Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Learn How to Add a Vintage Touch to Your Knit Wardrobe

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vintage design workshop

Ane is the winner.

Lots of knitters love to use vintage knitting patterns or to work from patterns that are inspired by the patterns of the past. Vintage patterns tend to have less ease and more details and shaping than many of the patterns of today, and they can be really fun to knit but are not without challenges.

The patterns of the past didn’t include the level of detailed instructions you will find today, to the point that it can even be difficult to find compatible yarn or to understand what size of garment the original pattern would make.

Vintage Design Workshop is an amazingly detailed and inspiring book for vintage knit fashion lovers. Geraldine Warner takes you through all the steps to understand and work from vintage patterns, from where to find patterns to how to choose yarn, adjusting width, length, armholes and sleeves, necklines and stitch patterns.

All that would be plenty, but there’s also a trove of information on adjusting modern patterns to have a more vintage feel, from adding shaping and changing sleeves to adding shoulder pads, buttons and Fair Isle motifs, to name just a few.

A full dictionary of patterns for sleeves, collars, necklines, pleats, pockets, cuffs, trims and edgings makes it possible to modify any pattern to have a vintage feel.

I should mention there are no full garment patterns in this book, so you need to be comfortable with adjusting patterns and/or writing your own to get the most out of this book.

Sound interesting? I’m giving away my copy this week, so leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, July 30, if you’d like a chance to win it. I’d love to know what you like about vintage patterns or if you’ve ever knit from a vintage pattern before. There’s a project in my colorwork book, the slip stitch tweed top, that feels vintage to me in style, color and pattern, but it’s not strictly vintage.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  1. Many of my patterns date from the fifties to the seventies so probably are considered vintage! I return to them again and again, especially baby cardigans as I like their style better than modern patterns.

  2. I’ve knit from Seventies patterns, but would love to adapt some from earlier. This book looks helpful!

  3. I looove vintage style! One of my favourite things to knit and wear are shrugs, which also seem to be quite a usual pattern to find in vintage pattern books 😀

  4. I love vintage it gives me a timeless look and fine yarns to use, I like to use natural yarns and want wear from the time I take creating, I’m not looking at throwaway fashion. Many vintage patterns are more like dressmaking in the way darts and seams are used in structure allowing you to be forgiving to areas and highlight others. Couture at my price.

  5. I haven’t knit from vintage patterns. I like the style, so would love to try some.

Have you read?

Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]