A vintage post

Hooray, my vintage sweater is done. It was begun 9 months ago and then went into hibernation for a while, as sometimes happens. I got the urge to finish it, and once I put aside other stuff it went pretty fast. The pattern is Ena's Sweater from the book A Stitch in Time by Waller & Crawford. It's done in Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4 ply with a bit of Kidsilk Haze added on the yoke. I like the buttons at the top.


It came straight from a vintage pattern. Here's the original:


My photographer was making me laugh.


To continue the vintage thread, I love to visit antique malls, and on one of my recent trips found this cute beaded bag of sorts.


It's made to be worn on a belt and would fit a compact, lipstick, and such things.


I like how Zechoslovakia is spelled.


After finishing my sweater, I was looking thru my vintage knitting mags for a new project and took out this Bernat Handicrafter. Gosh, that model on the right sure looks like Grace Kelly, I thought. Wait a minute, I think it is Grace Kelly! This magazine was published in 1949, when she would have been living in New York City and doing all kinds of things, including modeling and theater. She didn't become a star until 1953, after High Noon, Mogambo, and two Hitchcocks, so it's entirely possible that this could be her.





What do you think? Here's a confirmed Grace Kelly photograph, and the teeth are very similar. If so, that would be very cool.

Happenings

Coming down the home stretch on the Sheltie drawing. I just have to tweak some things--colors, shadows, etc.--before I call it done. To know when it's done, I do any or all of these things: let it sit for a while and marinate so the wrong things become more obvious; take a photograph and look at the drawing that way, because very often things stand out in a photo that don't in real life; and ask my husband, who's good at seeing things that aren't right when I've grown blind to them myself. Particularly in the end stages when I'm so eager to have it done, the eye will ignore mistakes.

Knitting-wise, I've got my hands (and needles) full. I'm about to seam my vintage sweater and determine once and for all if it's an ugh! or okay. And I'm almost to the halfway mark on this easy poncho:


It's the City Style poncho from Handknit Style, a book by Lindy Ward and Beryl Hiatt of Tricoter in Seattle. It's knit out of Stacy Charles Cosmos, which is kind of a slinky yarn but it knits up into something bearable, er, wearable:


Here's the pattern up close:


I'm using 7 instead of 9 balls because that's what was on sale when I bought this yarn ages ago. It will come out a little shorter, which is fine with me.

But the thing that is using all my brain power at the moment is trying to figure out what to do with this yarn:


It's a dull grey alpaca and wool blend that will probably be quite springy and nice knitted up, but perhaps a little boring. I had the idea to mix it with Cascade Kid Seta in a silver color for this robust fabric below in my swatch. It sure is different that way. The gauge that most suits it is 16 x 24 sts to 4" on size US 9s.


Too scratchy for next to the skin, I ruled out pullovers. At that gauge, I could knit Katarina from CocoKnits, which would involve finding 2 more balls of Kid Seta.


But by itself, I could knit myself another Maggie, and then use the Kid Seta to make a really nice shawl.


I like the challenge to find the right project for the yarn. I've had this yarn for a long time and want to turn it into something. So more swatching and thinking for now.