Vintage Patterns

I like vintage patterns in theory, but not so much in practice.

In theory, I like patterns that don't use frou frou yarns, that focus on colorwork and stitch patterns, and I don't mind something that doesn't have a contemporary look.

But, that is in theory. In reality, it is much harder to search vintage patterns to find one that fits my needs. Many of them assume that you have more time, so they use small needles. A lot of the colorwork patterns would require me to buy more yarn, rather than using the stuff I already have. Most of the ones I own are for sweaters, so it would take me a very long time to do more than one of the patterns. And they are never written in my size, so I would have to completely rewrite the pattern anyway.

But the pictures are still fun to look at (especially for the really ugly patterns). I picked up a whole stack of vintage patterns at a science fiction convention a few years ago, so let's see what we have.

Some of the pamphlets and magazines were quite old, and all of the patterns have a "classic charm":

Cover to one of the older titles

Others were from a less... glamorous era:

Can you guess when this pamphlet was made?

Some have patterns that look straightforward:

Others, seem more difficult:

But in all eras, the kids are cute:

The men are sporting:

And the women are fashionable: