National Knitting Week

[callmemadam]

I can’t even remember how I know it’s National Knitting Week; there can’t have been much publicity. A quick Google search featured Knitting magazine and not much else. For us knitters, every week is knitting week so I should have thought the aim would be to get more people knitting? I decided to mark the event by featuring some vintage patterns from my recent Stitchcraft haul.




Pre-war elegance.



A knitted romper suit for the beach, 1938. Stitchcraft continued to feature beachwear during the war, which is surprising.



‘A coat for your dog’ in three sizes. Four breeds were featured. Wartime issues featured ‘service knitting’ every month, like the sweater below.





‘Who would have thought that in 1941 we’d be wearing woollen stockings?’ Here they are:



Cosy! I'm a great fan of woolly tights but I don't think I'll be making these.

Comments

[aellia.livejournal.com]

I remember having a knitted bathing suit. Oh,but it went such a strange shape in the water!
Those stockings wouldn't look out of place today.
Lovely patterns

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I knitted a swimming costume for my doll. Never had a knitted one myself but the regulation black ones must have had wool in them, they held so much water. Ugh!

Love that icon.

[aellia.livejournal.com]

The woman in the icon looks just like my mum :-)
I love the way her mouth is fixed in concentration

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

This is full of win. The dog coat! Knitskrieg!!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Glad you think so!

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Those patterns look dated but actually there's a lot in the mags that you could wear now.

[dorianegray.livejournal.com]

Those stockings look great, and I bet the pattern would be easily adaptable to knee-high socks (which I wear a lot).

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

I've looked at several of the patterns for stockings, wondering, but they're all designed for two needles. Imagine the seam! I might see if I could adapt some of the sock and stocking patterns for four needles. I do like the clocks.

[dorianegray.livejournal.com]

Two needles? How odd!

[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

Lovely things! The stockings look fun, although I wouldn't wear them.

National Knitting Week is something started by Knitting magazine a few years ago. They're a rival publication, so neither of our titles are allowed to get involved.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

All becomes clear; thank you!

The stockings are strangely groovy and there's lots more similar patterns.

[(Anonymous)]

GeraniumCat here, not signed in because I'm reading this on the move (I'm on the TRAIN...) and everything is much too slow. But I couldn't resist adding that the modern take on the dog coat is the knit-your-own-dog book that recently featured in Cornflower's blog: http://cornflower.typepad.com/domestic_arts_blog/2010/09/knit-your-own-dog.html

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! And the only sort I'm likely to have. Safe and speedy journey!