1 Knitter, 10 Sweaters, 100 years of Knitting Evolution // Casual Friday S05E34

[@angelahudson5812]

Rox, you’re absolutely brilliant! You deserve a doctorate in the history of textile design. Thank you for your passion for the art & science of knitting! ❤😊🙏🏾

[@NinaKeilin]

Rox, no one else has your level of commitment and stick-to-it-iveness to your research! I loved the trip down memory lane with the Kaffe Fassett books.

[@libelle8124]

Hello, youtube has recommended your channel to me, when I was looking for something that explains to me how to work out the dimensions for a knitted hat with any yarn. Found it and thank you so much for that. It's really good and well explained. Now I am sitting here in the UK, knitting the little hat and enjoying this video of yours about 100 years of knitting. When you mentioned the 80s, I suddenly remembered the Bat-Swing-Sweaters, of which I knitted many as a teenager. My favourite 'batsy' was done in thick red yarn and the 'hem' was so long that it covered my bottom. For the collar I did a wide turtleneck which I could roll up three times when it got really cold. I think I should knit one like that. Would have to be really thick yarn again, as I remember it being nearly impossible to get into a coat with a batwing sweater 🙂

[@angelamakesthings]

Everytime I hear tidbit all I hear is timbit which is a popular donut in Canada 🇨🇦. I have been watching your videos for the last few years and thank you for all your great content.

[@jimmydoesknitting]

New viewer here. As an architect and as a wannabe knitwear designer, I love hearing about the construction of these garments and techniques to achieve it. I really appreciate the focus on different methodologies / structure to build a garment.

[@cindymitchell6525]

Congratulations on your completion of the sweaters and the utube 100,000 plaque. I love the purple sweater and especially the yoke.!!

[@dbishop2116]

Wow! “Sweater Evolution” indeed! Awesome presentation! Thanks for sharing your process throughout. I loved the ingenuity to make the patterns in your size, for your purpose, all the while exploring the techniques and expectations of the original design. Kudos!

[@aroundtheworldfibers]

One of my favorite sweaters from all the beautiful sweaters you've knit is the 1960's. I love the color and although I'm with you on how boring it was to knit, I really like the design of the yoke and just the overall simplistic look, even if construction wasn't quite so simple. Then again, the 1940's Intarsia is beautiful and I think the 1930's sweater looks great on you too. I am in awe of your talent and knowledge and grateful to you for passing along such wisdom!

[@dawnoverholt6877]

Earlier this year when on vacation I found this book in the used book section of a yarn shop. The person who donated the book said that it was to be given free to whoever wanted the book. I was so excited to receive this book. What a wonderful gift from an unknown knitter.

[@craftymystic4868]

Wow, I do think this project would make a great book, Rox. Amazing!

[@osmia]

That pleated sweater as modeled by your daughter looks absolutely fantabulous!

[@cathysmusic2244]

Love your project and the sweaters. I constantly try to get deeper knowledge on knitting and you help me to expand my understanding. Many thanks!

[@alisonsmith376]

I could listen to you talk about this project all day long - it’s just fascinating, Roxanne! Thank you so much for sharing with us. 😊 🧶

[@yojeffschott]

I truly appreciate your knitting skills but more importantly, your quest for knitting knowledge. Thank you for the journey. It was a great pleasure to watch your sweaters come together.

[@mb7a4fmlg]

Good job! Thank you for showing us all your hard work. I really appreciate it

[@cbbaby2012]

I really liked the 1900 sweater, really unique, and I think might hide some tummy for people.

[@debguess5533]

Thank you for sharing this journey, hope to see it pulled together someday in book form. I can visualize a great coffee table style book.

[@anneriekadema6796]

This is increadible good. Realy amazing and inspiring. Thank you very much.

[@kathyblossom5490]

Your research and work is like a master’s thesis! So interesting! You should apply for your diploma! Thanks for sharing!

[@dorothyrainey1141]

Another great video! Your sweaters are awesome! I loved watching you work through them.

