Knitting a New Version of an Old Sweater // Casual Friday S05E18

[@theastewart6721]

Hi Roxanne. Your thought process for reverse engineering your sweater is fascinating. I love all the swatching you do to get the result you are looking for. Such a great lesson for us all. I love the red with the gray. Beautiful combination. I am very much looking forward to your 1970’s sweater with steeking and stranded colorwork. Thanks for another great episode!💕

[@edinacole6382]

For your 1970s sweater, have you considered looking at Vair from the Shetland trader? The daughter of the original designer recreated her mothers patterns. And Vair is color work and steeked so it sounds exactly like what you want. I haven’t knit it yet but it definitely looks like the sweaters I remember in the 70s so I think the daughter really worked hard at making them identical

[@niamhc6312]

I don’t know about the weaving process, but I can share a little about Japanese! The character 糸 (‘ito’) means thread, and this is combined with other symbols to make characters and words relating to textiles. There are over 200 characters that incorporate the symbol for thread. The word translated as ‘binding’ in the Tsumugi video subtitles is 締める (‘shimeru’), which means to tie or fasten. The component for cloth ‘巾’ also appears in this word. The thread symbol appears in the second character in the word for weaving 製織 (‘seishoku’). And, this 2nd character is at the beginning of textiles 織物 ‘orimono’, or literally, woven + thing. Knitted material is 編み物 (‘amimono’ = knitting + thing). One word for weft is 横糸 (‘yokoito’), literally horizontal + thread, while warp is 縦糸 (‘tateito’) vertical + thread. Another example is the indigo resist-dye technique that is called ‘Shibori’ even in English. In Japanese it can be written as 絞り (‘shibori’. thread + mix = strangle/squeeze). Tidbit number 4 shows us that ‘wool’ and ‘lana’ have the same linguistic origin. (Wool in Japanese is 羊毛 'youmou' = sheep + hair/fur). I think this difference is because European languages tend to have more letter sounds than characters, and so they’re difficult to transcribe phonetically and accurately. For example, English has 26 letters, but 44 phonemes (unique sounds). I believe the word for wool was originally pronounced one way among different groups of people, but was written down differently. As it passed to new generations, people fuddled the pronunciation a bit, making their own version in each language.

[@gailaltschwager7377]

Thank you, as always, Roxanne!

[@CarrieMtn]

Always learn something new

[@alisonsmith376]

I’ve been waiting for the return of this project - so interested to see how it progresses.

[@mariehansen2534]

I love Saturday's because its the day that tidbit Friday arrives and I realize that my life is so quiet compared to yours. I am going to knit a traditional Guernsey and so I have had so much fun researching the stitches and their history. I have started and it all takes time. Thank you for sharing your busy life and your week, your cardigan looks lovely, the red and grey combination is perfect. Catch up next week, take care.

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

Hi Roxanne. In the 1970s I started my knitting 'career'. There were books with charts for stranded colourwork. Those books were not 'stitch dictionaries'. They were on patterns and motifs from a certain country or region. Like sweaters from Norway or Iceland, or patterns (both embroidered and knitted) from Yugoslavia (then still an existing country). The books I had were written in Dutch, probably not translated to English. There were also magazines about textile handcrafts with patterns for colourwork in them (I know at least three Dutch magazines from those years, but I don't know about English/American magazines)

[@maryannc7223]

Hey, Roxanne - Just throwing this out there…I went to Ravelry’s advanced pattern search and selected various types of colorwork and publication date 1970-79. There were entire sweaters with colorwork but also there were afghan squares from a Barbara Walker book called Learn to Knit Afghan Blocks and another Walker book called Mosaic Knitting. They aren’t exactly stitch dictionaries, put pretty close. Of course not all of these options are readily available, but some are, and you might find something you can use.

