I have glanced through the McCalls Needlework and Crafts books but really need to set aside a whole evening to browse them properly. They are filled with all kinds of craft items. There is some knitting and crochet but the photos I have put on here are of the other crafts. The bag with it's 3D fruit. The wool embroidery that gives a chunky raised effect, The beaded bags in either the Victorian or the native American theme.
As I browsed the pages memories came flooding back of some of the things that I attempted to make from the books. Bearing in mind that in the 60's books from the US were very rare so I had no idea of any of the thicknesses of the wool nor the needles. There was no nipping on the Internet to check anything out in those days and wool was not imported from the US way back then (or anywhere else for that matter). It was all trial and guesswork. I was still in the learner stage of following patterns in the UK so the US ones were very much a challenge to me. I can remember knitting a rabbit from one of the books in red and white (why a red rabbit I can't remember) and due to the wool and needle guessing this rabbit finished up about 3ft tall and took bags and bags of stuffing. It finished up on the back seat of my dad's car and I was horrified to discover that he had given it away to my young cousin who had got attached to this rabbit on a car journey home with my dad. All he said was well she cried when I tried to take it away from her and you can always make another! My aunt said later that she slept with that rabbit until she was about 7yrs old and absolutely loved it. I didn't make another one.
There were some lovely bedspreads in crochet or quilting that I always said I would get around to when I retired. I don't really fancy them all that much these days although I think the embroidered throw is lovely but far too intricate for me to ever tackle now.
I didn't go to Charlie's for the Knit Out in the garden today as her builders turned up so it has been postponed until Friday. I haven't knitted any more on the toe up socks. I am not really enjoying them and so they have stopped my knitting mojo. I have crocheted a few more squares (and darned the ends in) but not really done much of anything today.
3 comments:
Do you wonder what people will say in the future to the things we are making now? Do you think they will love 'em or hate 'em? Some things really do stand the test of time like your granny squares, some things look naff now!! but everything bloggers make are wonderful!
I love that Native American bag!
I would have been livid if someone had given away something I'd made without asking! Especially something so big! Atleast your cousin loved it.
Good on you for keeping those books - there's stuff that I've tossed out over the years that I now wish I'd kept. Like the 'Beatle's Monthly'- I used to wait with great anticipation for those every month. Then threw them out when we moved house years later. Bugger!
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