At loose ends

The anklets are done! Finally!

I gave them to my grandmother yesterday, and she liked them very much, although she felt she had to give me a hard time about not getting them at Christmastime.

They were finished Wednesday, five days ago, and I haven't been knitting since then. Not because I didn't want to, but because I wasn't sure what to do. I mean, I really want to get started on my Cardigan for Arwen, but I'm not certain how I feel about the construction that the pattern calls for. Basically, you knit a square for the back. Then each of the fronts are knit from the bottom up, with the sleeve stitches cast on as part of and extending from the front, then bound off after the entire sleeve is knit horizontally, then half the hood is knit. All in one continuous piece for each front. The way I made Rose's version was much simpler (to me): bottom up seamless yoke construction with the hood growing organically out of the neck. The only problem with doing it that way is that the cabled cuffs can't be knit in line with the sleeve. I left the cuffs out of Rose's sweater -- they would have gone up to her elbow in the gauge her sweater was in. I guess I will knit the cuff, then pick up stitches for the sleeve from the side of the cable. I was also toying with the idea of a drop-shoulder construction.

So while I was playing around with ideas for an alternate construction for my sweater, I started playing around with the blog design. I don't think I like it as much as my old design, but I'm going to keep trying some other things. Then I thought I might like a quick little project to tide me over in the meantime. I have a handful of hats in my queue, and thought one of those might be nice. But I didn't have anything in my stash that would work with any of them, so I tabled that idea and wound this up.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in colorway "Water." I think just a pair of plain socks to show off all the colors. For me. Then maybe I'll be ready for the sweater.

Tangled Yoke Cardigan and other stuff

So, I finished the Tangled Yoke Cardigan last Wednesday. I have to say, I really love this sweater. The only thing I'm not satisfied with are the buttons and buttonholes. The buttons are not quite in the right places, so I may have to take them off and re-place them. Also, the buttonholes are a mite too large for the buttons I chose, so I will have to make them a touch smaller, somehow. Easy fixes, really. This cable is brilliant. Love. It.

In other knitting news, I have a dilemma regarding my Tilted Duster. Click on that link to see what it's supposed to look like. Then see below.Now, I will grant you that I am not pregnant anymore, as I was in this photo. But Jamie is now 15 months old, and the sweater still doesn't fit right. I think I needed more ease. The top just doesn't meet the way it's supposed to. So this is my dilemma: do I give it to a more willowy friend who may or may not want it or wear it? Or do I frog the entire thing and re-use the yarn?

Then I've got a pile of projects to think about. Andy's vest is about half done. I'm about to start a pair of socks for my grandmother, then I've promised hats to my daughter, my mom, and my aunt. Not to mention my entire Rav queue. I'd better start winding some yarn.

Work in progress

It's another "Baby Yours" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, this time in white for my Godson's Baptism. I'm knitting the sleeves at the same time, which (now that I'm used to it) is a very handy method. Usually I'm counting and re-counting rows, or measuring and re-measuring, to make sure the second sleeve matches the first. This way I just knit, and I know they're both the same. Well, as long as I don't turn my work before I knit on both sleeves, which is what I was doing at first if my mind wandered.

7 Quick Takes Friday, 4/17

1. I haven't been blogging much lately, and that's okay with me. I really curtailed my computer use over Lent and found I had a lot more time for a) knitting, b) caring for my family, c) caring for my home, and d) sleeping. So I feel the trend needs to continue for a little while. I'm cutting back on the blogs I read and not blogging myself as much, so I can be present in my real life.

2. Rose has taken to calling me "Mother" for the last few days. I have no idea where that came from, but it's really cute.

3. We had our family portraits taken this week. Holy cow. I'm still getting over how expensive they are. But we got such cute shots of the kids, I think it was worth it.

4. A phrase I've been hearing a lot on TV and radio has really been bugging me: "really kind of." As in "I was really kind of surprised at his reaction." No. You were either really surprised, or you were kind of surprised. Not both.

5. We're going to Greenfield Village today! First trip of the year -- we're members and we go several times over the season. Can't wait!

6. I actually finished my legwarmers in time for the last (I hope!) cold blast of the lingering winter. They were so cozy and warm!

7. I've been asked by my Godson's mother to knit another Baby Yours in white for his Baptism! Isn't that sweet? I know the photo of the original looks white, but it's really an orange-tinged cream. Plus, Gabriel was such a big boy when he was born that the newborn size is probably already too small. I'm so excited -- off to knit a few more rows!

