Just Call Me Ruby

Friday, May 20, 2011

Italia!

Last week was a very exciting week. Gavin, Charlie and I set off for Italy to spend the week with Woolly Wormhead and her family just outside Sant Archangelo in the North East of Italy.

Woolly, Tom and Aran off to a wedding - copyright susan crawford 2011

With four avid photographers, Woolly, Tom, Charlie and myself all armed with our cameras at all times, there have been a LOT of photos to go through. In the end, I've chosen a small selection for the blog that I think sum up our time there.

The camp we stayed at is known as the Mutoid Camp, which is the base for a group of sculptors and artists who make the most amazing pieces out of scrap.


Copyright susan crawford 2011

The sculptures are larger than life and are dotted all around the camp.


copyright susan crawford 2011

This first sculpture is by the lovely Lou, who made us very welcome on the first night of our stay, inviting us to a barbecue she was hosting. Later in the week, Lou was to get married. Unfortunately we had to fly home on the morning of the celebrations which was a real shame.


copyright susan crawford 2011


copyright susan crawford 2011

This huge 'man' is one of a number done by another camp resident, Debbie who makes incredibly detailed and intricate sculptures, particularly for their scale.


copyright susan crawford 2011

This huge beast stands at the entrance to Woolly's plot. Its scale can't quite be appreciated here but it is over 10 feet tall. Many of the sculptures on the camp have been done as communal projects so I unfortunately don't know the details of the artists for all the works I have shown.

Gavin and I slept in Barp which Woolly used to use to get around in. Charlie was in a separate trailer


copyright susan crawford 2011

and Woolly, Tom and Aran were in the 'silver decker bus'


copyright susan crawford 2011

Sant Archangelo is a beautiful, Italian town, which has built up around a walled centre.

This is the view from about two thirds of the way up the hill

This it the beginning of the ancient walls rising above the town.

And of course amazing typically italian streets. I love the shades of green and pistachio, coral, pink and terracotta all blending into each other in this photograph. High up one of these winding streets is a small museum - a button museum! It is a fabulous museum with buttons from 1700s through to current times, and with a huge number from the 1920s-1940s which made me very happy.


copyright susan crawford 2011

The owners made us extremely welcome offering us iced tea and cake whilst we studied the collection and even had a small range of 'overs' from between the 30s and 50s from which I purchased a small number! I'll share these another time though.

One of my favourite day trips was our visit to San Marino, which is only 30 or 40 minutes from Sant Archangelo and rises up on the horizon in front of the camp. It is apparently the oldest republic in the world. It is also very wealthy and very, very pretty. Cars are parked part way down the mountain that is San Marino and then the rest is done on foot. The views are spectacular, stretching across Italy in all directions.


copyright susan crawford 2011

The streets though are very, very steep so I would recommend good walking shoes!


copyright susan crawford 2011


copyright susan crawford 2011

Three year old Aran made light work of all the steep climbs! However you are rewarded at the top with some very nice restaurants and cafes to sit, recover, eat and drink - I'm good at that bit.

Me - copyright woolly wormhead 2011

Charlie - copyright susan crawford 2011

Gavin - copyright susan crawford 2011

Back at camp there was some work to do as Woolly had photography to do for both her forthcoming Bambeanies booklet and also a retrospective she is beginning to work on. I couldn't resist getting involved and taking some photos of Woolly's work myself. A particular sculpture features heavily in Woolly's photos, which is known as the Time Machine - a result of a collaborative project by the Mutoids.

It has many parts, sides and shapes which Woolly has used to great effect. I actually managed to catch her at work when she wasn't looking!

