Craftside

Knit and Crocheted Sweater Closure Inspired by Retro Knits

As the weather turns chilly  (oh about 65 here in SoCal) I am starting to pull out my sweaters and my knitting books and I let my creative juices flow!

So if you know a bit of knit and crochet you can make this fun little project I came up with while flipping through one of my favorite knitting books:

Retro Knits:
Cool Vintage Patterns for Men, Women, and Children from the 1900s through the 1970s   

By Kari Cornell and Jean Lampe

Everything old is new again in this collection of fun, hip knitting patterns dating from the early 1900s through the 1970s. Within the pages of this book you'll find everything from the pattern for those classic embroidered mittens your grandmother knitted to the alluring mohair sweater your mother stitched during her college days.

Retro Knits collects 50 vintage patterns for items as stylish today as they were in their time. Organized by decade, these patterns have been culled from vintage pattern books published by yarn makers, and feature old photos, pattern book covers, and original instructions.

The patterns--for hats, mittens, socks, scarves, sweaters, vests, and shawls, all picked to exemplify the era of origin--also offer modern yarn and needle suggestions, new schematics, and updated sizing.

So in addition to all the great patterns, there are also wonderful photos interspersed within the pages, which is where I got my inspiration:



This is the photo from the opening page of the 1930s section. It's not one of the patterns but it does have this neat double button closure. I have this sweater that was in need of just such a device.

And here is how I did it:

I went to the stash and found a yarn that went with my sweater in size, sheen and color. In this case it is Patons Brilliant in Natural Glow
I also rustle up 2 small shank buttons, in this case about 3/8 inch in diameter.
Since the sweater has a very open stitch I can poke the buttons through very easily. You will want to test this feature on your sweater.

To cover the buttons I:
Chain 3 and slip stitch to join
Chain 1
Single crochet about 12 stitches into the center of the ring and join.
Then I did a whip stitch through only the back loop around the circumference of the crochet disk and pulled to gather the crochet disk over the button.
I then knotted the ends together to secure.

To make the center connector I simply knitted a 4 stitch I-cord for about 2 inches. This will depend on how long you need your connector.

I simply used the tails to stitch each button to the ends of the i-cord.

Easy, hu? So if you have a sweater that's in need of a closure just pick buttons slightly smaller than the openings you can create in the knit stitches (or make little i-cord loops on each side!) and crochet enough of a disk to cover the button. Then knit enough i-cord to connect the sides. That's really all there is to it.

And if you'd like to read another review of Retro Knits pop over to Blogcritics.

Retro Knits is here!

Retro Knits:
Cool Vintage Patterns for Men, Women, and Children from the 1900s through the 1970s   

By Kari Cornell and Jean Lampe

Everything old is new again in this collection of fun, hip knitting patterns dating from the early 1900s through the 1970s. Within the pages of this book you'll find everything from the pattern for those classic embroidered mittens your grandmother knitted to the alluring mohair sweater your mother stitched during her college days.

Retro Knits collects 50 vintage patterns for items as stylish today as they were in their time. Organized by decade, these patterns have been culled from vintage pattern books published by yarn makers, and feature old photos, pattern book covers, and original instructions.

The patterns--for hats, mittens, socks, scarves, sweaters, vests, and shawls, all picked to exemplify the era of origin--also offer modern yarn and needle suggestions, new schematics, and updated sizing.

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I can't wait to make stuff from this book! There is a wonderful stocking cap that I think is first on my list!

(Click on image to enlarge)

Check out this wonderful write up from Knit Today from The UK.

And in addition to all the wonderfulness that is Retro-Knits, the author Kari has indulged us with her:

List of 10 things probably no one else has done:

1.  Assembled models of a California missions from sugar cubes during my day job in downtown Minneapolis.

2. Sewed countless pairs of boxer shorts using old hospital gowns and then actually wore them…in public.

3. Knit a Fair Isle cardigan sweater while riding to Door County, Wisconsin in a Citroen 2CV

(If you don't know what one of these babies looks like, here's an example:

pretty retro hu?)

4. Managed to knit three (yes, three) neon-green mohair mittens, none of which were the same size.

5. Drove cross-country to Yellowstone National Park with my 1-year-old and 3-year-old boys…and only used the DVD player once!

6. As a teenager I kept a journal of Casey Kasem’s top 40 songs of the week, just so I could figure out which song would be number one for the year.

7. Designed my very own quilt when I was 10, featuring all of my favorite things: rainbows, hearts, strawberries, and a sun…oops, forgot the unicorns.

8. Spent four days in Scandinavia without sleeping in a single hotel

9. Nursed my week-old baby boy while sitting in front of the milking demonstration booth at the Minnesota State Fair… and drinking a milk shake

10. As a young-in, I dedicated an entire wall of my bedroom to Duran Duran images, clipped from magazines and concert programs. The kicker is that each month I lived 2 weeks at my dad’s house and two weeks at my mom’s house…so I spent every other Saturday reassembling the shrine.

What a great list, I think my personal favorite is number 9! And I think it's clear that knitting and retro are an integral part of Kari's life and why she was the one to coauthor a book about Retro Knits.

If you would like to meet the fabulous and amazing Kari- she will be speaking at 3 Kittens Needle Arts in St. Paul on June 12 at 7 pm and at the Minnesota Knitters Guild on May 20.

And we want to hear from you! What is your favorite "Retro Knits" story? Leave a note or link in the comments section and in exchange for sharing your fiber-blast from the past by Wednesday May 25th we will randomly pick a lucky winner to receive a free copy of Retro Knits! Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you.