#timeslostart

WIP WEDNESDAY

The knitted dress saga...

For a handful of years now, I have been trying to knit a dress. The idea came to me after I saw this picture in an old knitting pattern book from the 1930s.

At the time, I didn't have the skill set to knit something like this, but it's always been in the back of my mind. As I've gained more knitting and design experience, I've been practicing simple lace stitch patterns and learning to read charts properly. For all the lace knitters out there, I applaud you… Those charts always seem to give me a headache and make my eyes go cross-eyed.

Now, after a lot of practice, frogging, and reknitting, I've finally started designing a dress that seems to be working. I don't want to get my hopes up quite yet, but I'm almost done with the 2x2 ribbed hem, and so far I've had only one near-fatal mishap with my stitches. I know I should use lifelines when I'm working with smaller knitting needles. That would be the smart choice, but who has time for that! (Says the girl who spent almost an hour rescuing her stitches and putting them back on her itty-bitty US 0 (2.0 mm) circulars.) In the next week, I hope to have my lace tried and tested and be well on my way to making my very first knitted dress.

Wish me luck… I'm going to need it.

KNIT WIT

Because smiling is contagious...

WIP WEDNESDAY

The knitted dress saga... This dress is not for the faint of heart...

I've been knitting this version of my dress for a little over a month now. I've finished grading the bodice in 10 sizes, and it seems to be working out all right for the most part. However, this whole venture, using older knitting styles and techniques, has really got me wondering whether people from the 1930s were smarter than we are. Genuinely, I believe they must have been, because how else could they create such lovely garments with minimal instructions and guidance? Modern knitting patterns tend to grip the knitter's hand so tightly that I'm surprised there are no broken bones, whereas vintage patterns are like a mama bird pushing its babies out of the nest… FLY, LITTLE BIRD! Figure it out!

I really do feel that I have grown as a knitter by using some of these vintage patterns. I know I've definitely learned perseverance because it's like entering another world when you read those patterns. It's like ancient knitter, if knitting had its own language.

ANYWAY... I've decided to create my dress using a construction method I've only ever seen in a vintage pattern. Not that I knit a lot of dresses or anything (this is my first one), but it was very unique and an amazing idea.

You start by knitting the back of the bodice from the bottom up, then shaping the neckline. Usually, at this point, you bind off all your stitches, and your first panel is done. However, with this method, instead of binding off, you cast on all the stitches you just bound off for the neckline, then work top-down for the front of the bodice. This is a perfect way to keep the lace looking continuous without worrying about shoulder seams.

There are some other really interesting ways I've discovered to make lace look continuous, but I think I will discuss the rest of this vintage construction method after the bodice is done.

Happy Knitting!

KNIT WIT

I think I need a coffee...

WIP WEDNESDAY

The knitted dress saga... I should have added a lifeline...

As my bad luck with knitting dresses continues, I am reminded of my life choices and my utter arrogance for not using a lifeline while knitting.

Oh, I won't mess up... I have this pattern memorized... I can watch my favourite show and talk to both my kids while I'm counting... NOTHING WILL GO WRONG!

I have lost count of how many times I've had to rip back and start over. The most frustrating part of the lace pattern I have chosen is that there is very little chance of fixing a mistake if you make one, simply because of how the pattern itself is created. Now, I have taken some precautions to turn the odds in my favour. I've literally used every small size stitch marker I own to mark my pattern repeats to lessen the chance of a mistake, but even with these as guides, I still need more concentration than I'm used to giving my knitting, which is making for a very slow knit. THANK YOU, 1930's COBWEB LACE.

If anyone is curious, the stitch pattern I'm using (as far as I know) is called cobweb lace, and it's from a Minerva Style Book that was published in 1934. It was used in a vintage dress design, and I loved it so much that I wanted to try my own take on the stitch pattern to design my own dress.

Cobweb Lace

multiples of 4sts plus 2

Set-Up Row purl to end of row

Row 1 k1, *knit next thread between stitches, k1, knit next thread between stitches, sl1, k2tog, psso the k2tog; repeat from * to last stitch, k1

Row 2 purl to end of row

Row 3 k1, sl1, k2tog, psso the k2tog, knit next thread between stitches, k1, knit next thread between stitches; repeat from * to last stitch, k1

Row 4 purl to end of row

As you can see, it is what I consider a typical lace pattern... easy but not. I find lace demands a lot of attention, unlike other stitch patterns, where your hands develop muscle memory, and you can daydream without making a mistake. Unfortunately for me, I won't be daydreaming for a while or at least not until I get this bodice knitted.

Just another day in the life of a knitter.

If you would like to become a future test knitter for any Times Lost Art patterns, including this dress, please follow me here on Tumblr, or on Facebook and Instagram, for TLA-related updates.

LOST AT SEA - LOSING MY LOVE FOR MODERN-DAY KNITWEAR

Will vintage knitting patterns be my lifeline?...

Why are new knitting patterns so boring-looking now?  Have you looked at any recently?  Maybe it's because I've gone down the rabbit hole of vintage knits to look for inspiration for my new collection, but seriously... modern knitting patterns just seem so lifeless lately!

