Vintage patterns and the search for discontinued yarns

The beauty and pain of working with vintage patterns is that they require a little love and work before you’ve even started swatching and knitting. And math. Oh the math.

We get often get asked about the discontinued yarns. The yarn companies are often long gone by the time we find the pattern and decide to make it. We want to know how much yarn we need to buy at the start of the project so we don't have the match dye lots, or worse, try to find a substitute yarn for the substitute yarn. This means a little research is needed to find a substitute modern yarn.

The research I do to find the correct yarn weight and estimate yarn yardage generally consists of:

• An online search of the name of the discontinued yarn. This usually leads me to the Purple Kitty Discontinued Yarn Chart site (https://purplekittyyarns.com/discontinued-yarn). 

• I also take a look at the Vintage yarn wiki to see if we have the yarn info listed there (https://vintageyarn.fandom.com/wiki/VintageYarn_Wiki). Alison posts information on yarn as she finds it in the vintage pattern books or when she finds vintage yarn in thrift stores. You can add vintage yarn info as you come across it in real life.

• I’ve also found that using the Bing search engine often provides better search results on vintage yarns than other search engines. I don’t know why it works better it just does.

• An Etsy search for the yarn.

• A search on eBay for the specific yarn. It’s amazing how often I find the yarn I am searching for, for sale on eBay.

• A Ravelry search for both the yarn manufacturer and the specific yarn. There’s a lot of good information entered by users.

• A search for similar types of patterns to find the yardage requirements for the specific pattern.

If I can’t find information for the yarn, I am searching for I head over to the Craft Yarn Council’s website to look at their Standard Yarn Weight System. I’ve been able to figure out the yarn weight based on the knitting needle or crochet hook size and/or the swatch gauge of the pattern. While this will not give the yardage needed for a pattern, at least I have an idea of what weight yarn to use (https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-weight-system).

For example, we were looking for information on Spinnerin Sparkle Twist yarn. I couldn’t find any info online regarding the yarn. I visited most of the sites listed above, and still came up with nothing. After looking at the Standard Yarn Weight System, I figured that the yarn was a lace or super fine yarn (0 or 1) based on the size of the crochet hook used. I then went to the Purple Kitty site, saw that the yarn would likely be a Category “A” yarn, and that the average yarn yardage for that category was 175 yards. It varied from 145 to 200+ yards per skein. The pattern called for 11-13 skeins of yarn, so I multiplied 175 yards of yarn by 11 skeins and came up with 1,925 yards of yarn.

That’s my process for estimating yardage for vintage yarn and patterns.

Happy needling!

Ladies Three-Quarter Sleeve Cardigan - The Beginning

The yarn has been calling to me for a year and a half. I finally had to start the project.

I inherited a stash of almost vintage yarn from a friend of my mom’s. There are plenty of yarns in the stash that were really nice and colors and weights that I want to make things (sweaters, hats, vests) with. There were a couple of yarns in the stash that I didn’t particularly like, but for some reason couldn’t get rid of them. Something about them made me want to hang on to them and use them together in a project. It’s the weirdest thing. 

I don’t really like the color of one of the yarns in this new project, but I liked it with the second color of yarn. I’m not sure they even go well when put together. But there you go, I couldn’t get rid of the yarn, so I had to come up with something that would use both yarns in a single project. 

Bernat Berella & Unger Utopia yarns.

I was clicking through our patterns one morning and came across this pattern, the 1950s Three Quarter Sleeve Cardigan Sweater - Knit pattern. The pattern called for mohair yarn, but I don’t enjoy working with mohair yarn…it’s almost impossible to rip out stitches when I mess up stitches.

1950s Three Quarter Sleeve Cardigan Sweater - Knit pattern PDF 0858

I started with a swatch to test the pattern. I hadn’t done a slip stitch pattern before and I couldn’t figure out how the stitches were going to work together to create the design. It turns out the pattern rows are easily memorized and even easier to knit.

Test swatch, using scrap yarn.

The yarns were perfect for the jacket. It’s pretty neat looking in-person. Using the darker yarn as the secondary color means that the color pops look more like shadows - they are subtle.