As you can see from the photo above, Woolly persuaded Charlie to do some modelling for her. I took a couple myself in an attempt at Woolly Wormhead style -


copyright susan crawford 2011 - hat woolly wormhead

I will most definitely return to Italy. It was everything I hoped and more, but most of all I want to thank Woolly, Tom and Aran for making us so very very welcome and sharing their little part of Italy with us.

for now
Ruby xx

Friday, May 06, 2011

Pre-order update and Pattern Preview

Due to the popularity of the pre-order offer on A Stitch In Time, Vol 2, we only have a few left where mini skeins will still be part of the pre-order package but I'm happy to announce that the new offer will be:

A signed copy of A Stitch in Time Volume Two
A Susan Crawford project bag
Discount vouchers
PDF preview pattern
All still for £30 + £4 P&P to anywhere in the world.

I'm also holding postage costs down for as long as possible but as we subsidise the postage costs I can never guarantee how long that will remain the price, but for now...

A couple of days ago I released this adorable pattern to all the wonderful people who have kindly pre-ordered A Stitch in Time Volume 2 and this is the pattern that any new pre-orders will also receive as a PDF - "The Jan Sweater"

Jan is knitted in Excelana 4 ply using the shade Powdered Egg. The original design is from 1938. It features a classic boat neck and deep ribbed welt. The lace pattern is very easy to follow particularly as the body is unshaped between the welt and the underarm.

Front and back are worked the same, all in all making this a great introduction to vintage knitting. The boat neck can be left fully open as shown on the photos, or it can be sewn up to suit the wearer's preference.

Photographed, is the beautiful Faye, who modelled for me for the first time recently and was an absolute joy to work with, instinctively understanding the clothes and the eras they were from.

The ear rings and brooch both belonged to my grandmother Ruby, as did the watch that you can just see in the first photo. The scarf and skirt are both vintage finds.

Don't forget there are a handful of pre-order packages left that include the mini skeins if you really wanted to get your hands on those, but I think that Jan makes a very good replacement. Don't you?

for now
Ruby xx

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Bridget's Blunder!

Its difficult at the moment to share much of what is happening as such a lot of what I am doing is checking and rechecking and measuring and calculating so I thought I would share this little poem with you which I found at the back of a 1940s pattern booklet, promoting the famous 'Patonised' wool of the time, and its called 'Bridget's Blunder'

Bridget's Blunder

My story tells of Bridget Whitting

Who loved both plain and fancy knitting,

But though she worked by day and night

Her efforts seldom turned out right.

Friends would say, "Cor! That jumper's posh!"

But when she'd given it a wash,

Instead of snugly fitting Bridget

It seemed more suited to a midget.

One day, when off to see her draper

She saw announced inside her paper

A brand-new wool; was she elated!

For bold as brass the maker stated:-

"This wool's the best that can be got,

It will not shrink, no matter what!"

So Bridget told her woolshop flat,

"I'll have a basinful of that."

And hurried home with glowing cheeks,

But couponless for weeks and weeks.

Soon willing Labour bore its fruit -

A salmon-pinky jumpersuit,

Which Bridget wore with pride o'er-weening

Till, solied and creased, it needed cleaning.

Said B., "It won't take half a wink,

the makers say it cannot shrink."

(But they forgot to say - the wretches! -

That wool made shrinkless sometimes stretches).

'Twas washed; the outcome nearly killed her,

It went three times round Aunt Matilda!

And looked in shade like Aunt Euphemia

Who suffers from acute anaemia.

"That's finished it," wept B., "I'm quitting,

I'm through for good and all with knitting;

I'll write at once to my MP,

about this dire clamity."

Her tale was penned 'midst groans and hisses,

- The MP showed it to his Mrs.

Who said, "That girl should be advised

to stick to wool that's Patonised,

Which, used with reasonable care

Will wash and wash, and wear and wear;

Trust P&B, the leading spinners

Only to turn out certain winners.

Just tell her she's a chump to quit

When there's such lovely wool to knit."

B. took the tip, no longer weeps;

that MP's in his seat for keeps!

I hope you enjoyed Bridget's tale.

for now

Ruby xx

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Why are so many vintage patterns only in one size?

