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Knit It Again, Sam

by Maddy Cranley

How easily an old song or melody can trigger certain memories in us no matter how many times we may hear them. As knitters, we never seem to tire of playing just two "notes" - knit and purl. Although, once we twist and turn and slip and pass over those two stitches, we find we have enough compositions to knit for a lifetime. The knitter's "sheet music" was often chosen from among pattern leaflets tucked into those wobbly wire revolving racks or rescued from a messy pile of booklets scattered on a table at the back of the store.

I still have the pattern from which I knit my first sweater - a yellow wool cardigan. It's from a booklet that featured six basic styles for double knitting yarn - three cardigans plus three pullovers, each featuring a different neck styling and all for the grand sum of 35 cents! It can also be a sentimental journey looking back through these old patterns, finding scraps of notepaper printed with addresses long since left behind or telephone numbers no longer in service, scribbled next to row counts in a very familiar child's handwriting.

Since this is the time of the year that many of us take to the highways to visit our hometowns or to gather with family and friends at a country cottage, these are great opportunities to rummage through drawers and attics to see if any old knitting pattern treasures have been left behind. Driving to and from our destinations, we pass flea markets, tag sales and yard sales - all of which can be a gold mine for old knitting books and manuals. If you have managed to gather some vintage patterns, there are still a couple of hurdles to overcome before you decide to knit. First, ignore the bad hair days and the Lana Turner poses displayed by the models in the photographs. The presentation is certainly dated but the garments are often classic styles. If you take note of the current fashion color palette and the popular fashions yarns, such as chenille or multi-colored dyed yarns, you will have the opportunity to change a somewhat old-fashioned looking garment into an up-to-date fashion statement. Second, unless you want to dig out a panty girdle along with those old knitting patterns, pay careful attention to sizing as the older measurements tend to be shorter, tighter and more close-fitting. To begin, read the pattern carefully to determine the yarn weight required and check needle sizes as they may vary. The country in which the pattern was printed will let you know if you should be verifying the needle size on a US or English chart. Knit a sample swatch in your chosen yarn to confirm the needle size and that you have obtained the stated gauge. Measure a sweater you now wear that is of a comfortable body width and length, armhole depth and sleeve length, then compare it to those measurements listed in the pattern. If you cannot find any local sources for old patterns, try one of these interesting web sites - www.yesterknits.com/ located in Scotland, carries a terrific selection of old patterns, many from Paton's Baldwin and Templeton. Don't miss the Silly Page at this site! Check out www.oldpatterns.com/ Patterns From The Past which also has an interesting list of knitting books and leaflets, many from the 1930's and 40's. So don't pass up a chance to look at these old patterns as it is a great way to build up a pattern library and take advantage of all the wonderful stitches and techniques that have been created in these designs. For new knitters, these patterns will give you a view of the enduring history that knitting enjoys and learn that it truly is a craft with a "past".

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© 2002 Maddy Cranley. All Rights Reserved. Maddy Cranley is a professional knitwear designer, who has created exclusive designs for knitting and craft magazines, authored three popular books on the subject of creating felt garments and projects from handknitting and publishes a line of maddy laine handknitting patterns. For further information, contact www.maddycraft.com.


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