Knitting In The Round

Late one summer night as I was browsing on Etsy, I became fascinated by their seemingly endless supply of vintage pattern books and magazines. As I looked at the photos of the fragile black and white pages from the 1930s, I wanted very much to hold one of these magazines in my hands. I craved a more in depth look at the differences in instruction and materials, as well as style. How much had knitting and crochet changed and evolved over the last century? Rather than order a whole bunch and wait for them to arrive, I decided to try my luck at a local thrift shop. Knowing this mission could be seriously hit or miss, I went to a shop I had never visited before because I believe in the power of beginner’s luck!

I chose to begin the hunt at Clocktower Thrift Shop in Centreville, Virginia. Although not exactly local for me, I drove out to these hinterlands of Fairfax County based on the good word of other creative and thrifty people. As I entered, I picked up good vibes because of the vinyl records, CDs and dolls all displayed together near the register. Definitely my kind of place. All the magazines were on the far back wall on the lowest shelf. I hunkered down on the dusty floor and got to work. I felt unsure of myself as I perused through hundreds of back issues of O, In Style and People, but then fate intervened. A tiny, faded magazine that I could have missed came next: A Doreen Baby Book: Easy to Make Crochet and Knitted Baby Gifts, Copyright 1945, 20 cents. 

The fateful Doreen book, and the rest of my Clocktower haul.

The feeling was magical! I had truly followed my instincts to the right place at the right time. I looked through the patterns and saw that notations had been penciled in to the margins. Someone got a lot of use from this magazine. I was thrilled, and would have been satisfied in leaving only with it. However, from the vast pile of nearly discarded reading material, I unearthed eight more knitting pattern magazines, all spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s. Vogue Knitting, Bernat Sweaters, Nomotta…all had been notated with the same handwriting. At least eight out of the ten magazines I found that day belonged to the same knitter. I saw that she was not just any knitter, but a master. Only the most elegant and intricate patterns were annotated. These patterns did not tell her what to do—she told them what they were going to do for her! She resized and altered the instructions with ease—which any knitter knows is no small feat. I realized that these patterns served as suggestions to guide her along with what she really wanted to do and create. I believe with all certainty that she loved the craft. I felt so inferior to her, yet so motivated to begin my climb to her level, no matter how many years it would take me. I would bring these magazines home, keep them forever and practice them one gauge swatch at a time. I paid all of $2.10 for this treasure trove, and went home feeling honored that whatever force at work in the universe chose me as their new owner. 

Once upon a time, there was a very lucky (and warm) baby!

Annotations, tweaks and adjustments.

Elegant and challenging gloves/mittens

I think this sweater could pass for today with a different collar. Pattern is annotated, of course!

When I got home and settled down with my new/old magazines, I saw that very little has changed about knitting through time. 1,000 years can go by and people will still be making many garments and accessories the same way as they always did. So much of knitting is classic and timeless, no matter what is on the racks at Macy’s. 

A vintage bed jacket. All the rage in its time!

Ok, maybe not too many people are knitting bed jackets anymore. But I can take any sweater, mitten or sock pattern from my 1940s pattern collection, put a modern twist upon it, and look fabulous.

I began to realize that we are all “knitting in the round.” Knitting is a humble life skill that links past generations to the present and eventually the present will link to the future through the same set of practices. It is time and technology proof. I imagine that I could sit down with my Polish aunts who lived 100 years ago, and we could all chatter on about yarn, needles and stitches as if no time or space ever separated us. 

Now back to the present. The time has come to stop browsing these magazines and choose which classic pattern to recreate first. Another pair of socks? A classic and timeless sweater? Or maybe those sweet baby mitts? The choices are seemingly endless, and they could all be the right one. 

To be continued!