I have 4 skeins of the lighter/main color and 3 skeins of the darker/contrast color. I searched online and could not find any yardage information for the Bear Brand Curlicue or the Fleisher’s Curlette yarns. That isn’t too surprising. Back in the olden days, yardage wasn’t generally included on the label. The original yarns were worsted weight. Here's a link to theVintage Yarn Wikia page for info on yarn information we've run across over the years.

The pattern calls for 11 ounces of the main color and 6 ounces of the contrast color.  I have 14.10 ounces of the light and 10.5ounces of the dark yarns.  Here’s hoping I have enough to make the sweater.

Slip stitch pattern.

The project details:

• Yarn 1: Unger Utopia, Color: 171, 100% Courtelle Acrylic, 240 yards/skein.
• Yarn 2: Color: Bernat Berella, Color: 8815/Antq Rose, 100% Acrylic, 200+ yards/skein.
• Needles: 8 US. Chaiogoo Stainless Steel.
• Gauge: 5 sts = 1 inch (per the pattern).

I should have pics of the started project shortly. Fall baseball has started and we have some Saturday games where I will have to be knitting to calm my nerves.

Happy Knitting!

 

The Thoroughbred Swing Coat - Sleeves and Fronts

I decided to try something I hadn’t tried before, for the sleeves and fronts with this sweater: I knit the sleeves and fronts two-at-a-time (TAAT) on a long circular needle. The sleeves were knit on the same cable, bottom to top. The fronts were knit two-at-a-time to the point that the raglan decreases started. I then moved one of the front pieces to a second circular needle and finished each front piece on their own. I couldn't wrap my head around decreasing the sleeve stitches while knitting the TAAT. Since the majority of the fronts were already finished, the knitting of the separate pieces went really fast.

Back, Sleeves, Fronts

I thought the TAAT method would work for me because I would finish both pieces at the same time, and not be left with one front or one sleeve with one of each still to go. [No second sock syndrome. You can look it up, it's a real thing in knitting]. It’s a bit daunting for me to see half of the project completed and know I still another sleeve or front to knit. I had to make sure that I completed both pieces on the circulars when I was knitting. I worked across both pieces across the circulars so that I never put down the needles with only one of the two pieces knit.  It was difficult to return to the sweater with one side knitted, and the other one waiting to be knit, as I discovered. I ended up working on one side two times in a row while leaving the other side dangling waiting to be knit.

Start of Two-at-a-Time Fronts

Fronts completed to beginning of decreases.

Because I was having problems remembering and tracking where I was in the pattern I decided to create little reminders that I attached to the front and back of each piece to remind me of the stitch pattern for that side. I used my word processing program to make the slips of pattern, cut out the pattern snippets, and laminated each of them. I then punched a hole in the corner of the laminated piece and used a locking stitch marker to attach it to the pieces. It saved my behind more than a couple of times – especially when I had to put the sweater down for an extended period of time. It was easy to come back and see what row I had completed. 

Front with my pattern info attached.

Those little laminated tags are my new favorite thing about knitting. I will always have my pattern with me, and I know what I am supposed to be working on, even after setting down my projects for long lengths of time. It's a little goofy. But it sure works.

Happy knitting!

Spinning Wheel / Tumbling Blocks / Illusion Afghan - a Finished Afghan

We have a picture of a finished afghan made from the Spinning Wheel / Tumbling Blocks / Illusion afghan pattern.

Nicole Bush sent us pics of her son's new afghan:

From Nicole:

It took me just under 3 months to make (between work and meetings). I had to read the pattern a couple of times to get the diamond just right (my first two diamonds were wonky!) and in the end I drew a hand diagram of the stitches to make sure it was even, then it was smooth sailing....

My tips:

• Read the pattern carefully as it can be tricky,
• If you follow diagrams better, sketch the diamond while you read it, and
• Be patient.

The pattern charted out.

(Due to camera and lighting weirdness, the colors are different on some of the pics.)

Motifs joined.

My son picked the colors, the walls of his room are orange and chocolate brown, and the inside of his closet and furniture is the beige. His floor is chocolate brown wood and the same color chocolate shag carpet beside his bed. The search was on for the right colors. I used almost 2 of the large balls for each color and it fits a twin size bed.

