Month: October 2020

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, cardigan, knit-a-long, knitting, knitting community, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage knitting, vintage knitting patterns, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage style

All The Cardigans!

Lizzie Violet

Recently, I took an inventory of all of my hand knits. Rather than knit everything I see, I decided it might be a good idea to fill wardrobe holes. You see, the cubbies I use for my knits is bursting and I need to be a lot more selective about what I make. There are two types of garments I am lacking at the moment, summer tops and cardigans. Since winter is approaching, I thought I would get a head start adding some warm, cozy cardigans to the knits.

All of the cardigans I am knitting, have been inspired by some very lovely and talented knitters I follow on Instagram. Thank you Bex, Erica, Amanda and Suzanne! I have finished one of four I plan on making. All will be fairy quick knits since they will be in worsted weight yarn and I’m choosing colours I don’t currently have. Yes! You heard that right, they won’t be black or burgundy… though… one might be red, but a brighter red!

Oh and if you want to join in we are doing a vintage cardigan knit-a-long over in our Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/killerkitschvintagewips

As I mentioned above, I have finished one of the cardigans. Please check out the slide show below. It was a super easy knit, with one exception… the lace instructions were confusing. I read them several times, wrote them out a bunch of different ways, tried knitting them over and over and they came out wrong! I’m an experienced knitter and have knit lace before. I’m especially experienced at knitting vintage patterns and was super frustrated that I couldn’t figure out the lace part. Rather than toss the cardigan aside, I decided to do a cable pattern in the panel instead. I noticed that Suzanne (please click here to follow her Instagram account and see her version) had made a version and her lace came out perfect. I reached out to her and she had the exact same issues I did, however, she persevered and figured out the lace pattern. She has since shared it with me, so I am going to attempt the cardigan again with the lace.

In the end, I really love this pattern. The fit is amazing, it is an easy knit and it’s fast. The next one will be with lace and will likely be a gift. Eventually, I will make a second one for me.

One of my hurrah’s while knitting the Bestway A2900 was, I decided to learn how to make yarn covered buttons! They look complicated, but trust me, they are super easy! Click here for the link to the tutorial I followed.

This isn’t the best photo. This blue is hard to get a picture of. I was using worsted yarn, so it isn’t as defined as if I’d used fingering weight.

The next knit on my list is the Style 110, it’s from Botany Handknit Fashions vol. 10, circa 1957. This is another knit that was inspired by Bex Huland. (click here to follow her on Instagram and see her version) The other knit she inspired was the Denise blouse. She is also my inspiration to FINALLY make trousers!

The Botany cardigan is also in a very fast knit. Bex finished hers in 2 weeks. I’m going to be making mine in purple and instead of adding a floral trim, I’m going to attempt little black bats or if I do decide to go with flowers, they will be either a darker purple or black. There will be an updated blog post when I complete it.

I’ve been wanting to make the Nautical Topper for a really long time. I first saw it when Amanda (click here for her Instagram) knit it as a commission, but it wasn’t until I saw that Erica (click here for her Instagram) had started it and said how fast and easy it was, did I decide to add it to my WIPs list. I’m considering a few different colour combinations, likely in autumn colours rather than the red, blue and white.

I have a lot of knitting on my plate. I will squeeze the cardigans in between Yule knitting. I’m about 50% done my current WIPs for that, but am likely throwing in that cardigan I mentioned. However… I live in Ontario and winter is loooooong! I have plenty of time.

1940s, 1945, pants, sewing, slacks, trousers, vintage, Vintage Community, vintage life, vintage pattern, vintage reproduction, vintage sewing, vintage style

1940s Trousers And The Journey To Get The Right Fit: Toile #2, the wearable version

Lizzie Violet

How much fiddling can a sewist fiddle… before she LOSES HER MIND! I have come to realize that I’m someone who visualizes how something should look in her head and when the thing I’m making doesn’t look exactly like it… I will fiddle with it, until I’m ready to scream. This has been the last two weeks of my trouser adventure. Why, oh why do I do this to myself. I know I’m not alone here. Raise your hand. Come on! Gett’em up!

I raised the waist. I put it back to where it was. I raised the waist. I put it back to where it was. Then I finally talked myself into leaving it where the pattern has it sitting. Why? I’m hight waisted and realized if I put the waist where my current waist is… it will not be flattering. I’m on a weight loss journey and as I do, my waistline will also lower.

I found the pant legs to be way too wide for me. I took 2″ out of the bottom and tapered them up to the knee.

The pattern I chose for this journey is a 1945 Trouser Set B, that I found on Etsy from Eva Dress. I purchased the PDF version of the pattern. The pattern is originally by Vogue (9016), (“Easy to Make”) ‘Slacks with built-up or regulation waist line and choice of long or below-knee length. As the pattern suggests the pattern is incredibly easy to make, how ever you will need to make fit adjustments for the modern figure. I know I have to.

Then…. after more fiddling I was finally happy with the toile. A happy outcome, was I’d lost more weight and the I had to take the toile in. Now happy with it, I cut out the pants. I wasn’t able to make them right away and would wait a week to sew them. Then sew day came…. and I’d clearly lost a few more pounds in the week I waited… because they were slightly too big. I took another inch out to the waist and 2 inches out of the hips and reduced the width of the legs even more.

For the next rendition of these trousers, I am going to use the original pattern. I had to size up from it and now thing the original size will fit me now.

Am I 100% happy with the trousers? Not yet. I’m going to be trying several different styles over the next few months to see what works. It’s my goal to get the perfect fit for the body I have. The next one I am working on is the Loretta shorts. I’m modifying them to be pants. Stay tuned. They will be next.