I've been spending a good chunk of my time looking at knitting patterns from the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's, and honestly, they are so beautiful and so distinct.  You can almost pinpoint the year the pattern was released just by the way the garment looks.  I've discovered that I am particularly fond of the patterns from 1937 to 1941 mostly because I am obsessed with puff sleeves and what they call the sportswear look... if they have a tennis racket in the picture, the pattern goes directly into my shopping cart!  Today, 1930's sportswear blouses and vests could be worn to a formal gathering, a family Christmas, or even to church!  I think you are getting my point that these designs are deemed fancy by modern standards.  Here are a few of my favourites from the late 1930's...

Now, these are knitting patterns!  Something about these designs just captures the imagination and gets my fingers itching for my needles and my Estelle Highland Alpaca Fine wool blend yarn.  I wish modern-day knits had the same life to them that these ones do... and it's not that these designs are overly complicated or full of lace panels or difficult in any way; on the contrary, I can knit a vintage pattern nearly twice as fast as I can a modern one because they are so simple.  Maybe it's this elegant simplicity that continues to draw me in, or maybe it's just how happy the models look in the pictures going about their everyday business, but you can't deny that there is something in vintage knitting patterns that is missing in modern ones.  I wish modern knitwear designers would have the same spark in them as their predecessors, and then maybe I wouldn't find hunting for new things to knit so joyless and mundane.

If you love vintage knitting, let me know some of your favourite patterns, and if you have any modern patterns that you love, please let me know that, too.  I've found that I've become very disenchanted with the sea of Ravelry designs, and I'm in need of a lifeline...

LOST IN TRANSLATION - KNITTING PATTERNS

Am I missing something?...

I don't know what it is... maybe we do rely too heavily on technology now because sometimes I feel like critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and plain reading comprehension have gone straight out the window!

Yes, I taught myself how to knit, which has its pros and cons, so I do understand the struggle some of the new knitters face, but sometimes I just have to chuckle to myself at their thought processes.

What got me somewhat annoyed and dumbfounded the other day is a message I received from a test knitter who was reviewing and working through one of my patterns.  They suggested that I recommend a provisional cast-on for my pattern as well as the long-tail cast-on method that I already had suggested.  What got me is that if you read my pattern, I literally say, "Cast on x amount of stitches using the 'long-tail cast-on method' or your preferred cast-on method."  How much more plain can I be?  Use whatever cast-on you want. You are making the item.  I do not feel it is necessary to list every single thing under the sun in a knitting pattern on the off chance that someone may want to do it that way.  Some of the onus can be placed on the person working the pattern to figure out the best option for them.

I feel that a lot of this new generation of knitters don't realize that a knitting pattern is just a template; it is not set in stone.  I, personally, substitute stitches and techniques in patterns all the time because there are some things that work better for me than others.  My most common swap out is ssk (slip, slip, knit) for k2togl (knit two together left).  For the life of me, I can't get my ssk left-leaning decrease to look nice, so I substitute it for another left-leaning decrease that I can work with.  Some of it has to do with my tension and how I actually knit, but for whatever reason some stitches and techniques just don't work for me, and that is okay because I can always find a stitch or technique that does.  As a knitter, I just thought that this was common knowledge... swapping things out of patterns... and that everyone did things like this while working a pattern, but, as a designer, I am learning that this just isn't the case.

So, today, I thought I'd just put it out there that you don't have to follow a knitting pattern exactly all the time.  Knitting, like art, is very personal, and there really are no set rules for stitches or techniques, and you can swap them out to your heart's content if you find something that works better for you.  Knitting patterns are just templates or guides for you to use how you will.  It is okay to deviate from the pattern.  In fact, I encourage it because that is how creativity grows.

KNITTING MATH

How I'm taking back control of my yarn stash...

So, two weekends ago, I cleaned up my yarn stash and realized that I had a lot more yarn than I thought I did.  A good spring cleaning can make you review the things that you've been keeping over the winter and, in some cases, make you question why you've been keeping them in the first place.  This is where the knitting math comes in.  As I was sitting on the floor with my three-year-old son, cursing all the balls of yarn piled around me, I watched his eyes go wide and heard him reiterate out loud what I, myself, had been thinking by proclaiming very loudly, "Mommy, there are so many balls!" I decided, then and there, that I would create a challenge for myself over the summer to eliminate my yarn by finally knitting it into the garments I had intended it for.  I would de-stash my yarn stash by only allowing myself to purchase a new skein of yarn after I'd fully knitted two.  It seemed easy enough when I plotted it out in my head, but at the time, I didn't take into account that all the projects that I'm working on lately use fingering weight yarn.  Do you know how long it takes to knit a ball of that!?!    And I'm an English-style knitter, and we aren't known for being the fastest, even though I'd like to think I am.  At this rate, I may never buy new yarn again!

So, starting today, June 1st, 2025, I am going to keep track of how many balls of yarn I knit up.  I can buy one ball for every two that I turn into something, and at the end of August, I will have a grand total of all the skeins I've knit.  Yes, most of my yarn is still a full skein, so that in itself presents a challenge.  I have very little to no scrap yarn lying around.  I guess that prevents me from cheating because I do, in fact, have to knit a whole ball and not just a leftover ball.  Oh, the things I get myself into...  Stay tuned... yarn elimination updates will be on the way!