I would very much like to introduce you today to Jen Arnall-Culliford.

Formerly employed by Future Publishing, Jen is now working as a freelance tech editor and has very kindly taken on the task of tech editing A Stitch in Time Vol 2 for me. It is a mountainous task but Jen is the sort of girl who loves a challenge! We work very closely together on every pattern, in our efforts to give the knitter the best pattern possible, without radically altering the design. Jen has agreed to write some blog posts explaining some of the more challenging situations we are encountering and how even so, we are managing to maintain the integrity of the original designs. So over to Jen...

So, why are so many vintage patterns only in one size - or, the challenges of vintage patterns… This is the first in a short series about technical editing of complex knitting patterns.

My background is in chemistry, and one of the things I love about working as a knitting technical editor, is the amount of problem solving, pattern spotting and maths involved. People often think I have a peculiar career path, but to me it makes complete sense! Straight chemistry didn’t provide enough variety for me, but many of the skills I learnt are directly useful in knitting. Writing lab reports so that another chemist can repeat your work uses exactly the same skills as writing a pattern so that another knitter can create the same garment. And likewise, the problem solving that you use when trying to make a natural product in the lab are the same as the problem solving that you apply to charting or grading a knitting pattern. They are, really!

Many of the patterns that will be featured in A Stitch in Time Vol. 2, were originally published in just one size. Susan is working hard on rewriting these patterns to give a range of sizes better suited to modern knitters (this process is known as grading). In most cases, this involves adding extra stitches to widen a piece, and extra rows to add length. For colourwork patterns, this is usually a straightforward process – adding extra motifs to the bands, and then rows between to lengthen. Cable patterns aren’t too complicated either, although sometimes the repeats are wide, and compromises need to be made to allow width increases of less than one pattern repeat. You will no doubt have seen patterns where extra small cables, moss stitch or ribbing are added at the sides of larger garments. It is generally lace patterns that pose a particular problem, and sometimes in these cases, grading a pattern in the traditional way just isn’t possible. The designs use the shape of the stitch patterns in such a way that it is vital to respect the way in which the stitch pattern evolves if you wish to grade larger (or smaller) sizes without losing the most important design features. A stitch pattern that has sloping sides may be used to create any of the shaping that the garment requires, for example at the waist, bust, armhole or neck opening. If you change the point in the pattern where this shaping occurs, then a vital part of the original design is lost.

Many of the lace patterns chosen for A Stitch in Time Vol. 2 use complex motifs where the stitch count changes as the rows are worked (creating a shaped pattern). This makes it almost impossible to change any of the garment dimensions in less than a whole pattern repeat. And pattern repeats can be quite large! Imagine, for example, an original garment to fit a 32in bust. The front measures 16in across, 12in to the armholes and then has an armhole depth of 8in. The stitch pattern has a diamond shape, and measures 4in wide by 4in tall, and stitch counts change on almost every row, making it necessary to keep shaping for armholes in the same relative position on every size. If you want to make the armhole depth more than it already is, you would need to go up to 12in, which is much too deep for any size. Likewise, to decrease the depth, you would need to go down to 4in, which is too small.

In some patterns, it is possible to work half pattern repeats, which give a smaller increment in which to work, but that’s not the end of the problem, as working a half repeat may well necessitate writing a whole different set of instructions for the shaping. Given that some of the patterns already take a large number of pages in just one size, adding extra pages isn’t a printable option. And remember that more written instructions increases the probability of errors. So the more instructions there are, the more checks and tests need to be performed to remove them. In science this is often possible as the risks and rewards involved are high, so budget is available for lengthy and rigorous testing. In knitting, these same risks and rewards are lower, and as such it isn’t normally possible to have more than 3 levels of editing of a pattern, without increasing the cost to the consumer dramatically. Most patterns and pattern books don’t sell in anywhere near enough numbers to cover the cost of professional test knitting of every size of a garment, followed by multiple levels of technical editing.

