Recoloured

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>> I want to say that I had a rager of a New Year’s Eve in a pathetic bid to salvage what’s left of my so-called youth but that simply wasn’t the case.  We stayed up until 4am playing a Guess Who!/charades hybrid game, drinking gin and tonics and munching on cocktail sausages.  Siiiiiiiiiiiiick!  True to my state of nesting, the recurring theme at the moment seems to revolve around knitting needles.  Jumpers of Christmas, reine du tricot and no, an accidental Etsy find, whilst I was on the hunt for a green office chair.  Lauren Fraser in California hearts vintage knitting and crochet patterns.  She has amassed quite a collection and has painstakingly retyped, reformatted AND hand-coloured all of them so that they are available for a digestible digital download on her Etsy site 2nd Vintage Look.  As someone who once used to sprint home with the latest copy of British Vogue or Numero so that I could scan in the editorials to share with fellow fash-heads on The Fashion Spot, I fully salute Lauren for her dedication to breathe new life into what are normally pen-marked, well-thumbed patterns with often illegible text.  I may not be confident enough to weld needles just yet in order to attempt to follow these patterns, but just a quick browse through these vibrantly colour calibrated images certainly makes for inspiring picture fodder, particularly the 1970s crochet pieces that teeter at just the right point between sexy and ridiculous.  One look at John Lewis’ offering of contemporary knitting and crochet patterns and you wonder where the fun has gone.  All the better then that Lauren has taken the time and effort to preserve the knit tricks of yesteryear for everyone to enjoy.

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19 comments

  1. Amazing, thanks for sharing this! What an enormous task but great that these have been preserved for future generations. There is a modern knitting book called ‘The Knit Parade’ but the shapes are just jumpers, these are quite experimental. I guess it’s a true snapshot of what fashion was like at the time, the idea of making your own garments allowed the pattern manufacturers to take a few more risks.

  2. I’m so happy to see this post, reminding me that I too love the ridiculous/sexy crochet combo and fun of these sixties and seventies patterns. There is something heartwarming about their earnestness in being “new” and “hip” too. On my old blog Liquid Mass I once wrote a post extolling the virtues of the knitted short pants. Hope you’ll be inspired to pick up a crochet hook and create some of your own pieces someday!

  6. whenever i see knitting patterns with their ridiculous imaging – I feel sorry for myself and my lack of ability for anything with needles. #lameone

  8. Hi – I love the stripey dress – is it possible to get hold of the pattern?
    Thanks
    Sx

  13. hi good looking your site nice posting thanks for sharing information good color your site i enjoy this blog.

  14. Pingback: Pattern Pulp - Friday Quick Links!

  19. Thanks for your post! Through your pen I found the problem up interesting! I believe there are many other people who are interested in them just like me! How long does it take to complete this article? I have read through other blogs, but they are cumbersome and confusing. I hope you continue to have such quality articles to share with everyone!

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