Free Pattern Friday and a year of blogging

The end of April marked a year of consistent blogging for me. I actually started this blog in 2011, and managed four posts before I let it slide. I still don't really know what my blog is about, but the consistent theme seems to be vintage knitting, interspersed with the fun things I get up to.

Sometimes, I combine the two, like on a day out with the kiddies in coordinating colours. Here's another look at my Victory Jumper, this time with shoulder pads. They just finish it off. I'm so happy with the length of the sleeves, too, just above the elbow. This was a very popular length in the 1940s, as it made it a very wool-saving alternative to long sleeves when wool was in short supply.

The free pattern this month is from the 1950s, and it's a twinset. A longish polo-neck jumper paired with a dolman-sleeved bolero.

I just love her pose on the cover, and the bold blonde highlights at the front of her tousled, bobbed hair. Quite fancy the skirt and chunky bracelet, too!

It is a larger size than usual: 35-37 inch bust. Worked in 3 ply at a tension of 7.5 sts to the inch, it would be easy to substitute a 4 ply for a slightly larger size.

It will be on the Free Vintage Patterns page, too.

I went to another International Club at the end of April, with my friend Simone. We met for dinner, and headed over for an evening of 78s and a live band. There was a vintage photo booth set up in the basement by Hanson Leatherby, a rather marvelous photographer, who specializes in vintage-style photography. I haven't seen any of the shots from that night yet, but everyone had a great time doing it, so I'm sure they will be amusing.

Simone promised vintage knitwear, and she did not disappoint. Here, she's wearing the Miss Marple coat from A Stitch In Time Vol 2, in a very sensible brown shade.

Her jumper is from a 1930s edition of Stitchcraft magazine, in D.K weight wool. She describes the shade as Sea Green, which sounds very 30s to me. She was very kind and gave me some 3 ply wool, in the same sea green shade, and some in cream. I will give it a very good home. I'm still trying to decide what pattern to knit with it. I'm wearing Embroidered With Tiny Flowers from A Stitch In Time Vol 1. I love the enormous balloon sleeves.

We had some fun in the restored pub where the night is held.

Simones' long-suffering pal Gordon took these pics of us clowning around.

On to the next night of frivolity. I'm still wearing pink, and my hair is still curly. Just fast-forward fifty years.

Mixtape was all about the Yacht Rock last month, and it gave me the perfect opportunity to wear a turquoise jumpsuit and my 'Stevie Nicks' sparkly kimono blouse.

My hair got some serious scrunching action, and I wore it to one side with a hair-comb and copious amounts of hairspray to keep it there.

My partner in crime was Magnum P.I. (see what I did there). The 'tache was pretty impressive.

There was dancing and white wine spritzers were sipped langorously.

I hope this photo thing doesn't mess with your head, my phone did it automatically.

Last month wasn't all fun and games. We had to say goodbye to our beloved puss, Mr Tibbs. He'd been with us since 2006, wandering into our garden as a stray, and becoming a very willing house cat. He was an ace mouser, too.

I'm glad I got some pictures of him before he was put to sleep. He was very ill by the end, so skinny.

He lost that eye quite recently, as a result of an infection made worse by the FIV he had. He was such a loving cat, but he shared a house with two female cats who never took to him, so there was always tension. He had a good life though, I think.

Theodora.

Crocheted gifts, current projects and gadding about

A short and sweet post this week, as I haven't any finished jumpers to show.

I'm on the second sleeve of 'Your Victory Jumper', so it might be near completion by next week.

I recently made my friend a clutch bag for her birthday.

I looked at lots of chevron patterns, tried them out, but none worked for me. I had a go at my own version, and I was pleased with how it turned out.

It is a pattern I would like to make available as it is relatively quick and easy. It uses chunky weight yarn and a 5 or 6mm hook. You have to be a bit partial to chevrons though.

We've been busy in the TGW household, the start of a new term for my boy, and out and about DJing in the Stow. Last Sunday we took Nashville-on-Thames to the Wild Card Brewery, for some Honky Tonkin' and Rompin' 'n Stompin'. It was an afternoon event, so we brought the little ones along. Our friend Andrew Mueller was there, as the other member of the 'family'. In fact, it was just he and my husband who first set up Nashville-on-Thames at The Lexington. I've just muscled in recently, to play what Andrew describes as 'pre-war horseshit'! Otherwise known as Western Swing, and damned good it is too. Bob Wills, Hank Penny, early Hank Williams, Tex Williams, Leon McAuliffe, Al Dexter, and the Modern Mountaineers to name just a handful. It was a success, but quite stressful 'wrangling the critters'.