Given these challenges, it isn’t surprising that many older patterns were printed in only one size, and explains why some of the patterns in both volumes of A Stitch in Time are graded using needle size changes and yarn weight changes instead of pattern instruction grading. When a designer has gone to such lengths to use a stitch pattern so creatively, it’s wonderful to be able to offer that design in a wider range of sizes, whilst preserving the very design features that make the pattern so special. With careful choice of different weights of yarn, you can grade a pattern in the best possible way – the finished garment will look the same as the sample, just larger. How often have you seen disappointing patterns where the proportions have been destroyed with acres of extra filler stitch pattern in large sizes? Using needle size and yarn carefully avoids this problem, and gives larger sizes the same cleverly designed proportions as the original.

Next time I’ll take you through how we chart a pattern with changing stitch counts, and hopefully get rid of some of the confusion surrounding “no stitch” symbols.

For more technical blether, I can be found on Twitter @JenACKnitwear and on Ravelry also at JenACKnitwear.

I do hope you've enjoyed today's guest post. Jen will be back again in a few weeks with more insights into what goes into the making of A Stitch in Time.

but for now,
Ruby xx

Images courtesy of Jen Arnall-Culliford

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Revised Publication Date Information

I recently emailed all the pre-order customers of A Stitch in Time Volume 2 to explain my decision to amend the publication date on the book. I am hoping that everyone has received and has had time to read the email and would like to share it with you now:

"As you know, A Stitch in Time Volume 2 was due for publication on 31st March. However I have had to revise the publication date due to a number of factors that I have been trying to deal with, but ultimately by rushing the book to meet the original publication date, I believe errors etc will creep in and I really don't want that to happen.

An unusually high number of the original vintage patterns being used in the book have been found to be incorrect on knitting up and I have had to spend more time than expected correcting the patterns before they could be knit again. More than expected have proven so inaccurate that I have had to remove them from the book and replace them with alternative patterns. This means even more knitting and checking.

With to the high level of inaccuracies in the original patterns I have taken the decision to introduce a further level of independent technical editing which is expensive and time consuming but I am sure you will agree, well worth it, if it removes errors in the new patterns.

With so many patterns in the book, it is proving a momentous task to get all the patterns written. There is also an additional section on fit and finishing to help choose and complete the right patterns, which I'm writing at the moment. I think it will be a great addition to the book and a valuable tool when knitting from any vintage pattern, and I don't want to miss it out just to save time.

These books really are a labour of love. With just Gavin, myself and my mother in law permanently involved on the project at all levels until it goes to be printed, this is what self publishing is all about, but it does mean that you have to do everything yourself. I wouldn't have it any other way but it does create additional pressure and time constraints.

In addition to this there have been delays in the arrival of Excelana, which was being used for a number of patterns in the book. As it is my own yarn, I really want it to be featured in the book, but I only received the final batch last week, which has dramatically delayed things. Also, the lovely firm, JC Rennie went into liquidation very recently, which means several garments that were knitted in their yarns are having to be reknit in a yarn that will still be available when the book is published.

I am so grateful to every one who has pre-ordered the book, as without you it probably would not have been possible and I appreciate your commitment to the project, and am determined to communicate fully and explain what is happening. Realistically, with the number of setbacks and delays we have experienced and also additional work needed, I think it would be safest to move the publication date to the end of June and then if it is ready early, it will be an unexpected bonus. I hope this isn't too disappointing, but I am convinced that the finished book is well worth the wait. (We are currently looking at over 75 patterns and around 400 pages of wonderful vintage gorgeousness presented in a beautiful hard back book). I will continue to release images and details of projects in the book without giving the whole game away and will communicate as regularly as possible to advise of any developments. I am also looking at the early release to yourselves of a single pattern from the book as a thank you.