7 quick takes 2/27

Sigh. It's been quite a couple of weeks, and while I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I'm still pretty busy and pretty tired. But here's some news headlines.

1. Went to my first Friday Night Knit Night at my LYS last week and enjoyed it a great deal. Had snacks, finished Shannon's second legwarmer, and met a kindred spirit. I hope to make it again tonight.

2. Started a legwarmer for myself. Love it, love it, love it, and can't wait to wear the pair.

3. Jamie is going through a frustrating day-time sleep pattern right now. Gets all tired and fussy and eye-rubby after being awake for less than two hours, so I nurse him and put him down for a nap, then he jabbers in his crib for the next hour before finally quieting down. Don't tell me to keep him up longer, either, because I've tried and it doesn't change anything. It just makes him more miserable. But the one thing this kid has taught me is that he'll be different in a week. So I'm just biding my time.

4. Had an amazing rehearsal last night for a Taize prayer service. I can't even describe how serene and uplifting it was. I can only hope the actual service is as amazing.

5. My dentist tells me I have beautiful gums. "When we make dentures, this is what we try to make the gums look like," he says.

6. Andy: Rose, do you know who that is singing?
Rose: No, who is it?
Andy: It's Dinah Shore.
Rose (flabbergasted): What? Dinosaur?

7. More from Rose: "When we were at Applebee's, the Red Wings were on, and that's why Papa [my dad, her grandfather] was sooo quiet."

Can't believe I actually came up with seven. I actually have a knitting story to share, but I wanted photos first. Maybe next week. In the meantime, Jen's got her Quick Takes and all the rest here.

What?!?

This is crazy. Cool, but crazy.

7 Quick Takes Friday, 2/13

With thanks to Jen for letting me participate... links to some much better thought out and written Quick Takes here.

-1-

I finished legwarmer number one yesterday. I cannot get over how much I love this pattern. I mean, they're just 26 inches of 1x1 ribbing knit in the round. I really think it's the combination of that no-nonsense wool with that fuzzy, soft, lovely silk and super kid mohair. Yarn choice really can make the difference in how much I enjoy a project.

-2-

By the way, if you'd have told me even a year ago that I'd enjoy knitting that much 1x1 rib (let alone tolerate it without pulling my hair out), I'd have laughed out loud. It's hard to explain, but I used to purl "funny." The stitches themselves looked fine in the finished product, but my style of execution was dead awkward. So switching back and forth between knit and purl that often was torture. Then I watched a video at KnittingHelp.com and *ping* a light went on. Yay internet!

-3-

James is feeling better, no fever since Monday. He still doesn't have much of an appetite, though. I offered him some pureed carrots, which he seemed to love a few days ago. He gave me a look like I was feeding him rat poison. It was so comical I wish I had had my camera with me.

-4-

Yesterday Andy couldn't get his key into the ignition of his car. It just wouldn't go in. It was the strangest thing. So he took my car to work, and I Googled "Ford Focus key won't go in" and apparently it's a very common problem with the Focus. He's had his for nearly ten years, so I guess we're lucky this is the first time it's happened. I called a locksmith (seemed to be the most common solution among others with the problem) and he replaced the cylinder with the tumblers. It's working now, I hope it doesn't happen again.

-5-

So I had plans to take Jamie to his sitter's house, run a couple of errands, and clean the house from top to bottom yesterday morning. Needless to say, the first two items didn't happen, and the third was seriously hampered by himself. I do a pretty good job keeping the house tidy while still caring for the kids, but I wanted to do some heavy-duty stuff yesterday, and it just wasn't going to happen. Maybe this morning...

-6-

I got the spring issue of Interweave Knits in the mail yesterday. I'm always so excited when that magazine arrives. But I was a little disappointed in this one. It has some cute patterns, but with the exeption of the Diminishing Ribs Cardigan, nothing that I would actually want to knit and wear. Well, I also liked the sleeves of the St. John's Wort Cardigan, so that may be an inspiration for something.

-7-

Andy's taking the youth group to CYO Rainbow this weekend. I always dread this weekend alone with the kids, but it always turns out fine. And it makes me very very grateful that it's really only this one time a year that he's away, not multiple times like husbands with jobs that require regular travel.

Poor baby, more green

Poor baby James is sick with a little fever. Besides being incredibly crabby, he has no other symptoms, so the doctor said to ride it out with some Baby Tylenol. He's sleeping now, I hope the rest helps.