[@celiabell9466]

Very interesting sweater history lesson. I knitted several sweaters in the 1980s and still have a few of the patterns. I then quit for several years because the yarn shop that was so helpful to me went out of business and there weren't many other yarn shops in Houston Texas.

[@valeriesuttonpayne7413]

I quilt with Kaffe fabrics. There is no one like him! Andrea of Fruity Knitting has a wonderful interview with him and Brandon in their UK home. You may have seen it. So glad to find you and subscribe! It’s so interesting to hear all about these sweaters and their construction.

[@garydonwest]

Roxanne! I have been waiting for the day you post this video since i found your KZbin channel in 2020, and it did not disappoint! What an incredible project and the results are amazing! Congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment! Once you complete the 90s sweater, this would be a beautiful exhibition for a museum or knitting guild. It’s such a fascinating fiber arts journey through knitting! Congratulations!

[@Richard_Szobi]

Really excellent project. Many thanks for sharing it. 👍

[@kaylemoine1571]

I have been with you for the whole project. My how time flies. It has been a great time. You exhaust me with all your energy. Thank you.

[@lisascenic]

I love this project so deeply. I’ve been careening around the 20th century - having knit several sweaters from the 30s, one from the 40s, a couple from the 50s, and a few reverse engineered projects that are probably from the mid 60s. It’s fascinating to see the changes. (My current 30s project is going to break my brain.)

[@LottaSocks]

Wow!! I’ve watched most of your Sweater Project Journey and seeing all the sweaters decade to decade is Amazing! Enjoyed watching the “stumbling” blocks that some had (fit, gauge etc) and modifications you made. Astounding!! I admire your perseverance, some things I would have had little patience for… Thanks for all you do, I learn so much from your channel PLUS all the sites, info, links to even more knitting/crafting information! You are certainly a treasure!

[@AdamLopez]

I have a feeling that the early 1900’s sweaters were meant to have shoulder padding. similar to suit jackets. I have a pic of an early 1900 knitted coat and it definitely had shoulder padding.

[@shelbyrose2791]

Fantastic sweaters and congrats on 100k subs! ❤🎉

[@bearitraeb]

I love the 1920s one. I truly am a newbie…. Like my newest achievement in knitting was just a couple of days ago…. “YAY! I made a dishcloth and it looks like a dishcloth🎉”. (Former took writer 😊😂5 months to achieve😂). My goal is to make myself a lovely cabled cardigan. I’m 53 now… so… GOALS!!😂 Been watching for a while, really enjoy your knowledge

[@elaineenstone6834]

It certainly has been a varied knitting journey and could make the bones of a display in a museum. The Kaffe Fassett books are part of my knitting memories. His use and understanding of colour makes his designs very desirable whether they be knit or in fabric. 🇬🇧

[@kimmagella7032]

Very interesting history of patterns! Thank you!

[@DawnBurn]

Really loved seeing all the sweaters together. Very interesting to have you break down the what you learned, why you were interested and to see some throughlines of your sense of fashion.

[@TheSuzberry]

This has been a wonderful journey through 100 years of knitting. I didn’t realize we’d been working on it for so long.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I also knit 3 other sweaters I designed myself during all that, which slowed progress a bit.

[@squattycoati931]

Such a great video! So interesting, thank you

[@Serenity-fu8xz]

That was great thank you I always love your videos

[@vadec5909]

I remember when you were talking about the Zimmerman sweaters and Barbara Walker too. It was great to see the sweater completed. I had realized that you had knitted all the others already! Just amazing! I was wondering how long each sweater took to knit. I know you said the lovely blue 1960’s took maybe a year. Its just awesome, what an incredible project. Thank you for showing them all and talking about each one.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I started at the end of 2018, so it's been almost 4 years to knit the 10 sweaters (plus I designed and knit 3 others that had nothing to do with the project). The 1960s sweater took a year, but most of that time was spent with the sweater in a time out while I knit other things.

