Our New Needle Conversion Chart

Alison worked her butt off tracking down all of the different sizes of needles (knitting & crochet) over the last few months. She put all of this information together to make life a little easier when we are posting patterns and trying to figure out the modern needle/hook equivalents.

This chart (in pdf format) can be downloaded by clicking this link, or by visiting the Vintage Needle Sizing Charts page.

As we were going over the list, we realized that there is no info listed from the 1940s. That means Alison has a lot more digging to do.

Partying On - Crochet Party Dress Update

Sleeves are complete! The skirt is coming along nicely. The pattern is easy. I find that I cannot stop in the middle of a row, otherwise I get turned around and head back in the direction I just crocheted - which makes the skirt a little lopsided - not a good look.

I was surprised at the waistline that showed up. I hadn't expected there to be much of a defined waistline with this pattern. But the waist pulls in and should look great when worn.

The top photo shows the dress with 67 rows completed on it. I have used all of the taupe yarn (all 315 yards of it) on the sleeves and the skirt.

A closeup of the waistline and top of the skirt. 

There are 9 more rows to complete the skirt. I'm really looking forward to finishing the dress. This has been a great project. It has gone fast - I haven't completed a project this fast EVER; it doesn't have side seams - I'm not great at seaming yet; and the pattern stitches change just enough that it is not a pain to memorize, but they hold my interest. 

I can't wait to have a finished project to show.

Happy Crocheting!

It's a Bodice!

I've been trying to work on the Crocheted Party Dress as much as possible. After a couple of days of working on an event for the little one's school, I'm back to crocheting.

The bodice of the Crocheted Party Dress. 35 rows completed.

Crocheted Party Dress - Motivation

When Alison first sent me pattern for the Crocheted Party Dress, I knew I had to make it. But it was a big project - an entire dress - and I hadn't ever started, let alone completed, a big garment before. Still, I knew at some point I would make this dress. The best part is that is's a crochet pattern with worsted weight/light worsted weight yarn, so it would make up relatively fast.

25 rows completed. Once the bodice and skirt are completed the sleeves are added.

The dress is working up pretty quickly, even if I'm a slow crocheter. The lace pattern is easily memorized. I like that a lot!

I purchased a 1 pound mill end of off white Caron Simply Soft online for next to nothing. I knew at the time that I don't particularly like working with the yarn, but it looks so pretty made up that I had to buy it. That mill end turned out to be the perfect yarn in my stash to make dress.

Out shopping one afternoon, we were talking about the dress and how cool it would look if it were an ombre instead of a solid color dress. We picked up a skein of coral and taupe yarns. I am hopeful that I can get the dress to turn out like I envision it in my head.

I am using the postings of my progress as motivation. I want to be able to show my progress on the dress each time I post an update. I'm not always so good at completing projects, so I have to find motivation where I can.

The original dress.

Happy crocheting!

Bestway Hats - New hat finished (knit)

So it's been awhile since we posted anything to the blog.... School ended, summer started and things went crazy from there.

I recently had a small chunk of time to make a hat. I was going a little crazy not knitting. I'm pretty sure my family would have encouraged me to knit more often if they knew how much I like doing it and how much it helps focus & relax me.

From the Bestway hat Three Hats pattern is The Cossack Hat. It is knit in bulky weight yarn, so it goes pretty fast. The vintage English needle sizes work out to a modern 10.5US (6.5mm). This was a quick project, small enough that I could throw it in my purse and work on it when I had to take the boys to some sports practice or another.

The pattern called for a vintage yarn: Sirdar Supreme, a bulky weight wool yarn. After hours and hours of searching, we couldn't find any info on this yarn online. I had a bright orange (safety orange) acrylic yarn that was re-purposed from an unfinished project that I had been given. While I think that the hat would work better in a wool or wool blend yarn, I didn't have to go out and buy any more yarn. That was exactly what I needed - no new yarn.

The first two pics show the color closest to what it actually is - though it probably doesn't matter since we aren't selling the old, re-purposed yarn.

As soon as I visit Alison and take some pics, we will post pics of the hat on a real, live person. My sad little styrofoam hat head doesn't do this cute little hat justice. Stay tuned!

Happy knitting!