on the two panels. As I'm impatient, mine is really a bit smaller that I'd like, but never mind! The final object is more of a neckerchief than a shawl.

For the lace pattern, I chose a Chevron and Eyelet Lace from my 'Vogue Dictionary of Knitting Stitches' - have I mentioned how much I love this book? It looks a wee bit dated now, but is an absolute wealth of stitches.

I had previously attempted to use a different lace pattern, but kept getting in a mess. The chevron and eyelet worked well because it used only multiples of stitches instead of multiples plus x stitches, so I was able to put stitch markers between the repeats to help me keep track of where I was. This was absolutely invaluable.

I had assumed that the pattern would give me a nice zig zag on the cast off edge but sadly not. Next time I might try a different lace pattern for the last part so I have a variation from the straight edge.

The yarn I used was Artesano Inca Cloud, a 100% Alpaca yarn which I purchased for £1.20 a ball at Mandors, meaning that this knit cost less that £2.40 as I used less than 2 balls. The wool is beautifully soft, and I love the rich colour. It also blocks very well. Incidentally, the post title is thanks to my husband, who described the shawl thus when I had it pinned out for blocking.

My knitting class comes to an end next week, but I am determined to crack sock knitting by then. I turned the heel of a sock this week, so once I finish my first one I just need to knit the matching one before I forget how I did it!

K x

Finished Object! Advance 7968 1950s Dress

Finished on schedule for my birthday on the 20th March! Only just, with 20 minutes to spare before midnight on the 19th. I'd left the hand finishing at cuffs and hem, and sewing on the buttons to the end, which took longer than I thought.

I'm so happy with the dress and the fit is great, so here's my pattern review;

Pattern

Advance 7968 purchased on Ebay. I made view 1 with 3/4 sleeves and a pretend buttoned front.

Fabric & Notions

Fabric was a striped cotton shirting from Mandors, which was unusually soft for a shirting, with a nice drape, and not sheer at all. Glass buttons bought at an antique fair in Nice about 2 years ago (I love how cosmopolitan that sounds).

Pattern Adjustments
After making my toile I made the following adjustments:

• Lengthened bodice by 1 inch
• Brought in the side seams by about 1/2 inch
• Took in 1/2 at centre back (Thanks Molly for this idea!)
• Made a broad shoulder adjustment to front and back by taking out the shoulders by 1 cm
• Lengthened bust tucks by about 1/2 inch
• Chopped about 10cm off the final length so the skirt was about knee length instead of the unflattering mid-calf length

Any challenges?

Some bits of the pattern made me puzzle a little but with careful re-reading it became clear. There were a lot of numbered notches to match up which helped. The sleeves with the turned back cuff were a bit tricky but I worked it out eventually.

Huh?

The zip was tricky as I haven't put in a zip for over a year )not quite sure how I managed this) and it fits underarm. It's a bit messy so I have opted not to show you a photo, but I think it's not too noticeable due to its position. I think I did ok with matching the stripes;

Look how well matched that pocket is!

There is also a matching belt but I haven't yet bought a buckle or the interfacing for inside the belt but I will probably tackle this at some point. 

I made the effort to sew the buttons on properly, using a cocktail stick held behind the button to create a loop of thread as a shank. And for once, they feel pretty firm.

The finishing touch!

Would I make it again?

Yes, definitely. Especially after taking the time to get the fit right by making a toile. I think it's a really versatile dress.

Cost (approx)

Pattern      £8

Fabric       £28

Buttons     £3

Total = £39

As per my post last month, my next project is to finish my Simplicity skirt by the weekend. I think I have most of Saturday to sew so am hoping it should get finished. I've also nearly finished a shawl I've been knitting too.

K x

A Vintage Sewing Box & Teapot - A Quick Post of New Finds

I had yesterday off work as it is my birthday this weekend (tomorrow). I had a really lovely relaxed day with my husband, we went for lunch and I got to indulge in one of my favourite pastimes of going to charity shops.

When I saw this sewing box in the window I just fell in love with it;

Isn't it cute? I'm lucky to have an indulgent husband who was happy for me to buy it, in the hope that all my sewing stuff might be kept a bit tidier. Here's hoping! I'm a real sucker for any piece of furniture with legs that also looks a bit 1950s/60s.

We also grabbed this gorgeous teapot;

I've seen these teapots in a few different places and they're pretty iconic. They're made by a firm called Masters and its called the 'Stay Hot Teapot' - you can see that it comes with its own chrome cover and inner felt lining. It's designed to be used with loose tea instead of teabags, as you can see from the perforated ceramic cylinder that fits inside the pot. I need to find a bottle brush before I use it, as the inside of the spout needs a good clean, as well as having to purchase some loose tea. I'm so looking forward to trying it out!

K x

The Good, the Bad, and the Knitted Knickers

Last week my friend gave me a vintage knitting book which she passed on from her husband's mum. I was delighted, as it gives an interesting glimpse into a different world of knitting. Today we're lucky that sewing and knitting are, on the whole, hobbies. We can easily buy lovely yarns and gorgeous fabrics from all over the world to make clothing, and if it works out more expensive than the equivalent purchased item, it doesn't really matter because making the item is also a hobby and it's feels extra special to have something custom made in a world of cheap high street fashion. For better or worse, clothing is so cheap that it is hardly ever cheaper to make your own clothes. But it wasn't that far in the past that there wasn't the same choice - if you wanted something new you'd often make it yourself because you couldn't afford to buy new, or because there really wasn't anything to buy in the shops (I'm thinking war time here).