[@christinevalentine3373]

You are a star ⭐️ this project has been so interesting, thank you for sharing your journey.

[@kathyt1234]

Enjoyed seeing the sweaters knit so far for your long term project and recap on your experiences. I’d forgotten and was surprised when reminded it all started back in 2018. Looking forward to following your progress on the 1990’s fairisle sweater. Questions re. KZbin. 1. What benefit is derived from viewers clicking the Like button or commenting on videos. 2. Is there a penalty, monetary or otherwise if a viewer clicks the Dislike button. 3. Do you receive any benefit if I watch only portion of an ad before clicking the “Skip ad” button. 4. If two ad’s precede the video, do you receive a bonus payment if both are viewed. 5. Do you receive a benefit if I view videos more than once. Thank you.

[@atrotsiuk]

Wow, I loved this video!!! So interesting, I learned so much!!!

[@msthimble]

Roxy, congratulations on achieving 100K subscribers! I'm so happy for you! You've brought so much knowledge to the world, i love your program so much! I feel like there should be a party!!

[@robertadzeima5132]

You are so talented and creative. I think you are BRILLIANT! Thanks.

[@terryhickman7929]

Bravo! What an achievement! This looks like material for a coffee table book.

[@showandtellmeg]

This is so inspiring - ive always loved vintage patterns and now I think I have a new goal :) Your sweaters look lovely. Im going to look up the 50s one!

[@nottheborg836]

incredible work, I am in love

[@karenmayo4558]

This was fascinating! Thanks.

[@newmoonjlp]

I have a copy of Glorious Knits. I've been thinking I could scale down some of those sweater patterns to modernize them just a bit. Drop shoulders are still in vogue--I think just picking a size with less ease and then scaling down those enormous sleeves would make a big difference. What a fantastic tour of your century of knitting!

[@nancycox6548]

Loved seeing the progression of styles and techniques. What a commitment to research and knit! I actually knew of Kaffe Fassett from needlepoint first - as I wasn’t a knitter then. As you can imagine an amazing use of color and design in needlepoint too.

[@lizlorraine463]

A Knit Historian! Your knowledge is amazing let alone your talent! I so enjoyed this. Thank you.❤

[@antonellapavese3724]

Congratulations on reaching 100,000 subscribers.It was a lot of fun to see all the sweaters from you long term project.

[@myphotoworldjeankd4001]

Wow so dedicated to your long term project. The sweaters are beautiful. Look forward to your next sweater selection.

[@lalaleelou1]

I think the 1930s sweater is my favorite!

[@Sequoya]

Great episode! It’s so satisfying to see the completed works on this journey. 1900 & 1920 are my favs, but they all are gorgeous.

[@theastewart6721]

Hi Roxanne. Thank you for taking us through all of these beautiful sweaters. It’s fascinating to hear why you chose each one and the challenges they presented. They are all such gorgeous works of art. I’m looking forward to your 1990’s choice as well! Thank you again! 💞

[@Yvonnescraftyadventures]

I loved looking at all your different sweaters. I do t know if I’ll ever have your dedication to do that much research into knitting history and development but I love that you do and show us other knitters. So thank you so much for this video. I have heard you talk about your master knitter course a few times. Have you ever made a video about that? I would love to hear about your experience and what you learned in it.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

One of the first Casual Friday episodes was about this topic. If you look at the Casual Friday playlist, it should be the second or third one on the list.

[@mairead5891]

Congratulations on reaching 100k subscribers! You might be interested to learn an additional tit bit about Kaffe Fasset. Yes he was originally an artist, but he worked exclusively in black and white. Until that is, he visited the American Museum in Bath, here in the UK. He was captivated by their collection of early American quilts, and it was that experience that led to his continuing love affair with colour. I find it interesting that he is now working designing fabrics for quilting, thus bringing his journey with textiles full circle.

