Season of the witch

Witching hour

Pumpkins are appearing in windows and on doorsteps and fancy-dress shops are stockpiling skeleton, black cat and devil outfits, as well as more outré costumes... the season of the witch must be upon us again.

Back in in 1973, Halloween was still thought of as an 'American thing' and traditions like pumpkin carving, apple bobbing and dressing up in scary costumes to go trick or treating were only just starting to drift across to British shores, which makes the fact that The Complete Book of Handicrafts (1973) featured this cute witchy mobile quite ahead of its time.

From the days when 'a mobile' was something altogether different, if you fancy making a spooky decoration to hang in your home – perhaps on the front door to show you're trick or treat-friendly, fish out a packet of pipe cleaners, click here for your free templates and instructions and find out how to DIY.

BOO!

Meet the smockers

One of my favourite book titles

Following hot on the heels of last weekend's Margate Soul Weekend, Broadstairs Folk Week is now upon us and, in honour of the anticipated morris dancer invasion, I've dug out my smock book to bring you some pics of some men (women and children) modelling the very finest in rustic separates. You're welcome!

Portobello Market?

Stone-age man

Get off my land

Sally Tuffin-designed jumbo cord smock

From Smocks and Smocking (WI Books Ltd, 1980)

A pattern a day

Micro mini and hooded caftans c1970. Far out!

Just a quick one today, to say I'm posting a vintage sewing pattern a day over on Twitter, so if you fancy a daily dose of mod girl dresses, 60s maternity separates, micro-mini caftans, capes, and lots of culottes, follow me (@GYCMI via the link on the right)

Capes c1967

Golden Hands fashion drawings

Whenever I'm flicking through my Golden Hands books and partworks magazines which, let's face it, is quite often, drawings by one particular illustrator always catch my eye.

Design in dressmaking: pockets (part 3, 1972)

Her name is Anna Kostal and she's credited in issues of the publication dated 1972-1973, but that is all I can find out about her.

Design in dressmaking: pockets 2 (part 3, 1972)

As well as loving – almost without exception – all the clothes, accessories and hairdos she chose to illustrate, I also adore the style of the drawings, the movement and interaction between the figures – but mainly the attention to detail.

Knitting design: darts and shaping (part 81/vol 6, 1973)

I know that when you're illustrating stitching techniques for craft books and such like, it's essential to emphasise the details – but this lady has really gone to town. For instance, can you spot the heart-arrow brooch in the 'collars' picture below? Nice!

Design in dressmaking: more about collars (part 81/vol6, 1973)

I also really like her use of (lovely sludgy) colour for the main article of clothing and black and white for all the rest.

Reversible fabrics (Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Dressmaking, 1973)

I mean, checked shirts, tweedy skirts, capes, chunky tights with sandals, sailor collars, clogs... what on earth is not to like?!

Reversible fabrics (Golden Hands Encyclopedia of Dressmaking, 1973)

I also think the way she draws hair is just out of this world...

Tailoring (part 7, 1972)

I'd love to know what happened to this brilliant artist after the Golden Hands 1972-1973 heyday, whether she carried on drawing and where she is now. Anna Kostal, if you are out there, I hope you are still doing what you do best!

Knitting design: darts and shaping (part 81/vol 6, 1973)

Granny square poncho

Love the nonchalant, hands-in-pockets stance

This cutie in a mini trilby inspired me to crochet a poncho for my niece's fifth birthday a few months ago. I spotted her in a book I found on one of my trawls round the charity shops of Norwich:

I KNOW: nice gloves

Rather than buy matchy wool specially, I thought I'd go freestyle on the colourscheme and use up some of the odds and ends about to create an avalanche under my craft table. Another part of my cunning plan was that I had around 20 multicoloured granny squares that I'd made a couple of years back, just sitting on a shelf, waiting. This was their moment!

I just needed to crochet 22 more squares...

I felt a sense of satisfaction at this point

arrange them in the right shape...

Swapping the squares about to get good colours next to each other is fun

stitch them together...

It took ages sewing in all the loose ends

crochet an edging, add a couple of tassels – and voilà.

Pink tassels were my niece's idea, not mine, I hasten to add

The beauty of having a project like this on the go is that you can take it everywhere with you. For about a month, I had my bag of wool and crochet hook with me, ready to do a few rounds on my journey to and from work, on longer train journeys, in the park – you name it.

If you want to make the poncho yourself, you just need to master the granny square and then it's really just a matter of keeping going until you've made 42 of 'em. These are my favourite granny square instructions that I use to refresh my memory, from the Harmony Guide to Crochet Stitches, Lyric, 1986.

And here's how to make the little girls' poncho, with further instructions here.

Don't forget to buy her a cute little trilby to wear with it!

Poncho pattern courtesy of The Book of Creative Crafts (Tigerlily, 1978).

Highland fling

Last week, I was indulging in my favourite holiday pastime of trawling local charity shops, when Patricia Roberts Knitting Patterns book (1977) caught my eye. Because I was on a chilly island in the north of Scotland, this woolly cape looked like exactly what I wanted to be wearing, despite it being the middle of July:

Poor-quality image but you get the picture

Not just a knitted green cape (or perhaps more of a cloak) but a balaclava hat and floral maxi skirt, pulled together with a Scottie dog brooch. Now this was an outfit I could work with.

The junk-lovers' paradise I'd found myself in was the Blue Door in Kirkwall, Orkney, which changes hands every few months to allow different charities to raise cash.

I don't think it's meant to be rude

As promised on the cover, there really is a design for all the family, including a Fair Isle cardie with teapot motifs for the chain-smokin' man in your life:

You light up my life

And I love these gardeners in neckerchiefs and tricoleur bobbly jumpers posing with their tools:

Hoe, hoe, hoe

The book's back cover has a little picture of each pattern, mainly alternative views to the ones used inside. I particularly like Hodge, middle row left, and Walking the Dog just above it:

Published by Book Club Associates, 1977

These days, Patricia Roberts has a posh shop in London's Belgravia selling lovely ladies' and kids' knits – and DIY kits.

If you're heading for cold climes, don't get caught without a cosy cape. Click here for your free knitting pattern.

(All designs © Patricia Roberts, 1977)

The sweetest thing in capes

We're told this 'delightful little 1930s knitted jumper's shoulder cape will stop the tops of your arms getting scorched in the sun'. I don't know – as if we need an excuse to wear a cape. According to the instructions, its main colour is coral and the stripes are grey and light oatmeal – very nice (but for some reason I was picturing red, off-white and blue).

'Will this one do?' the coy headline alongside the back view asks. Oh alright then, I suppose it'll have to...



Taken from the 1981 publication The 30s Family Knitting Book (Jane Waller, Paperduck), in which it is reproduced from a May 1933 edition of Woman's Weekly, it's a bit like thinking about the Land O' Lakes butter with the maiden holding the packet into infinity that did Sally's head in in Mad Men...

It's called the Droste effect

The book features 50 knitting patterns taken from popular magazines of the 30s such as My Home, Wife & Home, Good Housekeeping and Woman & Home, interspersed with charming contemporary adverts and other snippets from the editorial pages.

It's hard to imagine a less authentic 1930s-looking family than this uncomfortable trio on the front cover though:

Where's the fancy-dress party?

Step back to 1933 via 1981 by clicking here and here for the cape jumper instructions. And when you've finished your knitting, Barbara Mole will tell you how much you're supposed to tip when you're on a cruise:

Thank goodness that's sorted

Check it out

source: Golden Hands Encyclopaedia of Dressmaking (1974)

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