So I've started yet another green project. These are the Super-Easy Leg Warmers from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. My sister asked for legwarmers, and I love to knit for my family. They are super easy, super cushy, super soft, and I can't wait to knit a pair for myself.

This pattern book is great. The photography is gorgeous and the patterns are lovely. It's arranged in chapters entitled "Less than two hours," "Two to four hours," etc. The legwarmers are in the "Two to four hours" chapter, but I already know it's going to take longer than that, I think maybe because I'm using magic loop instead of a 12" circular. Or maybe I'm just slow! :P I'm averaging 4" of length per hour, so two legwarmers at 26" each will be about 13 hours of work. I don't even care, though, because these are so luscious!

They're knit holding a strand of Cascade 220 and a strand of Rowan KidSilk Haze together. Purrrrr. Smooshy gooshy goodness.

Boring

I spent most of my free time yesterday dealing with this computer. It was running s-o s-l-o-w-l-y. It was so slow that the weekly virus scan, which is set up to run at 4 am Fridays, was still running when I got to the computer at 6:30, and not only that, it had only checked seven files. So I cancelled it and tried to write my blog entry for yesterday, which took more than an hour because it was so link heavy. Each time I opened a new tab to open a page I wanted to link, it took literally a minute or more to open. Frustrating.

I ran Spybot and Disk Cleanup, then realized that a print job I had cancelled the day before was still in the process of deleting. After more than 15 hours. Nothing I did would make this print job go away, so I uninstalled the printer software and reinstalled it. Now everything is running as well as before. Yay! But pretty much every free moment was spent in front of the computer, and not doing anything fun, either. Boo!

The good news? While waiting for scans and uninstalls and installs to run, I finished seaming and weaving in all the ends of the ... whoops, almost spilled the beans! ;)

7 Quick Takes Friday, 1/16

With thanks to Jennifer at Conversion Diary for letting us play along!

-1-

I bought myself Stephanie Pearl McPhee's Page-A-Day Calendar, Never Not Knitting, just after Christmas. It came with an offer for a free online page-a-day calendar that comes in your e-mail. There were a number of choices, including Cats and Brain Teasers, and I chose 365 New Words a Year. It's been a lot of fun to open the e-mails, scroll down just far enough to see the word, and quiz myself before checking the definition. Then, there's always a link to click for more information on the history and etymology of the word. Yes, I'm a word geek.

-2-

Living right across the Detroit River from Canada, I'd come to enjoy CBC Radio 2 for classical music and great programs like Vinyl Cafe. So I'm sad that they seem to have changed formats from nearly all classical to more eclectic. I have nothing against eclectic, but it was nice to have an option in addition to Detroit's WRCJ for classical. At least there's classical in the afternoon, and Vinyl Cafe is still on Saturday mornings.

-3-

I made a dastardly treat yesterday. But next time I need to make sure the butter is super soft and mix the ice cream in quicker. It was still pretty yummy (For those of you worried about Jamie, we didn't have it until after he was in bed since he sleeps most of the night, and I only used a splash of rum).

-4-

Is it just me, or are people using the phrase "It is what it is" an awful lot lately? I have nothing against the phrase in particular, but I'm getting tired of hearing it.

-5-

My little project is almost done (Ravelry link, because I believe the recipient occasionally checks in on this blog). I knit it up in four days, and it's taken me the last three to seam it. I hate seaming, but for this one, it's worth it. All will be revealed on Monday.

-6-

Last night I was mulling over ideas for this post as I was putting Jamie to bed, then came downstairs to jot down a list to remind myself this morning. Of course, my mind blanked out before I remembered them all. I was thinking and thinking about the last one, willing it to come back into conscious memory, and then it did! And then I clicked my pen with gusto! And then I realized that I was holding the pen upside down and the ball point was already out! And then I said "OW ow ow ow ow" and forgot what I had remembered.

-7-

I know Christmas is over, even for us Catholics, but I had to share one last picture of the season (the plants are fake):

Isn't he the cutest thing?

Fiber Cafe

So, why "Fiber Cafe?"

After Rachel had taught me to knit, and I started to really get into it, I started wishing there was a yarn shop closer to me than downtown Detroit. Now, I love City Knits, and I love Ewe-Nique Knits, up by where Rachel lives, but either way I was going to be in the car for at least an hour getting there and back, not to mention the time spent petting and ogling the yarn. So I spent a lot of time daydreaming about opening a yarn shop in my town. I knew it would never happen, with my non-existent business sense, but it was so fun to imagine "the perfect yarn shop."