[@grannysquared7140]

Swatch-o-matic, now that's a Popiel gadget I would buy

[@margaretbramel9089]

Roxanne, I'm so glad that you are going to do a sweater from Elizabeth Zimmerman's approach for your 1970's project. I have read read several of her books and knit the Surprise Jacket a couple of times in the child and adult sizes.. The garter stitch designs in "Knit One Knit All" with their diagrams and absence of specific instructions require careful study and are more challenging than contemporary patterns. I have not had the patience or perseverance to struggle through these so I will follow your process with great interest and enthusiasm!

[@magicalumbrella7151]

Could also be nettle as that was a very up market fine fiber, spun in a similar way to flax.

[@elaineenstone6834]

An interesting puzzle. Love the pop of red on the pocket. The BBC did a series which I think was called Made in Japan and featured different crafts. I remember a section about the weaving and dying . Sorry but can remember exact details. 🇬🇧

[@jenniferrich5292]

I love the progress you’ve made on your reverse engineering project! Also, I have a Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Needlework from 1979 that has a very few colorwork designs charted out. There may be some earlier editions that have other charts. Enjoy planning your 70’s sweater!🥰

[@olliejones3302]

As far as I recall most fiber was spun from a distaff, as it mean you could walk around and do other things while you spun. You often see a distaff stuck into a woman's belt in medieval art. I believe that the fiber in the picture is wool as linen often needed to be tied onto the distaff as it doesn't grip to itself like wool does.

[@caraxkins]

Love the contrast color pockets!

[@xbaczewska4197]

What about looking at those, you know, project 'quarterlies?' Those beautifully fat magazines with lots of knitting patterns and usually a few charts that i pored over for hours when i was a child. Mine were from the 60s, but i know from my mom's sewing room, these were also available in the 70s.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Do you know of a brand/publisher? I'm not familiar with what you're talking about and would be interested in tracking some down.

[@bridgetchristianson8706]

I was also thinking using magazines from the 70’s as a reference. Not exactly a stitch dictionary but a good resource for what was in fashion.

[@ediegralla1155]

I made several sweaters in the 1970s with stranded color work. The instructions for the color work were embedded in the sweater pattern. I'm thinking knitters didn't think there was any need to have a stitch dictionary, bc the fair isle patterns turned up in the sweater patterns. It certainly wasn't a an unknown art, back then.

[@nicolelafontaine1720]

So many design questions when you reverse engineer, I am looking forward to see how you will knit your sweater. Quite la lot of learning ahead for me. Thanks !

[@lisaflorkowski22]

Have you considered using 2 color brioche for the button band? If you have enough gray yarn and depending on if you want to use the red as the main or contrast/accent color in the button band. I'm happy to see you getting back to this project, I've enjoyed the segments on reverse engineering it.

[@davidgarza7568]

I'm so excited that you're reverse-engineering again! Thank you for this episode and I look forward to Future ones as well. Stephanie from California

[@notmyname327]

I'm so glad you decided to go ahead with this reverse engineering project! I remember you talking about it in past Casual Fridays and I loved the idea of red accents in a grey sweater, so I'm loving this pattern. Maybe a red cable is too much but I'd love to see that, I'll check if I can find a pattern to make that work.

[@katiegallant9917]

For your cables, since you are using a finer gauge yarn did you consider adding an additional cable on the sleeves and back? I think that's how I would have solved the symmetrical problem, even if it meant narrowing each cable and/or having less negative space between them. Love your thoughtful process

[@RoxanneRichardson]

The back cables still have to work with the front cables, in terms of placement and spacing. The front cables have to interact with the front bands and pocket placement, as well.

[@davidhensley76]

Maybe combine the two cables into an X-column up the center back?

[@nanastevens4094]

oh dear, you've sent me down another rabbit hole. in packing away my winter knits I have an old sweater that I have loved for several decades set to the side to decide if I can part with it. now I have to decide if I can attempt recreating it so I would have a reincarnation of this favorite that I could wear in public. I don't have your expertise in the mathematics or knitting but maybe........

