Destashing my antique and vintage knitting patterns
During the pandemic I became quite obsessed with antique and vintage knitting patterns. Check out my January and February posts. I was lucky enough to be able to accumulate a sizeable collection from Ebay and Etsy. These vintage booklets and magazines range from the 1910s to early 1960s. These knitting and crochet patterns show the incredible evolution in women’s garments and fashions over this period.
The early crochet patterns (1910s – early 1920s) focus on yokes, collars, edgings, and lace insertions for clothing. The yokes would have been attached to nightgowns and corset covers. Sweaters (for men and women) from this period were considered athletic wear and are styled as such in these pattern booklets.
By the mid-1920s sweaters were styled for both athletic wear and fashion. If you want a less academic read on the evolution of women’s fashion during and after WWI, Coco Chanel’s biography, Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life by Lisa Chaney is a great read.
From the 1930s on, patterns are styled for both fashion and sportswear. Vogue knitting for example had sections in their magazines for “Travel”, “The Beach”, “Skiing”, “Evening Wear”, and “Separates”. Sweater patterns reflect the fashion of the day.
Resources on vintage knitting and knitting patterns:
Websites
Antique Pattern Library: Free downloadable PDFs of antique patterns that are no longer copyrighted.
Ravelry: They have discussion groups and patterns in their library.
Vintage Knitting Pattern Archive: This site is a fabulous, well-organized, and easily searched archive of vintage knitting and crochet patterns. The site owner asks for a donation in lieu of payment for these patterns.
Ebay & Etsy: Thousands of vintage knitting patterns in both original condition and PDFs for sale.
Podcasts/YouTube Channels
The following amazing women make projects from vintage patterns and explain how they approach using older patterns.