Pre-orders will continue to remain available at the discounted price, along with all the extra goodies, for the forseeable future. If you are unhappy to wait please do contact the shop and your order can be cancelled and a refund arranged but I do hope that you will bear with me these extra couple of months to make sure you all get the book you want.

with kindest regards
Susan Crawford"

I hope it fully explains the huge task involved in putting this book together. I have received some lovely responses from customers offering moral support in this huge task, and these responses have really helped. Thank you everyone.

for now
Ruby xx

Friday, March 11, 2011

Behind the scenes of a Stitch in Time Photoshoot

Whilst work on A Stitch in Time Volume 2 continues day and night I thought I would share some images with you from the most recent photoshoot. We had a great day and were very fortunate to have the whole day filmed for a future short film which will be released a little later in the year. But in the meantime here's a little glance behind the scenes of just one of the many photoshoots that go into the making of A Stitch in Time.


The Location (Image Courtesy of Ingrid Murnane 2011)


Hair and Make Up (Image Courtesy of Ingrid Murnane 2011)


Setting up a scene (Image Courtesy of Ingrid Murnane 2011)

Taking a photo (Image Courtesy of Ingrid Murnane 2011)

Cover Girl Theo resting between shoots (Image Courtesy of Ingrid Murnane 2011)

Props (Image Courtesy of Charlie Moon 2011)

Pretty Shoes (Image Courtesy of Charlie Moon 2011)


Lighting in the strangest places (Image Courtesy of Charlie Moon 2011)

The Finishing Touches (Image Courtesy of Charlie Moon 2011)

What you don't see! (Image Courtesy of Charlie Moon 2011)

Another sneeky peek (Image Courtesy of Charlie Moon 2011)

My Latest Camera (Image Courtesy of Ingrid Murnane 2011)

for now
Ruby xxx

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Excelana unveiling!

I have just got back from having a thoroughly lovely time at Unravel in Farnham, Surrey. I have done the show for the last three years but what made this one rather different is that it was the official unveiling of 'EXCELANA' our beautiful new vintage inspired yarn.

Excelana is 70% Exmoor Blueface/30% Blue Faced Leicester and the sheep who kindly provided the fleece all live on Exmoor less than 50 miles from the mill where the fleece is spun and processed.

Here is a picture of our lovely ladies on the hills of Exmoor

courtesy of British Wool Marketing Board

The British Wool Marketing Board and the Campaign for Wool are both supporting the brand and I hope that we will be able to see the yarn in shops around the country and all around the world. In the meantime, the yarn can be bought through my website or directly from the Excelana website that we've set up.

So what got me started on this mission? John Arbon, who owns and runs Fibre Harvest in North Devon, has long wanted to use the Exmoor Blueface sheep for a knitting wool. But the fleece of this particular sheep does not usually get used in this way and John has had to jump through many hoops to get to the point where we would be ready to do so. John and I met through A Stitch in Time, when he bought a copy for his wife to be Juliet. We have all been firm friends ever since. John and Juliet are both in love with the 1940s and 1950s and loved the idea of a vintage inspired yarn. So we set to work!

My requirements for a truly vintage wool were -

For it be extremely stretchy with good recovery

To be lustrous with a soft handle

To drape well but to have body

To have good stitch definition

For the stitches to bind well to each other

A yarn that takes colour well

To have the right feel

A colour palette with individually beautiful colours that combine to work perfectly together.

I studied a lot of sources for my colour palette but one of main references was this amazing shade card from the 1930s which showed a wide and stunning range of wools available.


Image copyright Arbour House Publishing 2009

Eventually I made my decisions - 7 colours plus a natural undyed and waited for the work to be done and to be able to see and touch the finished yarn.

And here they are, eight beatiful colours


Image copyright Arbour House Publishing 2011

From left to right we have: Persian Grey, Nile Green, Cornflower Blue, Powdered Egg, French Rose,
Ruby Red, Alabaster and Saharan Sand. To purchase you can follow the link below or click on the button in the side bar.