First of all, it would be in downtown Wyandotte, because I love our little downtown. Not to mention it would be nearby.

It would be cozy, but not too small. I would carry all my favorite yarns, and have a running "wish list" on the counter so customers could request their favorites, too.

There would be comfy seating, warm lighting, and coffee and tea available around the clock.

I wanted a clever name, and thought "Fiber Cafe" was a cute pun on "Cyber Cafe." Of course, those who knit and those who don't probably have different connotations of fiber. For me, "fiber" = wool or cotton or alpaca, etc. For most of my friends, "fiber" = bran muffins. Come to the Fiber Cafe, have a bran muffin with your coffee! Hee hee.

Anyhow, when Rachel and I started this blog together a couple years ago, we went through a whole list of names, all of which had been taken by other people in Blogger land. The only one which hadn't was the name of my imaginary yarn shop, so we went with that. It was only after we started that I thought to Google "Fiber Cafe," wondering if we had stepped on anyone's toes. I found an alpaca farm, a couple of clubs, and something about fiber optics, but no shops and no other blogs by this name.

The happy ending is that there really is finally a yarn shop here in Wyandotte, yay! It is indeed cozy, there's comfy seating, it's downtown, and while there's not coffee, every Friday night there's a knit night with food for only $5. The name is also a clever one -- "Miles and Miles of Yarn," after the owner, Diana Miles. I'm so glad she's here.

Some actual knitting content

...since this is, after all, a knitblog. Mostly.

I'm working on the Brioche Helmet Hat from Interweave Knits Fall 2005 for Rose. It's such a sweet little hat, and once I finally got going on it, it seemed to fly along. Until last night, but more on that later.

It's knit with two strands of sport or DK weight yarn held together, and you change one of the strands to a different color after an inch or so to get the speckled effect. I wish my speckles were more random, but I think that lighter stripe happened because I was not sure I wanted to change from solid blue. So I threaded a lifeline in case I didn't like the color change and tried a few rows without cutting either strand of dark blue. Brioche stitch is not difficult, but, for me, it was nearly impossible (no, it was impossible) to get the doubled strands back on the needle after frogging a row or two on my first attempts at this hat. I didn't even want to face that fiasco again, so a lifeline was necessary. When I decided I liked the color change, I snipped the unused strand of dark blue and took out the lifeline. Apparently, something about having that other strand attached affected how I held the doubled strands and made the light blue stand out more. You can totally see where I made that change. I've decided I'm fine with it. It's a design element, yeah, that's the ticket.

So last night I made it to the decrease rounds. The pattern tells you to knit 3 together. The 3 stitches it's referring to are a stitch with a yarnover straddling it, a regular stitch, and another stitch with a yarnover straddling it. That's how brioche stitch works. There's a lot of slipped stitches with yarnovers over them, and it makes for a very cushy, thick fabric. Very nice for a warm hat. But the problem is, with these straddling stitches and the fact that the yarn is held doubled, for the k3tog, you have to actually get your needle through and knit 10 strands of yarn. Can you imaging knitting 10 together? It's terrible. It was killing my hands. I ended up having to use a crochet hook to pull the yarn through and replace it on the other needle.

Otherwise, I love this pattern and now that I've figured out the crochet hook trick, I'll be likely to make it again.

Here's another story. I ordered some mediumweight Socks That Rock to make something that I can't share quite yet. I wanted the Narikama colorway, but they sent me the Nyame colorway. It's absolutely gorgeous, but it's not what I wanted. I e-mailed them, and got a very quick response apologizing, letting me know that the Narikama was already in the mail, and telling me I could keep the Nyame! I am so amazed, and excited! Blue Moon Fiber Arts rocks!

7 Quick Takes Friday

With thanks again to Jen, for letting me participate.

-1-

I started a hat yesterday. Twice. I have to start it a third time this morning. Here's to hoping it goes better today.

-2-

I have to keep a notepad nearby to jot down any thoughts throughout the week that I may use for 7 Quick Takes Friday. My mind seems to go absolutely blank when I sit down in front of the computer to write. The same thing happens on Facebook when I go to fill out my profile information. "Interests? What are my interests? Do I have any?" Ridiculous.

-3-

Blogger won't remember me. When I check the remember me box, I still have to enter my e-mail and password the next time I come back to make a post or check my blogs. Google remembers me just fine, so what's wrong with Blogger? If anyone has any insight, please share.