I did NOT block the blanket or any of the motifs.

Row complete.

Our thanks to Nicole for sending us her pics. Her afghan is a work of art. 

It can sometimes be difficult to picture what a vintage pattern will look like when made with modern yarn. Generally, the vintage patterns uses teeny tiny yarns because that was what was available. We have heavier yarns that work up faster. The difference in color choices also makes a difference in how the patterns look. The colors of Nicole's afghan give a retro look to a vintage pattern. 

We love seeing what people are making with our patterns. So send us your pics of completed projects.

Happy crocheting!

Free Pattern Download - 2 Purses from the 1930s (crochet)

It's time to start making a purse, or two. We have two great crochet purse patterns from the 1930's. Both have puffy stitches that will make a stylish, one-of-a-kind purse. Made out of a shimmer yarn, they would be terrific for an evening out.

Supplies you will need are: Tower Brand Guimp is the yarn from the pattern, #3 and #4 crochet hooks, & slide fastener.

Click on our Free Pattern Downloads page to download the pattern.

Happy crocheting!

Modern Substitutions for Nomotta Ruban d'Art Ribbon Yarn

Alison found a few booklets by Nomotta, featuring patterns made with their Ruban d'Art yarn. It's a vintage and discontinued yarn. We wanted to make a pattern or two from the booklet, but didn't have any Ruban d'Art - until Alison found some on eBay and won an auction for 10 spools of black. The color isn't ideal for making projects and posting the pictures online, but we decided to pair it with a modern ribbon yarn (which turns out is also a discontinued yarn). More info on that as I finish the Jiffy Knit Sweater and start on a ribbon yarn project.

When I first went looking for modern equivalents to the ribbon yarn, I didn't know what size ribbon yarn I was supposed to be looking for.

Once we had the spools in hand, I wanted to show what the weave of the ribbon looks like. It makes looking for a substitute ribbon yarn so much easier when you have an idea of what the original yarn looked like.

The Ruban d'Art looks like a lightweight rayon taffeta fabric, without selvedge edges. The edges are "fused" so the yarn is the same weight and thickness across. It is about 5mm wide.

Happy crafting!

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.

My hat is jinxed

Have you ever felt that a project, no matter how great you think it will turn out, is jinxed? My rolled brim cloche is one of those projects. I know I made one in the past year, but after cleaning my sewing and knitting spaces (really cleaning not just a pretend cleaning), I could not find it. So I started another one out of the taupe yarn leftover from the first cloche. But in a massive lapse in judgment I left it sitting out one night and the cats got to it and pretty much destroyed it. The indoor cats almost became outdoor cats the morning I discovered that they had thrown a shredding party with my hat.

So, I started on hat number 3. Number 3. New yarn, new needles, new project bag to store it in. Hat #3 took a little longer than the other ones. I think the pattern may have worn me down a little. But I finally prevailed over the hat, the yarn, and the cats. I haven't had much luck taking a picture of myself wearing it, and my sons definitely will not wear it for a picture. So for the time being, we are offering a picture of the finished hat sitting on my ironing board. 

Taaa-daaaa!

 

Along the way, I took some photos of the hat. The hat starts off knit back and forth, then it is seamed before the "brim" portion is knit in the round.

The back seam being stitched together.

Front view after the back seam had been stitched.

Top view of the unfinished hat.

So, the lesson learned on this project. Always put things away when you are done working or playing with them. Geez, that sounds an awful lot like what I tell the boys 30 times a day.

Rayon Straw Hat - 1960s Hats & Purses Pattern Strikes Again

This is another hat from the 1960's Hats and Purses pattern. This is view C (the easy version).

What's terrific about this hat is that it was made using yarn from my stash. No yarns were purchased to make this hat. I was poking around in my boxes of yarn, trying to find yarn that I was willing to part with for my son's Project Linus contribution, and I found the spools of Rayon Straw Yarn. We had purchased the spools a couple of years ago, then I decided to abandon the project I was working on for some reason.

This is the Rayon Straw Yarn I used to make the hat.

