Thursday, May 17, 2012

Vintage knitting pattern: 1954 Mother & Daughter Shrug

I don't know about you, but I have had shrugs and boleros on my mind lately!

As the weather finally seems to be staying nicer and I creep closer to rotating my closet (yay for seeing pretty spring and summer fashions that have been hidden away for months!), I've been thinking about what cover ups I like to pair with my not-too-cold weather clothes. I have a multitude of boxy cardigans, but lately I've been really wearing a couple of my favorite boleros the most. I love that they're just a bit less bulky and nip in at the waist, which is perfect with dresses. I really need more of them in my life!

So I thought what better time to share a vintage shrug knitting pattern? (Though I think of this as more of a bolero, but that may just be me.)

This one comes from my somewhat tattered copy of a Fleischer's knitting book called Cardigans... Cardigans... Cardigans. Half the cover is missing but I was able to date it from another eBay listing as being published in 1954.


There are a few things I like about this pattern. It's knit in fingering weight (or sock or 4-ply, depending on where you're from) at 8 stitches an inch, so it wouldn't be too bulky for spring or cool summer days to throw on over a blouse or sun dress. It has dolman sleeves which I adore in boleros, and it's knit flat in one piece. Because it's in stockinette, it would be a relatively quick knit. Although due to the shaping, I definitely don't think it would be a mindless knit.

Plus there's a child-sized version, too! Of course if I'd really been thinking ahead, I would have posted this on Mother's Day. ;)

The other thing I think is really fun is the recommendation to finish it with braid or bead trimming. What a great way to use up some vintage trim in your stash! I think it would be lovely with a design done in cording, too. I'm not sure the technical name for this, but I have some sewn on one of my shrugs and it's very smart looking. I'm always inspired to try it myself.


I hope you enjoy this pattern, too!

Download: 1954 Mother and Daughter Shrug (pdf)



17 comments:

  1. This adorable! It makes me want to go buy some yarn and pick up my knitting needles... But then I remember that I don't really have the patience for knitting ;) maybe I need to to practice so I get faster at it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You don't have to be fast to enjoy it! Just go at your own pace. Sometimes I knit fast, sometimes really slow. :)

      Delete
  2. Cardigans, cardigans, cardigans was the first vintage knitting book I ever bought, the day I came home from my first knitting class. I've always wanted to knit this up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was looking on Etsy for a bolero to pair with a retro-esque maternity dress and saw this. It looks really familiar to the pattern above. Cool! http://www.etsy.com/listing/90867901/vintage-1950s-ivory-bolero-sweater?ref=sr_gallery_10&ga_search_query=bolero+sweater&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_min=0&ga_max=0&ga_order=price_asc&ga_page=3&ga_search_type=all

    ReplyDelete
  4. very cute! Now I just wish my waist "nipped in" like the one in the catalogue! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  5. ~ * ♥ * ~

    Wow, thanks so much for sharing this Tasha! My favorite cardigan is very similar in shape ~ kind of the rounded edge bolero length, but it's getting a bit shabby so I was thinking that I'd have to try finding a pattern like it! This is close and is definitely cute. I think I have my next project! : )

    xox,
    bonita of Depict This!
    ~ * ♥ * ~

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is by-the-by, but...my printer is on the fritz. I really wanted the bolero pdf pattern, so I hooked my Kindle up with its usb cord and downloaded. It worked great! The thing will accept pdf files.
    I got greedy and downloaded a bunch of free knitting and embroidery pattern books from Project Gutenburg.
    My Kindle fits right in the old knitting bag. I can enlarge the text size, the better to see the intructions. This is probably old news to you, but I am feeling cuttin' edge tonight!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is a really great pattern. Thanks. I'll have to try this out and see how it goes.

    ReplyDelete
  8. So funny, just this past Sunday I started crocheting a summer-weight cape, and have a backlog of bolero and shrug patterns that I am dying to get to! I can't get enough-especially since I can't seem to find any that I like either in the thrift stores here or the regular shops!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ooohh I love it! I've always wanted to knit matching sweaters for me and my little one...

    ReplyDelete
  10. I adore shrugs and cropped cardis (they tend to work really well on my short figure, as standard sized cardis are sometimes cut a bit long and end up hitting me too low on the hip), and wear them very often. If I was a knitter, I'd want to whip up one of these lovely shrugs for myself right away (no mini mes to dress yet either, but perhaps a super tiny, modified version could be made for the kitty? ;D).

    Wishing you a stellar weekend, dear gal!
    ♥ Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  11. This gave me an idea to revamp something in my closet when I get back from Spain.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for sharing this! I honestly have not really given shrugs much thought, even though I think they can be terribly practical and useful in the retro wardrobe (or just in general, actually). I think because I worked in retail around the time shrugs were big in the early '00s, and there were some truly awful versions of the shrug out there! lol. Scarred me for life. ;) haha. But I really love this pattern because it's a bit longer than some shrugs I've seen, and I love the sleeves. Downloaded to save for future knitting!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Adorable! Thank you for sharing so many great patterns!

    ReplyDelete

I love your comments, they make my day! :)

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...