-4-

I've been following Flylady for about 3 years now, on and off. Lately it's been off, what with the expected disruptions to our routine that a newborn brought. But now that we're settling into a new normal around the house, I've been re-incorporating some of her ideas back into my housekeeping. I don't follow to the letter, but I can really live with the idea that a little bit of work every day is better than killing yourself cleaning like a crazy woman a couple times a month.

-5-

I want to strongly recommend this book: The Green Beauty Guide (here's a good review). Even if you're not heavily into organic buying (I'm not) and even if you just check it out of the library (I did, but I'm going to buy it soon), it has some very important information about how the beauty items you use can affect your health. If you are a parent, I must even more strongly recommend reading it.

-6-

Our little downtown bakery closed earlier this fall, and I'm still sad about it. They were so wonderful there, they knew us by name, and their breads were simply beautiful. Someone has since taken over who doesn't even bake, they have all their breads and pastries shipped in. I went in once since this new management and haven't gone back. It smelled like smoke in there, cigarette smoke! and he didn't even know what pumpernickel bread was! I said, "Brown bread, dark brown bread." "This is brown," he said, motioning to the wheat bread. Wheat! Wheat is nothing like pumpernickel and you run a bakery? Argh!

-7-

The good news is, we kept in touch with the lovely woman who made the cakes there. We've always gotten Rose's birthday cakes from that bakery, and when we learned they were closing, we made sure we asked Amy for her number. She is going to make Rose a blue cake. Rose has been hoping for a blue cake since right after her last birthday (her favorite color is blue). So it's going to be blue frosting with four white roses and some holly. I'm so glad.

7 Quick Takes

I finished a Christmas gift this morning.

***

I finished this a few weeks ago. Can you guess what it is? Is it a Batty Bat?

Nope, it's a cute little hat!

Unfortunately, everytime I've put it on him, it's made his eczema flare up. :( Maybe his skin will clear up by next winter, and he can wear it then. There's certainly enough room for growth.

***

It's a snow day today. I love being married to a teacher. We're supposed to go carolling downtown tonight, but if things don't clear up, well, I wouldn't complain if we got to have a night at home.

***

Rose had her very first Christmas program last night.

Her class did great! They recited a little piece about Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay, and then they sang a song about Santa.

***

Some geek jokes:

How can you tell that a mathematician is an extrovert? When he talks to you, he looks at your shoes and not his own.

A neutron walks into a bar and asks the bartender, “How much for a martini?” The bartender says, “For you? No charge.”

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the precipitate.

***

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately. I don't know if it's the season, or if it's because I've reconnected with some good friends on Facebook that I never thought I'd be able to find again, but I've been thinking a lot about how I used to be, how my life was, and how my life has turned out. It's a strange sensation, not unpleasant, but strange.

***

I always seem to forget in December that there's another month and more activities to follow after the holidays. In the past it hasn't been such a big deal. But Rose's birthday is on January 3, and having the family over is something that I don't like to throw together at the last minute. Somehow this year I have to start getting ready for that sooner.

Green things

I am currently working on four green projects. It wasn't on purpose; it just happened that way. The Charade socks are green.

This gift project is green (Ravelry link -- I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't read this blog, but just in case, I'm not posting a pic -- I know she's not on Ravelry).

This little hat is greenish.
I know it doesn't look like a hat, but trust me. It's a clever little design.



This wristwarmer is green.
Also a gift, but not a surprise. They're for my sister, who specifically requested the pair and picked out the pattern. I'm also going to have to make her try on the first one. It might be too big.


The yarn I have set aside for my next sweater is also green. I hope that gets me over this green kick so I can move on to some other colors.


So, four green projects and the Tangled Yoke cardi. That's two more projects than I usually like to have on the needles at once. I guess I better get off the computer and get knitting!

Fall Startitis

It got cool for a couple of days and I got a pretty bad case (for me) of Startitis.

To wit:

One pair of Christine's Baby Booties for Jamie's baptism (nearly finished).

Mom made my nephew Noah's baptism outfit, and now Jamie is going to wear it. She told me she couldn't find the bonnet or booties, though. Luckily, we were gifted with a hanky bonnet, and, well, booties are never a problem for a crazy knitter! I love the pair Jo sent me so much I used the same pattern with some white yarn I had left over from Jamie's sweater.