He is quite a shy boy, but has shown an interest in being in the limelight recently. He took the microphone at his school disco at Christmas and thanked people for coming, which nearly floored me. (I think someone had spiked the punch).

Whereas Miss B is always forcing her way to the front of the crowd. That's my girl! Loves dancing and singing. And roaring like a monster.

We have another Mixtape coming up next Saturday, in conjunction with a Bank Holiday Hog Roast and Cider Festival at The Chequers. We have decided to theme ours as more of a luau though, when my husband found this image.

I'll be walking into the party like I'm walking onto a yacht. Think late 70s, early 80s sophistication.

Image from Prom Night,

 trying not to laugh

At the last one we had people dancing on the tables. I think it was Tori Amos' 'Professional Widow' that did it. How do you top that?

I'm looking forward to another gig this Sunday in the Stow again - BeBop Baby. This will be the youngest crowd I've played for, and I'm really excited about it.

Tomorrow night I'm going to The International Club again.

...a small back-street club in some European country, it doesn't matter exactly where, a place where they played hot jazz, dance bands and swing music interwoven with Latin-American rhythms, bal musette and other popular music of the day. A place where high-life rubbed shoulders with low-life... where the flotsam and jetsam gathered to try to forget the real world outside.

I'm meeting a like-minded vintage knitter for dinner first, who promises to wear a completely home made outfit, including a knitted jumper and coat. Hmm, the gauntlet has been thrown down...

Theodora.

Free Pattern Friday - Herringbone Lace Turban

I'm changing my name to Chesty LaRue. I'm still fighting this chest infection with the help of yet more penicillin. I'm not knocking it. I'm not anti antibiotics, like so many people, but they have probably never really needed them to like, you know, save their actual lives. There, rant over. I have a story about how antibiotics did actually save my life once, but I'll bore you with that another time. (It does have a knitting connection - a major one).

This post is about knitting, as it should be. A knitted turban to be precise. After seeing a pattern for a vintage 1940s turban on The Vintage Pattern Files, and knitting it, I thought I would do another in a lacy stitch. As I didn't do a free pattern for February - (did I tell you I was ill?) - it is a bit overdue.

Photograph by Shanthi Sivanesan

The yarn I used is called Semilla, by BC Garn. I picked it up at Nest a while ago, for no particular project in mind, I just couldn't resist the shade. It only took two balls, as the meterage is very generous for a DK weight at 160m to 50g. I think it was under a fiver too. It is 100% organic wool, and has a good firm twist to it. Any DK weight yarn would work though. The original vintage turban pattern is done in 3 ply, but I just couldn't face all that knitting, and actually knit the vintage one in aran weight wool, which was a super quick knit. This one took a little longer, but still a lot quicker than with 3 or 4 ply.

I am very happy with it, as it goes with my 1940s dress and Copleys cable knit jumper. The pattern has a lot of stretch width-wise which is what I wanted, to cover my ears on a cold day.

Photograph by Shanthi Sivanesan

The photos were taken by my good friend, Shanthi, whom I've known since I was 18. She's always had a keen eye when it comes to taking a good pic, so I went over to her place, and we went out in the garden, It was cold sunny day, perfect weather.

She captured the colours perfectly.

Photograph by Shanthi Sivanesan

I have put the pattern on a new page, called 'Free knitting patterns'. You can find it under the banner at the top of the page, or here.

Photograph by Shanthi Sivanesan

Photograph by Shanthi Sivanesan

Photograph by Shanthi Sivanesan

We had a bit of fun with the styling.

I found my old Doc Martens recently, in the loft at my mum and dad's, so I've been living in them. I've always loved clashing colours and fabrics, so teaming my 40s dress with a faux leopard print jacket felt right. I have to admit I get slightly bored of dressing vintage head to toe, (sorry)! It's good to grunge it up a bit.

I have been listening to a lot of music from the 90s again, as my husband and I have just launched a night at our local here in Walthamstow. It's called Mixtape, and we play a mix of 80s and 90s stuff. This probably explains my fashion choices right now.

I really enjoyed rummaging in the loft for my old clothes from back then. I even found a hand knitted cardigan, in acrylic, (originally from a charity shop, in the days before I could knit).

You can just about see it here, with lace panels down the front. I'm with my good pal Nese, we grew up near each other in Norf' London. Nese is convinced she, (and I), invented the selfie, in 1992, before it even had a name. But Shanthi has confirmed that it was in fact Madonna, back in '85. And of course with that Polaroid in Desperately Seeking Susan. These are the issues that matter to us.

Can't beat a bit of red vinyl!

Theodora.