And here are a few of the colours when knitted together


image copyright Arbour House Publishing 2011

The stitches really cling together well which is just what you need to knit fairisle.

Initially we only have 4 ply available but it will be followed by DK, Aran and yes, 3 ply and hopefully more colours in forthcoming seasons. Obviously the yarn has to sell for this to happen so do keep your fingers crossed for us, do buy the yarn if you are so disposed and ask your local wool shop if they would think of stocking it.

Wholesale enquiries are all done via the contact information on the Excelana website and there is pattern support in A Stitch in Time volume 2 as well as a forthcoming Excelana booklet.

And that, for today is that. My lovely technical editor, Jen, is with me for a few days as we go through more patterns than you can possibly imagine and in a few days time we'll have another reveal from A Stitch in Time Volume 2.

for now
Ruby xxx

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Paris in Springtime!

Admittedly a little bit of artistic licence with regards to Springtime but I'm happy to pretend it is, as tomorrow afternoon I set off for a few days in Paris. This makes me happier than I can possibly describe, especially as it is three days of haberdasheries, yarn stores, button shops, fabric emporiums, flea markets a little sightseeing, drinking hot chocolate with friends and l'aguille en fete, the major needlecraft event in the french calendar.

I've been invited over to visit the event, and have also been commissioned by The Knitter to write up a little piece about it too. I will also get the chance to spend some time with my lovely friend Helene Magnusson, otherwise known as the Icelandic Knitter, who is exhibiting at the show and also a former Paris resident.

One of the major reasons for going to Paris though is buttons. I haven't had a big button shop for some time and I have used up a lot of my collection recently. So the hunt is on. I'm looking forward to sharing the results of my foraging when I return.

I won't be able to tweet or reply to emails while I'm away as I'm turning off the roaming etc on my phone so if your blog comments don't show up for a couple of days please don't worry. They will as soon as I get back.

for now, au revoir
Ruby xx

Friday, February 04, 2011

Buttons and Bows

To celebrate the weekend I thought I would reveal another of my favourite patterns from A Stitch in Time 2.

This adorable sweater was originally published by Golden Eagle knitting wools in the 1940s, and was knitted in 3 ply 'Polynit'. You can see that the pattern is in quite a state of disrepair, which has helped me make decisions quite a few times when picking the patterns to be included in Volume Two. If a pattern or magazine is 'on its last legs' I feel its important to try and pass on its legacy before anything too terminal happens to it. The pattern states that the colours used should be deep blue, hyacinth, silver grey and cerise. I haven't managed to get exactly those colours but I think we've got quite close with a similar colour scheme of teal, fuschia, silver grey and pink.

I have used Biggan Design 4 ply which has got a terrific range of colours available making a garment of this type possible. Its 100% merino and all produced and spun in Australia. The company is based in Brisbane but I believe they are on high ground, are all ok and managing to do business! The main colour needs about 5 x 50gm balls depending on size chosen with just one ball of each of the three complementary colours. The little bows are knitted seperately and sewn into place, so the sweater could be made if preferred, without the bows and even in one colour. I love it just as it is though! The pretty gathered sleeve heads are accentuated with neat little knitted sleeve pads which give the sleeves that bit of oomph. The slightly squared off neckline is very flattering and quite unusual for the period. Finally, its all finished off with a cute little back neck opening with four dainty buttons sewn on.

We decided on a bit of an Andrew Sisters vibe for these photos- doesn't Theo look fabulous? Don't forget you can pre-order your copy of A Stitch in Time Volume 2 here.

Have a lovely weekend
for now
Ruby xxx

All images courtesy Arbour House Publishing 2010
Colour photography Susan Crawford

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

More exciting new things!

Over the last few months I've been working on a new range of kits to complement the books and individual patterns. As always, I'm a little bit late launching them! I had hoped they would be online for christmas but ...

