Thursday 29 January 2015

Knitting / Sewing: Vintage pledge

I would define my style as classic, bordering pretty much on the conservative side.  Not that I don't like some of the modern trends, but... there's something about a line, a style that has survived decades that just speaks to my sartorial endeavours.  If I'm to invest in good fabrics, in time to take measurements, to pin down, to baste, and then finally to sew, I don't want the end product to last for a limited time only. Same goes for knitting, selecting wonderful (and expensive!) yarns and spending many an evening learning new and complicated stitches...

And then there's the issue of elegance... Yes, elegant pieces I want to wear - all the time... Even in the most mundane day of all, this is something that is bound to brighten up my world and make me smile.

All this introduction to say that I'm participating in the Vintage Sewing pattern pledge for 2015, hosted by A Stitching Odyssey and Kestrel makes.  After getting over the shock that "vintage" can be as recently as the 1970s (yes, people, I'm that old...), I'm all the more looking forward to it -- having inherited my mother's "Golden needles" encyclopaedia from the 1970s, this is a very good reason to finally get to use some of the patterns therein.

Another very good source is one of the blogs I follow : The Midvale Cottage Post, with plenty of material and patterns from the good old days of the 1920s and 1930s.

Not that I will totally disregard knitting:  since this pledge is also open to vintage knitting, I will indulge myself with one of the best - in  my humble opinion - sources of vintage knitting: A Stitch in Time, by Susan Crawford and Jane Waller, has sat long enough on my nightstand table.  I will now be able to have a go at one of the wonderful designs...

My #vintagepledge:

I, Patty from CraftsEverywhere!, pledge to sew at least 2 vintage patterns and knit at least 1 vintage pattern 

For more information on how you can join, follow this link.

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Knitting: baby booties

While I'm still trying to finish the epic afghan, I took time to quickly whip up this little treasure:



how cute are these??? they take no time at all, and the end result is soooo lovely!!


Using Regia Aquarius Color 6 ply yarn and 4.5mm needles, I followed the Eco baby booties pattern to the letter.  It knits flat and is then assembled.  In half an hour I got one bootie ready and was able to see how it looks like finished (nothing worse if the end result is not what one expects...)

Anyhoo, this will be my friend Patricia's first grandchild and I just wanted to offer a little something to celebrate this addition to her family. I believe these little booties fit the bill perfectly!

Now, do I knit them in another colour as well?

Update 17.01.2015: welcome to the world little Mattis!