From the Back of the Cupboard

Twenty or so years ago I bought a copy of Madeline Weston's book The Traditional Sweater Book. It was the second book of traditional designs I had owned. The first was Michael Pearson's Traditional Knitting. I made lots of the designs from both books. Some I still have lurking around the house and this is a set that I dragged out of the wardrobe yesterday because I needed something warm to wear so I could walk the dog in a bitter breeze. I was very warm indeed by the time I'd walked for an hour in this lot.

Note the piano accordion. I have two of these now, this red one and an orange and gold one. It's lovely to have something portable and fun to play. Compared to the piano the noise is brash and loud, but people's faces light up when they hear it. Some even start dancing. And really, I don't play it very well at all yet.

Two Years On

This is a catch -up post of the knitting I've been doing over the last couple of years. Actually, it might have to be a couple of posts but we'll see how this goes.
I've made a few vintage jumpers from patterns from the 1930s to the 1950s. I've made a design or three for Renaissance Dyeing. There have been useful but not photogenic socks. Things I've neglected to photograph and are now not looking their pristine best. I've photographed some now but the results are not wonderful. Perhaps a selection will suffice.
I liked this little jumper I made for Renaissance Dyeing and the little model who posed so happily on a very raw day:

Wintersweet

 There was this hat:

Hall of Fire Tam

 And these socks:

Landgirl Socks

And then for myself I used Renaissance Dyeing wool to make these:

A Paton's 1940s Fair Isle design

A 1930s jumper from A Stitch in Time 2

And a 1950s jacket also from A Stitch in Time 2

 Here are a couple of handspun efforts using alpaca and some angora:

A 1940s design, based, I expect, on Vera Lynn singing 'There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover.'

 

And another very warm and fluffy 1940s number

  

 This beret and gauntlets I test knitted for Marylene Lynx for Renaissance Dyeing:

Troubadour Beret and Gauntlets

Troubadour Beret and Gauntlets

And that, I think, is enough for today.