However I have finally got the website edited to include a page all about the kits here and I am in the process of adding all the products to the knitonthenet shop so that customers can actually purchase them. Some are completely new designs and some have been been available as patterns previously.

Each kit comes in a lovely little eco-friendly jute bag, perfect for carrying your knitting around with you, any needles required (tied with some specially designed Susan Crawford ribbon), the required yarn in a choice of colours, pattern booklet and any notions required, such as buttons, ribbon or elastic.

Greta Turban Kit

There are currently 10 kits in the range with more to come. I've been getting lots of requests for the kits from yarn and vintage shops too so hopefully these little red knitting bags should be popping up at a LYS sometime soon.

The first kit which is also a new design, or should I say an enhancement of an old design, is the Greta Turban.

I brought out a similar pattern to this in the very early days of knitonthenet but always felt it needed improving. The stitch used has stayed the same and the basic principle of a shaped strip being knitted then tied with a knot also remains. The design has moved on though as the turban now has a crown, elastic attached at the back to hold it in place and a secured front knot, so much more a hat than a scarf. Perfect for those bad hair days or when you're in a Land Girl frame of mind!

The kit includes 2 balls of Baby Rooster yarn, knitting needles, elastic, the pattern booklet and project bag for £25.00

You can purchase the kit via the knitonthenet shop or see some more information at the susancrawford website. The pattern will also be available as a PDF download very shortly.

I've a heck of a lot of things to show over the next few weeks so I'm going to try and increase the number of blog posts but if I don't get there as quickly as promised please bear with me!

for now
Ruby xx

All Images Copyright Arbour House Publishing

Photographs by Susan Crawford

Thursday, January 20, 2011

So let me introduce to you ...

Up to now this year has been all about getting organized behind the scenes so that the countdown to publication of A Stitch in Time Vol 2 goes as smoothly as possible. Every time I cook a dinner, I'm making enough for double servings so that one half goes in the freezer ready for the next few weeks when normal life will stop and an enormous amount of work has to get done in a very short space of time. When writing and editing A Stitch in Time Vol 1, I really didn't think about how much it would impact on day to day life, but starting work at 8am and finishing at 3am was too much and this time I am determined to be more organized. I also forgot that I would need to stop and cook dinners and just couldn't find the time, hence the plan to have at least 30 evening meals, lunches, soups, breads and cakes etc all frozen and ready to be used each day.

One of my other plans is to introduce a new design with each blog post, so without further ado, please meet "Blouse with a Gathered Neckline" from A Stitch in Time Vol 2.

This gorgeous little sweater is from the 1950s and features those quintessential style statements of high neckline, buttons at back neck, fitted close to the body, short sleeves, nipped in waist and fine, fine yarn. It was actually knitted in a 1 ply wool and would have been lightweight enough to be worn tucked into a pencil skirt without making lumps!

With this sweater I felt it was important to get as close to the original garment weight as possible to really show how delicate these sweaters were. I therefore used Cecilia from Posh Yarns a 50/50 silk and cashmere yarn with 1300 yards to a 100gm skein. This fabulous top takes all of one skein!

There is a repeat pattern throughout the garment which makes it a much more interesting knit than plain stocking stitch, the sleeves are set in with the added touch of a dainty picot hem to the cuffs. The collar is knit separately and again features the picot edge as does the feminine ribbon which is cleverly knitted and folded into a bow. The only change I have made is omitting the patch pocket, which although knitted, just seems to spoil another wise perfectly elegant line.

With being fitted, short sleeved and bodied, it actually knits up really quickly for a lace weight garment and gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in a skein of something really, really special.

Don't forget, the pre-order offer is still available on the knitonthenet shop, with an ever growing package of goodies!

for now

Ruby xxx

All images Copyright Arbour House Publishing
Photographs by Susan Crawford

Subscribe to: Comments ( Atom )