I also started a pair of Garter Mitts. No photo since I've started over about four times to make various adjustments for gauge. Also since it's been raining and the light is lousy for picture taking anyway. I think I've finally figured out what needles and stitch count are going to work for the yarn I'm using, so there should be a photo or two in the next post.

I also bought enough yarn (and then some) for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from IK Fall 2007.

Rachel and I attended Ewe-Nique Knits annual Fall sale and I promised myself I'd only buy yarn if I had an actual project in mind for it. I've known that I needed to knit this sweater since I first saw it a year ago, but I was waiting to start until I was wearing pre-pregnancy clothes again. Then to find all this Silky Wool on sale! The only thing keeping me from casting on is I have four projects on the needles, which is one more than I normally like to have. I can't wait (but I'm going to)!

Oh my goodness

Two weird yarn-related items:

#1 The Bizarre Case of the Exploding Knitting Needle Old news, but who ever said I was on top of current events?

#2 Crocheted Mythbusters I can think of no better reason than this to pick up my crochet hook again. :D

And look, I've made it past the heel of my first Charade!

I may yet finish this pair of socks this year.

Two scarfs

My dear Andrew has taken both of our children to his parents' house and given me a morning off. I spent it paying bills and writing thank you cards while listening to loud music. I know there were about a billion more fun things I could have done, but I really feel better for having taken care of those tasks. Now I'm making my monthy blog post. I don't want my posts to be this far apart, but I'm afraid that for the time being, it's just got to be that way.

Here is the Chevron Scarf again, now halfway complete. I love Jo's yarn, love the feel, love the colors, love everything about it. And the pattern is so easy that I can work a row or two here and there and put it down when Jamie fusses or Rose wants to play.

I was thinking about the first scarf I knit, which, stereotypically, was my first project. The yarn was a skein of jewel-toned acrylic. Just one skein. I knitted it up in seed stitch on needles that were probably two sizes too small for the yarn (they were all I had), so I ended up with this very dense, cardboard-like, too short scarf. I gave it to my mother, who praised me sincerely then proceeded to never wear it. Not that I blame her; she probably couldn't make it bend around her neck! Fortunately or not, I have no photo of that poor project.

What a far cry this beautiful, wooly, soft, drapey scarf is from that first one! I'm not giving it to Mom, though, this one's for me!

Briefly

I'm stealing a few moments for a family and knitting update. Sleep has been much more valuable to me than computer and knitting time lately, but I've managed to get in a few stitches and a little browsing here and there. I need the escape and reminder of "normal" life.


This is one of my two current projects:

The Chevron Scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, knitted up in a beautiful yarn I bought from my friend Jo at her Etsy shop. The colors are blending so subtly and gorgeously together. I'm also knitting the Charade socks, but it's a slow go. I'm only halfway down the leg of the first sock and I've been working on it for more than a month now. Usually I'm done with an entire pair in a month. Of course, I've had other stuff going on, haven't I?

My dear Andrew and our son. As the days go by, Jamie looks more and more like his Daddy. Andy says "poor thing" every time I say that, but I think Andy's pretty cute, so of course I think Jamie's a living doll.

For fun and profit

Friends of ours from church were cleaning out the home of a recently deceased parent and found an amazing collection of needlework magazines from the 1950s. Knowing my, ah, interest in knitting as well as the affection my husband and I both have for vintage items, they knew exactly who to give this treasure to.




Just a small sampling:


"The Workbasket," from May 1952, featuring patterns for a crochet doily and a "shoulderette."




















Another issue, dated August 1954, with patterns for booties and knit edging among other articles. I love how pleased the model seems with her lace collar.






















The third one I scanned is from September 1956. I really like the rug on the cover. Another project from this issue is a "TV scarf," which is a runner to place over your television. I'm not sure how that would fly today.

Looking through these has been so much fun. One thing that struck me was the emphasis on "fun and profit" in both the articles and the advertisements. Here's a small sampling:

• "Earn extra money making artificial flowers at home! In spare time!"
• "Turn cooking talent into cash at home!"
• "Make big money at home -- Be an invisible reweaver"
• "Ladies! If you have spare or full time you'd like to turn into money, here is a wonderful new idea. Show latest dress styles to friends and neighbors and take the fast orders they will give you ... "
• "I'll pay you to 'give away' nylons at 49 cents!"

There's more to share, but I'm getting tired again. :-)

If I get more time to scan more covers or some of the articles or ads, I will. With at least thirty magazines, there's a lot to share here.