Menswear is a little neglected on this blog, but I’ve scoured the Peak District on my holiday, ignoring the (rainy) outdoors and concentrating on charity shops and antique centres and I’ve found mostly men’s patterns from 1930s to 1970s. Here is the first – I love the hair do and the scarf on the left.
For DK yarn in 34 to 44 inch chest.
The great thing about vintage patterns for men, is that modern women can wear them. As a women with a 38 inch bust, a lot of lovely 32 inch patterns from the twentieth century , you know those gorgeous ones in only one bust size, I’m now thinking of trying to knit myself a men’s pattern and this is a possibility. This is from the 1930’s and came from a mixed lot I bought on eBay. I’ve since had to uninstall the eBay ap as I had a bit of an addiction and literally piles and piles of knitting patterns already!
Chest 36 inches, yarn 3 ply. The pattern suggests yarn in green, with red and white for the stripes (the red stripe is a faint grey on the scan). The tension square inch has been cut out leaving a little window.
One of two posts on this publication from 1941 to keep wardens warm, which is Bestway Knitting magazine issue 74. This is the pattern for ths ladies jumper on the left. It’s 36 inch bust (could be finished measurement, could be size it’s designed for, who can say!). 3 ply yarn.
I recently had an enlightening converstion with fellow vintage knitter, blogger and instagramer Theodora. I mentioned using the 2 ply Jamieson and Smith yarn, which I have used several times as they have such a great range of colours at my local yarn shop (Prick Your Finger in Bethnal Green), even though it is a bit itchy. She told me it won’t knit to the true 3 ply size and your garment will come out bigger, and I had an “a-ha!” moment, realising that by using this yarn I had accidentally made a couple of sweaters exactly the bigger bust size I needed. Looking at their website, it calls it 2 ply Jumper yarn and says you can use it for knitting vintage patterns which call for 4 ply. Has anyone tried the 2 ply lace weight? The J & S website says that this is suitable for vintage patterns asking for 3 ply.
A draft-proof woolie knitted jacket for the Home Front ladies working hard. This is a knitting pattern from Bestway Knitting No 74 dating from 1941. The title ran up to issue 77 and then went on a long hiatus, with number 78 not appearing till 1946. It’s for a 34 inch bust and uses 3 ply yarn.
This pattern is so flimsy, it’s like holding a piece of silk. It must have been knitted and carried around during the process. Here is a fair isle that doesn’t look too compicated in the chart. I love the text on page one, which firmly dates it as during WW2 or just after. (I think it would be more than 3 pence, aka 3D, if it was after WW1).
Gaily Patterned Pullover
He’ll appreciate a riot of colour after the uniformity of khaki or blue.
Yarn is 3 ply and it’s for a 38 inch chest. The colours are light grey for the background, with dark blue, green and white.
I’m dating this from the price of 4 pence, aka 4D, as probably being the 1940’s, but it could easily be the 1930’s. It’s in two sizes, 34-36 inches and 36-38 inches.
I thought I had already posted this, but maybe I didn’t. Anyway, have it again. It’s one of the many, many pictures which are divorced from any details of what I scanned it from. But what on earth is “stocking web”? Do we think it means a rib or stocking stitch?
This is made up in rust, brown, yellow, green, blue and natural 3 ply. It’s slightly more complicated than the last fair isle pullover I posted, having both more colours and two charts to follow. Chest 38 inch.
This is Patons and Baldwins’ leaflet 865, four ladies gloves knitted on two needles. Going by the last page, previewing other patterns, this is from the 1940s.
Now I’ve shared some patterns for the chaps (and frankly I’m bored of scanning pullovers), how about some accessories? I plan to share a few, begining with three children’s fair isle berets made up in 3 ply. This is another I found on my hols in the Peak District. It’s quite old, being a 3 pence (3 D) priced pattern, but the charity shop clearly didn’t respect this and slapped an annoying sticker on it!
I think this model is Peggy Chester. I was alerted on Instagram, that Tickety Boo Tupney had identified the name of a knitting pattern model (that I’ve previously shared pictures of) and shared it in this blog post. I have lots of patterns modelled by Peggy in my collection, so I was really happy to learn her name. Here is a better picture of her, from an earlier post. Do you think it is the same lady as above?
Anyway, on with the gloves, socks and cap. Aren’t they lovely? I can totally envision a future in which I knit them and never actually get around to doing the embroidery though. They are knitted in 3 ply yarn, originally turquoise with black stitching.
