Vintage knitting pattern find: Patons Knitting Book No. 294

I need a little break from thinking about my birdies blouse sewing project. (Incidentally it dawned on me when I was cutting out the fabric that the birds are sitting on little bird swings, not in bird cages. Even cuter!) One thing I have a ton of is vintage knitting booklets, and I want to start sharing some of my favorite pictures, I think. There are so many precious gems inside! Maybe a regular feature?

Today's vintage knitting pattern find is Patons Knitting Book No. 294.

I have a few Patons Knitting Books and love them. Mine are all probably from the 1940s (they made them through a few decades), published in Melbourne, Australia. They are little delicate things, only about 18 pages or so, with a small handful of patterns in each. One of my most often-worn winter knits is a bonnet I knit from another Patons Knitting Book.

I love the sweater on the cover of this one, "Dorothy". I'm actually using the general contrasting scheme from this in the sweater I'm currently knitting. Mine will have a red body with white yoke and sleeves, with the yoke having fair isle details.

Next up is "Lee".

Don't you love the wavy stripes? There are several vintage patterns that feature this, including the 1945 Your Victory Jumper, a free pattern available through the V&A Museum. (I started a version of that in shades of green aaaaages ago. This post is reminding me I really should get back to it.) It also uses a technique that I love for button bands, a vertically ribbed knit-in band. It's something that was really common in vintage patterns but is fairly rare today. In vintage patterns it was always executed in a more tedious way than necessary, so I tweak it to make it easier. Anyway, this long-sleeved wavy cardigan is something I love but I know I'd never wear it since I seem to own no solid-colored shirts, unlike the fetching lady above. Perhaps as I progress in my sewing I can sew up some solid blouses and then reconsider!

Last but not least, we have "Averil".

I love the little collar on this one, paired with the lace on the sleeves, yoke and panel down the front. Just so pretty and feminine. I think it could easily be modified to have a normal crew-neck for more practical everyday use, and the painstaking 1x1 ribbing going up the sides after the deep ribbed hem could easily be switched to stockinette.

All of the above patterns call for Patons Azalea Wool and Queen Been knitting needles. Doesn't that sound rather dreamy?

One of the things that I love about knitting is that there is so much power in knowing your size and knowing how to make garments work for you. If you know your gauge (which is easy enough to determine, and a lot less time-consuming than sewing up a muslin!), with a little basic math you can make something that fits you perfectly, no matter your size. You can re-size a pattern for heavier or lighter weight yarn, re-shape an armhole or shoulder, change the style or length of a sleeve, length of the body, you name it. I do it all the time.

I wonder if there is any interest out there in a vintage sweater knit-along, at some point? I think I'd have fun hosting. I could share the tricks up my sleeves that help me customize my knitting as well as some pointers geared towards working with vintage patterns. And I'm sure I'd pick up tips from others, too! Maybe something like a fingering weight short-sleeved sweater (that could be tweaked or embellished as desired). A good starting point for those who haven't branched out into garment knitting or knit with thinner yarn much yet, and a good staple for those who have. And the type of garment that would be a great addition to your Spring wardrobe! It would have a fairly slow time-frame. To maybe start in a month or two.

Anyway, just an idea I'm tossing around. I don't know if anyone would actually be interested, though! So please let me know if you like the idea of participating in a vintage sweater knit-along, either by comment or email me at tasha {at} bybumgybolly {dot} com. I think it could be fun!