Anyway - the book. It's called 'The Greenock Handbook of Knitting & Crocheting', produced by the Scotch Wool & Hosiery Stores, of which there were over 400 branches in the UK, including 20 in Glasgow alone. I found this image of their Inverness Store in the 1930s on the Highland Council's website here

Doesn't it look amazing? You can also see their shop on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow here. I'm really jealous that there were shops like this all over the country. Incidentally if you're interested in looking at Glasgow shop fronts from the past, the Virtual Mitchell Library website is well worth checking out. I looked up some of the addresses of the Glasgow shops given in the book but frustratingly most of the photos seem to have just part of the sign of the shop I'm looking for, typically.

The book contains patterns for everyday items and accessories like socks and scarves but there are some interesting and unusual pieces too. I'm guessing it's probably from the 1930s or thereabouts.

I've not seen anything like these palmless mittens before - Any ideas of the advantage of being palmless?! I think they look pretty good in any case.

These elegant gloves look like a LOT of fiddly work;

This looks really cosy. I think someone should bring the balaclava back into fashion. I don't have the confidence to try, but someone else definitely should...

Knitted knee covers! Again, odd but cosy.

This large rug looks lovely, and the pattern includes a note to say that you can bring your finished item to the store to have it brushed - I wonder if this service is still available anywhere these days?

This vest is pretty;

Tea cosies are pretty common in vintage pattern terms, but a teapot nest?! Never seen one before. Each of the cosies also has half a china figurine attached (it's listed in the pattern) so it looks like a lady's skirt, just like those classic and tacky toilet roll covers

And finally, ta dah!

I presume that these would have been worn over pants, for warmth, rather than next to the skin, just like gym knickers. (Tell me someone else had to wear these hideous items at school!)  Surely they'd have been too itchy to be worn as normal pants, but I'd love to find out some more about them.

In other news, my Advance dress is nearly finished! Just a bit of hand sewing to do and it will be complete on schedule for my birthday.

K x

Knitting, Knitting Everywhere

If you're not interested in viewing copious images of knitting, please look away now...

This evening I popped into Tramway to see the culmination of the knitting project. As today was International Women's Day the building was open from 10am to 10pm with 100 different events happening throughout the day, from music to readings and performance. The building was absolutely festooned with knitting, which seemed to be covering every surface. I couldn't believed how much there was - it was pretty overwhelming (in a nice way).

Knitting...

... was wrapped around the pillars and hanging from the roof...

...was used as a backdrop for performance and as a screen to project images onto...

...hung on walls and around corners...

...was being filmed...

...had been made into a rainbow blanket and hung as bunting...

...decorated stairways...

... and formed a backdrop for performance.

(this lady was walking slowly down the stairs with a small boy behind her, to ensure that her long sleeves did not catch on the handrail!)

I was so glad I had taken part in the event by knitting and stitching together. Seeing all the knitting was just amazing. One of my favourite bits was the wall with letters sent in by people who had contributed knitting.

Reading the letters was genuinely moving and I was quite teary-eyed reading about all the people from all over the world who had contributed - individuals, knitting groups and family members who knitted together. I really think that the knitting community must be one of the nicest groups you can find. Like most crafts it is often under-valued, but there is something very special about a piece of knitting, whether a garment or a knitted square, that someone has taken the time and care to create. I felt so proud to be a knitter and very privileged to have been involved.

K x

If you're wondering what will happen to it all after the event, the knitting will be donated / sold to benefit 5 charities that help women.

Stitching for International Women's Day

This weekend I've spent a good few hours (5, to be exact) stitching together knitted and crocheted squares. The venue was the Tramway in Glasgow and my stitching was part of a project to make a blanket for International Women's Day, with 100 million stitches to represent 100 million women who are estimated to be missing from the world today due to violence and gender discrimination. You can find out more about the project here.

I had previously knitted some squares for the project and there were hundreds requiring to be sewn together. Normally I hate sewing up pieces of knitting but I really enjoyed contributing to the project and the time just flew in. It was lovely to think of all the love and care which had been put into making all the squares and it was such a nice atmosphere to be in. I will be returning to Tramway on Tuesday evening to see the knitting displayed, so there will be even more photos to come...

Squares.... 

Strips of Squares (Mine and Emma's!) 

Partly made blankets 

Our workstation 

Bags of squares 

Wall of squares 

 Another partly-made blanket

 

And finally! Some more boxes of Squares

A Gift of Vintage Knitting Patterns

When I got home from work yesterday, I was absolutely delighted to open an envelope full of vintage knitting patterns. The sender of the patterns was an elderly lady who I've never met, the mother of the cat breeder who bred our Siamese kitten that we got a few months ago (the reason we ended up getting a pedigree Siamese cat is another story!). The cat breeder, Ann, was very interested to hear that I was a knitter and also that I liked vintage patterns.

Ann also knitted and told me that her mother had a great collection of vintage patterns, and that I should give her mum a ring. This I did - we had a great chat about knitting, and she promised to send me some patterns in the post. And look what I got!

Some lovely lace sweaters;

(I don't know what is going on with this lady - she looks like she has left the hanger in that jumper, or she is wearing some serious shape wear!) 

A Wendy vintage knitting pattern book;

A few of the patterns from the Wendy book;

 Fantastic fitted cable cardigan with a collar

I love the effective use of knit stitch on this cardigan 

Really cute top for the summer - I like the deep ribbing at the collar

The only problem is going to be trying to add these to my already busy knitting and sewing schedule. I actually don't have too much experience knitting with vintage patterns - I've made some Nordic mittens but that's it I think. I know that some can be quite minimal with the instructions but these look ok, particularly the Wendy ones. 

Have you had any good or bad experiences with vintage knitting patterns?

K x