[@CarolinaStein]

This is amazing! I can’t remember at what point of this project I found the first video related to it, but I do remember starting at the red sweater one, and it’s wonderful to see all these pieces finished, and how fashion, knitwear, knitting techniques evolved from there. Congratulations for this beautiful project! I love your videos, hugs from Brazil ❤️

[@jillyb9995]

The 1950s sweater looked great on you, Roxanne. I think my favourite pattern is the crazy 1920s sweater...I wouldn't want to work out how to knit it though. Thank you for working it all out for us 😉

[@bradleyann]

Loved seeing all the sweaters through the decades! They all fit really well too - impressive work. My favorite was the 1930’s yoke sweater. Great explanation of the construction and describing how it was different from other yoke sweaters. I’ll be on the lookout for that construction for myself. And going back to watch your podcasts on it! Happy knitting!! ❤

[@jeaninegunn4118]

Kaffe is still knitting and he and his partner Brandon Mably have lovely designs still for Rowan. He also designs beautiful embroidery tapestries and cushions for Ehrman Tapestries. I have knit some of his patterns and love using his fabrics in my quilting.

[@juliegogo2941]

Lovely edwardian sweater, grand with a plaid skirt tea length boots. Did they use shoulder pads? Your 1920s sweater has a bit of a 1980s sweater....1980s longer sweaters with the strap footed pant which was 1950s 1960s pant. Gorgeous 1930s sweater. 1940s need shoulder pads and opened....looks nice on you though. Like your 1980s her acorn is cute too. 1980s I lived in wool sweaters Pendleton skirts stitched down pleats matching yarn knitted sweaters and vest. Woolrich sporty sweaters socks and jeans all purchased skirts were 100.00 then ....Thanks

[@kathykeller3430]

Love this video Roxanne, that 1900's sweater is really impressive. You mentioned the seaming technique in your 1950's sweater as being unique and was used as an alternative to the mattress stitch and that you loved the result. Have you ever considered making a video about the method?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I made a video on the technique shortly after I knit the sweater: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2WqmIelZtCGfaM

[@ddknits5633]

The book "Poems of Color: Knitting in the Bohus Tradition", by Wendy Keele, was published by Interweave in 1995. I own a copy, but unfortunately it's marooned at my vacation house, which is 2800 miles and a cross-country flight from where I am now. So I can't describe it in detail. It's slightly different from Fair Isle, but might be interesting to try. I've loved watching this project, and have learned so much from your videos. Thank you.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I have that book! :-)

[@goswamigeeta]

It was a very rewarding experience to watch this video. So many techniques to learn from your findings. It was a great adventure for you to complete this year long project. Congratulations!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Oh, it's taken longer than a year, Geeta! It's been almost four years! :-)

[@robyn3349]

Bravo! Bravo! Truly and awesome project, and some great sweaters!

[@tinaeast2374]

Roxanne, thank you so much for such an inspirational vlog. All the sweaters are amazing and I found your reflections on the knitting processes used in each fascinating. ❤

[@MarkWilliams-by3zh]

Hello pretty how are you doing?

[@Kankescu]

Beautiful sweaters. Love your channel. Thanks

[@moniquerobinson9379]

I loved this historical show and tell through knitting.The sweaters/jackets from the 30's, 40's, and 50's are my favorites. Your research is phenomenal. You are such a tremendous talent. Thank you!

[@jennifersanders4165]

Thank you for taking the time to share your journey with us. Your enthusiasm for knitting history makes it so easy to get interested and follow along. I've really enjoyed this

[@maryannc7223]

What a great video! I loved the tour of sweaters. One thing I found interesting was that the original patterns made them look so dated, but as you made them, they still looked totally wearable today….Well, the 1920s sweater was a bit out there, but I’m sure someone could wear it without it being outside their norm. I’m tempted to make the 1918 sweater…have to decide if I’m up for that much mistake rib. Thanks for including your notes about the missing bits of the pattern on Ravelry.

[@christineosterbuhr3264]

Amazing! I started watching your channel with this project.

[@marietovo3978]

It was so interesting to watch you go through the process of knitting these. I learned a lot also! Thanks for sharing them.