From March 1933. This is for the slightly larger than average apparently. That makes me slightly larger than the slightly larger than average – it measures 38 inches, so I think it’s intended for 36 inch bust and doesn’t the model look slim! Not at all above average. It’s made in light green and dark green wool.
On two or four needles, so something for everyone. Perhaps this would be a good gift for a boyfriend, husband or Dad, and it’s a small enough project to finish before Christmas. As the final page says “Hand knitted gloves are warm and hard wearing”.
I love the photo. He looks a little bit like a spy, hiding behind his newspaper (perhaps I’ve seen too many movies, it’s The Third Man I’m thinking of).
As well as buying properly old knitting patterns, I’ve got quite a lot of seventies ones. These fall into three camps: those that amuse me, those I’d wear because I like the decade (and don’t care what anyone says about it) and those I’ve bought because they look like older styles, but in more modern size ranges and yarns. I’m going to scan and share some of the later catagory here, starting with this one, which is actually from 1980. I did start writing a very serious blog post about nostalgic styles from the twenties, thirties and forties appearing in 70s fashions, but never finished it, though I did make an impressive Pinterest board and stick lots of post-it notes in magazines. I didn’t even get to considering the knitwear angle or the early 80s.
This is knitted in DK and is in bust sizes from 32 to 40 inches – horray for bigger busted knitting patterns! To make this more 1930s I’d shorten the body to begin by the natural waist, or wear it with a belt.
This one is another vintage-esque pattern (forgive my mangling of the English language). Really as it is older than 25, it qualifies as vintage, but by vintage-esque I mean it harks back to an earlier period than that. Styling it with a beret makes it even more nostalgic. To make it up to wear in a 1930s to 50s way, make it slightly shorter. The bust sizes are from 34 – 40 inches and it needs DK yarn. I picked this one up last year in Dartmouth, while on my second trip to lovely Devon, which has fantastic charity shops, countryside and Agatha Christie’s country house.
This is another vintage pattern of one era representing another, though for the first time it clearly calls it 1940s nostalgia. I think the man in the background looks rather menacing, as if he intends something violent toward the poor innocent lady smiling to the camera.
It’s in a wonderful range of bust sizes from 32 to 40 inches and is knitted up in a not very 1940s DK.
Another pattern being shared because I think it looks like it could be worn as an older era’s clothes, maybe. It’s from the 1970s and I think that the baby pink is rather yukky. The yarn is called Kismet, which is describes as acrylic and mohair, which I’m sure would be scratchy and annoying. Also it doesn’t say what size of yarn it was. Best of all this pattern is “strong on man-appeal”, a least that’s what it says. Bust 32 to 40 inches.
In case there aren’t enough lacy tops with “man-appeal” (see last post), here is another. This one says it is “the pretty look,” which I think is rather a charming descripton. Today’s fashion is probably never described as the pretty look, unless it’s fashion for small girls. As I’ve said a few times already, shorten the pattern or add a belt to make it more like early decades of the twentieth century. Or wear it in a true 1974 fashion and go all Laura Ashley with a maxi-skirt. 
I’m sharing a pattern today from Weldon’s Portfolio Of Ladies Fashion from 1938. It’s a lovely summery short-sleeved top. The rest of the magazine will be appearing soon on the website and then on October 3rd at the Classic Carboot Sale, King’s Cross, where I’ll be helping Elsie, from Elsie’s Droguerie with her stall, and selling off part of my hoard of vintage sewing patterns and magazines, with a few dvds of pre-1950s films thrown in too. (The Classic Carboot Sale is on for two days, but I’ll only be there on Saturday). Come along and stock up on classic cleaning products from Elsie and knitting patterns from me!
It’s called the Tricolour Triumph and is a bust size 36 inches and it’s made in 3 ply of maize with orange and green stripes.
Portfolio of Fashion was a supplement to Weldon’s Ladies Journal, which was full of pictures giving the reader the latest fashion news, but really a vehicle for selling patterns. I’ve dated this one by the clothes as late thirties. Rationing and coupon economy isn’t mentioned and there is an advert for “Style 38” which makes me think this is from 1938.
Here is the whole magazine as a pdf – Weldon’s Portfolio 1938 free magazine – which includes all the pages. Below is a small selection. If you want to own the real magazine and are free on Saturday, come along to the Classic Car Boot Sale and find me sharing a stall. I’ll be selling knitting and sewing patterns and some Stitchcraft, Needlewoman and Woman’s Weekly magazines, plus I have three or four magazines like this one, which advertise sewing patterns.
