Vintage Wine Cardigan
from a vintage Robin pattern
fits chest 48 cms so 6-9 months or thereabouts
4mm vintage needles
3 balls King Cole Merino Blend DK #32 Wine

The pattern is from my collection of vintage knitting patterns. I would like to work this up larger for my little girl in the same colour. It really suits her skin tone. I love the yarn and will use it again, soft with great stitch definition and machine washable. Now we’ve lost Jaeger….this is a good alternative to Matchmaker Merino. I just scraped in with nothing to spare on this one. A fiddly bit of sewing up, but I like that part. Maybe next time I’ll work it in one piece to the armholes.

Mods: I omitted a button and the filet ribbon around the neck, not practical or safe! Oh, and I compensated by adding extra stitches to the seam edges so the pattern appeared seamless on the side seams.

Machine sewn and handfinished, reversible pinafore using recycled fabric and a vintage pattern. I’ve not done much sewing for a while, so this was something to kick-start the ’sewing brain’ again. It’s not at all practical - most likely needs dry cleaning and gets dragged about with a crawling baby. However, there are major moves afoot to stand! So, watch this space. Young Coco will be back in dresses when that happens.

Reverse view showing ribbon ties. I wanted grosgrain but couldn’t find anything the right colour. This isn’t 100% right either….

Front view showing the red and gold tulips. The original pattern called for bias around all the edges but I wanted a cleaner line than that and think this way was an improvement.

The vintage singlet Mum so expertly made finally fits properly. She used a vintage pattern and Patons Dreamtime 100% 4 ply wool in white. I think she made one six like this for me as a babe.

It’s hard to believe that Coco was this small and that time has gone so incredibly quickly!

I managed to do some sewing whilst visiting Nanny & Grandpa on her old Bernina record. It’s a fabulous machine, so solid and amazingly reliable. The stories it could tell! Well, they would mostly be of me swearing. I raided her cupboards and found some lovely cottons and shirtings but wasn’t able to bring everything I wanted back. Next time, maybe.

Here’s Coco modelling the bloomers in white cotton pique and shaking my old wooden rattle. It’s quite battered but much loved.

And some pants using up a remnant of shirting that she made for my Grandad. These were enormous on her a month ago when they were finished and now they fit, well loosely anyway. Perfect for our yoga class we’re starting today. Can you see how close she is to crawling……….any day now, I fear/reckon

I’m also halfway through sewing up a summer weight sleeping bag too. Oh, to have some time……

I adore this print. My great aunt gave it to Mum and it’s been in my room since I was a girl. Now it will pass to my daughter. Margaret W Tarrant (1888-1959) was mainly a children’s book illustrator drawing animals, fairies, children and storybook characters.

More TILT love at Flickr here.

These are two of the four blinds at my parent’s home. I blame my love for orange, pink and yellow on these bedroom blinds made by Mum. I also had a bedspread, which didn’t last forever and ended up being made into a dress. I think I was about 6 at the time. Anyway, I’ll share that one day when I can find the photo. Marimekko fabric isn’t cheap today, but I’m sure it was fairly expensive in Melbourne in 1972.

It didn’t fit the width of our windows, so it had to be pieced. I think they’re holding up very well after almost 35 years of being yanked up and down each day.

More Marimekko here at Flickr and the other blind here.

The light fitting is Murano glass. I still really love it. The discs are about 4 inches wide. We had another in orange with brown dots in the loungeroom and Mum and Dad had another in blues and greens in their room. They also had a chandelier which had about 9 tiers that hung over their bed and was quite dramatic. They took them down in favour of something more modern a few years ago. It’s different from this but a similar idea.

These beautiful blankets were made by my mum when she was waiting to have me. She was in hospital for at least six weeks to ‘rest’ but spent all her time knitting and crocheting this and the one below. They have both been kept so carefully and are as perfect as the day they were made. Aren’t we lucky?!

This was to go in the rocking cradle that my dad made and to match the yellow, white and black Marimekko blinds mum made. I’ll photograph them one day when I’m back home. They still look good after all these years.

Here’s a closeup of a pretty singlet/vest that my mother made for Alice. It’s a vintage pattern…..not sure of the details but she made one for me when I was born too. It’s knitted in Patons 100% baby wool but wait until you see the incredible shawl she made once I take the photos.

This is a birth sampler designed and wrought by the mother of one of my oldest friends. She designs all her samplers and has the most amazing library of reference, particularly on folk samplers. We are also lucky enough to have a wedding sampler made by her but that’s at my parent’s home in Oz and I don’t have a photograph to share. It’s incredibly fine worked in one thread of floss over one thread of linen. Am not sure of the count but believe me, it’s fine. I’m looking forward to getting it framed and on the wall.

I couldn’t resist making a dress for Abby too to go with her cardi and bootees. I used a vintage Style dress/pinafore pattern I found in a charity shop last year and luckily it still had all the pieces. Don’t you hate it when they don’t! Anyway, it’s the 6 month size but she’s a titchy wee thing, so hopefully it’ll fit and she can wear it on all the hot summer days we’re going to have in the coming months.

A close-up of the fabric. I bought it in a Liberty sale some years ago, maybe 4 and have had it socked away for a rainy day. Don’t you hate hand-stitching bias binding…….but it looks loads better than machine stitching it on something that small and fine.

And the reverse. I just love the button!

I had a request some time ago to make a knitted tea cosy and have only just got around to it. I used an old Copley pattern I picked up recently in a charity shop. Copley-Smith and sons were from Darlington but it was the first I had heard of them and the pattern was dated 1983. It’s unusual to find patterns dated like this, so it’s not technically vintage yet!

It does look quite over-the-top keeping my green Denby Energy teapot warm. I think it’s going to be living with a white or stainless pot from memory……………Hope that serves me correctly.

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Shamrock Tea Cosy
Rowanspun DK knit double
1 ball of each
4.5mm needles

I have modified my own pattern to share with you. Use two colours of DK yarn and held double throughout the pattern or aran weight yarn. You can use two colours or plain yarn, whatever takes your fancy.

Cast on 53 stitches with 4.5 or 5mm needles.
*K2, P2, repeat from* to last stitch, K1
Repeat this row until work measures 18cm or desired length.
Begin shaping as follows:-
K2, (P3tog, K1)12 times, P2, K1 (29 sts.)
K2, P2, (K1,P1) 12 times, K1
K1, (SSK) 12 times, K2tog (16 sts.)
K1, P to last stitch, K1
K2tog 8 times across row (8 sts.)
Break yarn and thread through remaining stitches pulling tightly.

Work another piece exactly the same.

To make up, pin pieces together at the sides and roughly measure where you need your spout hole and your handle hole. Sew together using mattress stitch and add a pom pom or pieces of i-cord. Whatever you fancy. Then boil the kettle, make a lovely cuppa and enjoy.

SSK = Slip, slip, knit or alternatively you can knit 2 together through the back of the loop