Bernat 100% Rayon Straw Yarn from BagsandBows.com

Close-up of center crown.

The hat worked up really quickly into a form fitting hat.

I will be heading home to see my family, and will give the hat to Alison who will test the hat for comfort, durability and color-fastness. She can provide a full report on her findings once she completes her job as my crash-test dummy. I know she will be so excited to contribute a blog post. Yay sis!

Happy crocheting!

A Hat from My Stash Yarn - That's How Started, Anyway

When Alison showed me the picture of these three hats, from this pattern, I knew I had to make one or two of them. The one in the center was just so dang cute - it had to be my first project from the pattern. The only caveat for making these hats was that the yarn has to come from my stash. I am not buying any new yarn. I have full and partial skeins galore. More yarn than I will ever make into hats to wear or to sell, even if I live to be 150 years old. That's how it started, anyway.

The pattern calls for a straw-like yarn,
which is difficult to find and expensive.

We had to go to a craft store to get supplies for a middle school project. I happened to notice that they had yarn on sale. We decided to get a skein of yarn to donate to his leadership class - they are learning to crochet in order to make squares for an afghan or two to donate to a local organization. Since we were buying a skein for school, I decided I would get one for myself as well. So I have a pretty summer green hat. So much for using up my yarn stash.

This is the easy version of the All-American hat. I decided not to do the loops on this hat since I'm not much of a loop-wearing gal. The color of the hat in the top is closest to the actual color.

So these cute little hats are crocheted. Great, that means fast and easy. The picture shows a fun brimmed hat. That's the beginner level of the hat. The advanced level features a crown made of looped crochets. I wanted to make the looped crochet crown, but I didn't have enough of the grey yarn. Those little loops eat up a lot of yarn.

I started the looped crown, just to see what it would look like. I didn't have enough yarn to finish, so I took these pics then ripped it out and going work to the beginning level hat. The crown is made of non-looped crochet fabric. Then we went to the craft store, and I found my green yarn. And the dark grey yarn was no longer a great fit for the pattern.

There are a bunch of different methods to make the crocheted loops. I used this video to see how to make the loop stitch.

Close-up of the pattern stitches.

I had hoped to use my stash. But I love this kicky spring color. You can find the pattern in our store.

Happy crocheting!

Shrug from the Modern Twin Set Pattern

Alison found this really cool cotton yarn at a thrift store. It was vintage Vendome yarn: Vendome Raps 100% cotton yarn. While we haven't found much information about this yarn, we decided that I should make something with it. The color is amazing; it's a beautiful green, a little emerald, a little leaf. A lotta fabulous. Generally, I hate working with cotton yarn. Most days I would rather poke out my eye with a knitting needle than work with cotton. But this yarn is different. It was soft, didn't dry out my hands, and looks so pretty made up - it has a bit of a shine.

Vendome Raps 100% cotton yarn.

With the yarn in hand, we had to find a pattern that would work for the weight and the amount of yarn we had. We decided to go with the shrug from the Modern Twin Set pattern. The Shrug required 6 ounces of a worsted weight yarn. With the holidays coming, we decided that the Modern Twin Set shrug would be the perfect pattern for this color and this yarn. (The color is all over the place in these pics. My little camera was having such a rough day - it couldn't decide where to focus. The color in the pic above is the closest to the actual color.)

Shrug in progress. Lifelines in use.

I was excited about the shrug, so I started knitting. It went pretty fast. It is a 2 x 2 rib, so mistakes are easy to identify and easy to fix. I added lifelines because I sometimes forget to look back on what I have just knit to make sure everything is in pattern. I don't mind fixing stitches, but I don't want to drop back to the beginning of the project because I don't  use my crochet hook to stop the stitches from raveling back to the beginning.

Knitting completed. Now it's just waiting to be sewn up.

Now I have to seam the shrug sleeves together. I'm a little nervous about it. I am looking at videos and websites trying to figure out what type of seaming to use. I will post pics once I have finished it.

Bound off edge - done in 2 x 2 pattern.
I used a stretchy bind off so the back will stretch,
and hopefully not distort, when the shrug is worn.

Happy knitting!

Kristen