[@Chrisesparkle]

So interesting. Do you have a favourite? I really loved the Edwardian style - it really suited your daughter. I learned to knit in the 1950s and found some patterns so difficult to visualise. I love knowing the history and how patterns and charts have evolved. Thank you so much.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I wear the WWI-era sweater so much, that it's started to pill. I really like the 1970s sweater, and think I will wear it quite a bit. I do like the fingering weight sweaters (1940s and 1960s), but because I live in Minnesota, there is a very small window of opportunity to wear something of that weight (a few weeks in the spring and a couple in the fall)

[@MonicaLea]

OMG! I am so excited over the Fair Isle sweater! I have been toying with the idea of doing one but have been a bit reticent because I generally only knit small things like socks and hats due to time and not having even the 3 week attention span that you have talked about. But, I think a really traditional Fair Isle sweater wouldn't be too bad because the techniques were developed to be simple and fast so maybe now is the time to jump in.

[@MarkWilliams-by3zh]

Hello pretty how are you doing?

[@Yt-hb4wh]

Very interesting!

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

Nice to see all your sweaters together ! Please have a positive thought for PEI, Canada, the Island was fiercely hit by Fiona, They had to cancell the Fiber Festival at the last minute, if your want to support the vendors, you can send a message or buy something from them.

[@MarkWilliams-by3zh]

Hello pretty how are you doing?

[@susanmarek6027]

on a side note... I really like your hairstyle this episode😀

[@victoriapileski3966]

Even tho you didn’t intend to wear your Indian sweater, have you? I think I would wear it as a statement piece since it took so much time, and it is so totally unique!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

If I go to a knitting event at some point, maybe I'd wear it, but I finished it in the first few months of COVID, and haven't been to anything where I'd want to make that sort of statement. ;-)

[@karenb136]

I wish I had 1/8 of your talent. I love knitting sweaters but so far I’ve only done raglans, a drop shoulder, one with cables all over it that the sleeves came out way too long and one cardigan that came out way too big. Even though I go by the sizes in the patterns they seem to always come out too big. My gauge is ok so not sure how to fix my problem. I bought the book “The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd so I can try to figure it out. I’m knitting a set-in sleeve sweater from it. We’ll see how this one goes. Thanks for all your tips. 🧶

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Those are all good questions! I can see some good topics for videos right there. :-)

[@lizstraw8041]

I loved seeing all your decade sweaters at one time. Out of curiosity, when did you begin this process?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

At the very start, I mentioned that I did that first search of newspapers for knitting patterns at the end of Dec 2018, so it's been almost 4 years.

[@lizstraw8041]

@@RoxanneRichardson Sorry, I missed the date!

[@louiseheerschap4580]

Andrea of Fruity Knitting has a two episode interview with Kaffe Faussette numbers 116 and 117.

[@damdamfino]

Yearsssss ago I was in a LYS and the owners were telling me about this famous/popular knitting designer who intentionally put a mistake in each of his original handknit items so he could easily spot fakes. That Kaffe cover sparked this memory. Does anyone know if that’s who they were talking about? I’m just curious

[@MOLLIMEDIA]

Great info to have. Thank you. What app are you using on your iPad to sketch over a document? That is a very helpful tool.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I'm using Procreate. I can import a PDF into the app, and then create a layer on top of it that I can write on, delete, re-write, etc.

[@pamrose843]

I would love to have the Andrew Stewart 60's blue sweater pattern that you knitted. Do you have the pattern for it that I could have? I would so love to have it. Thanks.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Information about each pattern is down in the show notes. As I mentioned in the video, that sweater pattern is the one pattern that may be impossible to find. It was published in a leaflet and sold as part of a kit, making the likelihood of survival very low, so finding a used copy would be unlikely. Books and booklets are less likely to be thrown away than a single-pattern leaflet. The publisher is no longer in business, but the pattern is still under copyright, making it an "orphan" publication, with no one to contact for permission to distribute copies or re-print.

