Smartly Ribbed Cardigans circa 1950′s

I love the rich cable work on these cozy cardigans.  The combination of ribbing with cables creates an interesting texture in two quite differently styled sweaters. The free pattern download is available here: Smartly Ribbed Cardigans

In the spirit of women like my mom and grandmother, who shared knitting patterns freely amongst their friends, and who made knitting a truly social hobby, I’ll be featuring one vintage knitting pattern a week, for free download, on this blog.  I’ve inherited a number of vintage knitting books from my family and the patterns are just too classic, and inspiring, to keep to myself.  Whether you knit them as-is, or use the patterns as inspiration for your own designs,  I hope you see something you like. Be sure to check back regularly as a new pattern will be featured each week. This week’s pattern is The Ribbed Shrug.I love the beadwork on the bottom edges of the body and sleeves of this dressy shrug, circa 1950′s. The free pattern download is here.   The Ribbed Shrug

Latte’ Free Pattern Download

When I wrote the first draft for this post I began with this sentence: reality really ‘bites’ after a week in paradise. I have since had a reality check and am somewhat ashamed of that remark.  Thank goodness I didn’t post it right away!

The reality check came while having lunch with my good friend Shelley.  She is 6 months into a new job and was telling me about some of the people she works with.  A number of them have immigrated to Canada from Asian countries.  The point to her stories was how profoundly grateful these people are for the opportunities they have in Canada and how humbling it is for her to work with them.  We likened this to the many families we worked with over our years in the classroom.  Without exception, immigrant families were always grateful for anything we did for their children and were quick to express this gratitude with comments, hugs and ethnic food treats.  We were continually humbled by their grace and resolved to practice more gratitude for the comforts we take for granted in our own lives.

So, let me rephrase that very thoughtless sentence that started with “reality really bites…”

I recently had the opportunity to stay in a little piece of heaven on Kootenay Lake, in British Columbia.  This holiday was courtesy of my brother’s girlfriend, Dianne.  She, very generously, offered us the use of her cabin for 2 weeks.  Since the Kootenays are halfway between my daughter’s city and mine, we were able to make a visit out of it and meet at the cabin. 6 days after my return to the city, the absolute peace of that place is still calling my name.

To express my gratitude I designed and knit this scarf for Dianne. It’s knit of 100% linen yarn, hand dyed in coffee, from Uruguay. The scarf has lovely drape and is long enough to wrap around a couple of times. Please follow this link for the free pattern: Latte’ Free Pattern Download

 Easy Care Cotton Zip UpThis is my most ambitious pattern project to date. It’s taken a long time to pull the pattern together but I’m finally ready to dive in and post it.I knit this sweater as a Christmas present for my son in law. I started with basic sweater shaping in mind and then made the rest up as I went along. The finished sweater fits Andrew perfectly. With his unique body type it’s very difficult for him to find clothes that fit. Directions are also included for standard small, medium and large sizes.The challenge was in writing up the pattern. After knitting the sweater I had a pile of scribbled notes I’d made as I went along. I often tell myself I should devise a better system for recording my patterns initially, but whenever I try to do this it seriously stifles the creative process. I write report cards and treatment plans the same way; piles of scribbled notes that all manage to come together in the end.This sweater is knit in Mission Falls 1824 Cotton. I love this yarn! It’s machine washable on the gentle cycle and can even be put in a cool dryer. The yarn has a slightly nubby texture and knits up beautifully. At $5.99 a ball it’s an affordable choice for a good quality yarn.

My self designed, alpaca stole is complete. The free pattern can be downloaded here Hestia Alpaca Stole

This stole is knit with 100% Alpaca yarn, purchased from Fibre Friends on Vancouver Island, in Canada. They can be reached at: Fibre Friends@shaw.ca . The colour is a rich, undyed, natural dark brown . This island farm produces the softest, most luxurious alpaca yarns I’ve ever encountered. Even as I cast off the last stitch of this stole I was wondering what I could knit next with their yarn… it’s so amazing to work with.

The pattern is a simple 4 row repeat throughout. I made mine on the narrower side: 46 cm.(18″) wide and 203 cm. (80″) long, allowing plenty of length for draping. You could easily make it wider by adding stitiches in multiples of 6, working 3 sts at the beginning and end of each row in garter stitch, for the border.

It could also be knit in a number of different yarns. The yarn I used is sportweight, with a tension of 26 sts to 10 cm (4″).

Please feel free to leave a comment or to contact me if you have any questions about the pattern.