What have I started?
My ever present urge to organise things has driven me to sort through a pile of retro knitting patterns, purchased quite some time ago in a charity shop in Canterbury. I started going through the bundle last week. Instead of discarding some of the patterns, in order to thin out the pile, as I had originally envisaged, I'm beginning to feel that I'm sitting on something akin to a social history of the British Isles in knitwear.
My pattern collection went from trash to treasure in the space of an afternoon. It's now obviously impossible to throw any of them away. Far from it, I'm actually considering how best to preserve these glimpses into a not so distant past.
My pattern collection went from trash to treasure in the space of an afternoon. It's now obviously impossible to throw any of them away. Far from it, I'm actually considering how best to preserve these glimpses into a not so distant past.
One of the most amusing pieces in my collection is the pattern below.
It appears that yarn companies routinely opted to promote their patterns with images of "hunks in knitwear" holding a pint of Ale. I wasn't at all aware that such a "pint and jumper" motif in knitwear marketing existed, but Nicky Fijalkowska (@nickyforvictory on Twitter) not only made me aware that there was such a theme, she also generously, supplied the evidence from her collection of vintage patterns:
Nicky also very kindly allowed me to repost one of her photos of a lady's jumper pattern from the 1950s (...I guess, suggestions welcome.)
The gender stereotyping you are about to witness is almost unbeatable. (Pint for the gents, glass of white for the ladies.) Nicky aptly pointed out, the model appears as if she's had several glasses of Chardonnay since completion of the jumper. I agree.
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| Handknitting meets Life on Mars |
It appears that yarn companies routinely opted to promote their patterns with images of "hunks in knitwear" holding a pint of Ale. I wasn't at all aware that such a "pint and jumper" motif in knitwear marketing existed, but Nicky Fijalkowska (@nickyforvictory on Twitter) not only made me aware that there was such a theme, she also generously, supplied the evidence from her collection of vintage patterns:
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| Sizing is an issue when it comes to the green jumper. Photo courtesy of https://twitter.com/nickyforvictory |
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| His psychedelic shirt clearly has driven him to drink. Photo courtesy of: https://twitter.com/nickyforvictory |
The gender stereotyping you are about to witness is almost unbeatable. (Pint for the gents, glass of white for the ladies.) Nicky aptly pointed out, the model appears as if she's had several glasses of Chardonnay since completion of the jumper. I agree.
Knitwear marketing, hunks in jumpers, 1970s Britain and social stereotyping. - Who would have thought that vintage knitwear patterns could prove to be such fun?
Before I forget, for all those who would like to see a very young Sir Roger Moore modelling knitwear (way before he landed that job with MI6), I urge you to head over to Nicky's Blog: knitforvictory.co.uk.
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