[@cherryfreudiger832]

KZbin question: So many content creators complain about the time they spend doing video editing. Do you outsource your editing? If not what video software have you found the easiest?

[@NinaKeilin]

When are you going to sew that matching skirt LOL? No shade intended. I know you were researching how to draft your own pattern, but as an experienced sewer I suggest you just buy a basic skirt pattern near your measurements in the type of style they used to wear (you can buy vintage sewing patterns on ebay/etsy) and make a toile from that and learn how to fit it. It really will give you the same result and teach you the same things about fit.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I did a muslin last year from a self-drafted pattern block, so I got the hang of that. The next thing was to learn to pattern match, but I just haven't gotten around to it.

[@NinaKeilin]

@@RoxanneRichardson oh good look forward to seeing. Plunge in with some cheap plaid fabric to get the idea.

[@80sgma10]

I am continually amazed by you! This isn't a question about your KZbin per se, but I would like to know if there's a way to tell if someone has replied to my comments and then to find that reply. I sometimes ask questions of the KZbinr and then forget that I've asked or who I asked. Thanks!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

You should get an email notifying you of the reply. Alternatively, you can click on the notifications bell at the top of the screen.

[@rainieraine1192]

How many total stitches do you think you’ve knitted in all the jumpers and would you be able to say how many hours they all took to knit? 🤔

[@RoxanneRichardson]

It would be possible to add up all the stitch counts in the finished sweaters, but I'd also have to try to remember which sweaters I had to rip out and re-knit large sections, and how much I ripped out in order to get the full number of actual knitted sts. In addition, some had a lot of finishing work, while others had minimal finishing work. For the 1960s sweater, I reknit both sleeves. For the 1930s sweater, I knit every piece twice (and one piece 3x). For the 1920s sweater, there were more than 550 yarn tails to weave in, and I swatched and re-swatched and re-knit the crocheted bits multiple times.

[@rainieraine1192]

@@RoxanneRichardson yes, lots to factor in to tally up…. I also wondered how much yarn they all took too…. maybe I’m over thinking this, sorry! Your knitting evolution series has been fascinating to watch, so thank you very much for sharing.

[@tomatotamale4546]

I learned so much from this video! My favorite design is the 1930s cardi - such a simple and brilliant construction method. Q&A for your upcoming video: If you are comfortable answering this - approx. what annual income can a full-time knitter/designer make through a combination of selling designs, teaching, youtube and blogs? It seems that many knitters also become yarn retailers, or otherwise partner with companies to sell product.

[@knitcrochettiger361]

the sweater from the 1900's reminds me of a puffed out pigeon chest...beautiful btw

[@RoxanneRichardson]

That was what they were going for back then! The Gibson Girl era. :-)

[@NinaKeilin]

That Harlequin sweater looks so much better on you than on the mannequin!

[@RoxanneRichardson]

The sweaters were all knit to fit me, but the dress form is a size or two smaller. :-)

[@NinaKeilin]

@@RoxanneRichardson Now I can see that for all of them! It's just a glorified hanger, then LOL.

[@EvieO1950]

Wow! This has been an amazing series. So much time and effort you’ve put in!! Kudos!!! I would like to know as a KZbin Premium subscriber how can I help channels I like to earn money or to get monetized. I particularly like to help new channels starting out but heard recently that replaying their videos doesn’t help because YT only counts the first view. So I was wondering if watching one of the playlists they created is different from watching the individual video.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Those are all interesting questions. I know the answers to some of those, but not all. I'll see if I can find the answers to the ones I'm not sure of.

[@knitcrochettiger361]

it was good they let Charles 1 have his dignity by letting him wear the wasite coat....that must be his blood that stained it

[@RoxanneRichardson]

They're not actually sure what those stains are. Apparently, the shirt had several owners over the hundreds of years, so the way it was stored might not have been the best. The source of the stains can't be verified. (I guess a 400-year-old blood stain doesn't necessarily test as blood.)

[@christineosterbuhr3264]

Amazing! I started watching your channel with this project.