[@gabriellespanke]

A distaff makes spinning wool with a spindle, possible while you walk. In order to keep up with the weavers, a spinner would have to have a spindle on the go at all times, including while walking to marker, etc. I think this illumination is probably flax because of the way the floor distaff looks. I wouldn't be surprised if that wide area in the middle was cup that held water. Honestly, though it could be wool or flax as distaffs were used with wool as well.

[@MonicaLea]

That is what I was thinking about the water thing.

[@kdunlap3289]

Years ago I had a fairly simple formula for sweaters. The author started with stitch guage,whatever needles n yarn you were using and a few simple measurements. Then I could put it together any way my heart desires. I had downloaded it, who remembers where ... I made a fair isle yoke for 1 daughter, a centered Celtic knot for 1 daughter, a color block for my DIL. Of course several computers later do think I can find it?

[@enacrt]

"Colorwork" and "70s" in the same sentence immediately take my mind to mosaic knitting. A quick search for 70s sweater on Google revealed lots and lots of more geometric designs, which mosaic is specially good for. As for the button band on the reverse engineered sweater, I'm of the opinion that brioche *begs* to be worked in two colors. Like, I don't see the point of doing all the work of brioche knitting to have a fabric that's mostly identical to 1x1 rib. When you mention working the buttons buttonband in red, I was almost screaming into the screen: "DO IT IN TWO COLORS, WITH THE RED IN THE PURL RIDGES! IT'LL BE SUBTLE AND EDGY AT THE SAME TIME!!" But that's just me. 😅

[@notmyname327]

I'd love to see a button band like that!

[@Killersquirrel66]

It's not just you, friend - I had the same thought, except with red as the knit ridges! 😄 Personally I'd find the whole button band being red would make it too... "loud"? I would be concerned that it would distract from the cable-work, which I'd want to be the main attraction of the sweater. Whereas the red being hidden in the purl ridges would be too subtle for my taste. But that's the fun thing about making it yourself, isn't it? You get to have it exactly the way you want (physics, materials, and skills permitting). It would be a fun comparison to see red, red/gray, and gray/red next to the original gray. And it would only take two swatches, since you can just turn the red/gray one over to get the reverse! That's part of the fun of two-colour brioche (at least for me). 😁

[@bethpark6652]

Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Workshop has several colorwork sweaters including the Aspen Leaf and a Fair Isle Vest. The 2013 version references Fair Isle Knitting by Sarah Don for charts.

[@LadyGecko]

Simple solution is to simply eliminate the center cable. Replace with stockinet or match the ribbing in the front.

[@Sequoya]

Great episode! I’m very interested in steeking. I recently discovered what it is.

[@karenbecker7131]

Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila McGregor 1981 is the earliest I found

[@ludmilakovarova2614]

As for the word for wool, Slavic languages are "somewhere between" - in Czech, it is "vlna", and it is similar in lots of other Slavic languages.

[@ciannacoleman5125]

I was just looking up cobweb yarn on Schoolhouse Press lol

[@shannongalloway9500]

What if for the center of the back you did the garter or stripping like the button band

[@heathersharp-keys8240]

Roxanne, I was going to suggest a cable pattern or texture pattern for your 70s sweater and stranded color work for the 80s, but seeing the cable sweater you're working on reingeneering, I see why you want the colowork. I have an older reference book on nothing but colowork. If I can find a I'll drop you a message, probably on Rav. Great video. I really like your casual Friday videos. Take care, dhsk

[@adelahorakova5341]

Dear Roxanne, in the 1970s a series of books on hand knitting was published in Czechoslovakia by Zdenka Pudilova, among them a volume with Norwegian patterns. She has various stitch dictionaries, always sorted by different types of stitches/techniques, the books are tiny ones and I checked out a few of them from the library. If you are interested I can get that particular volume on Norwegian patterns and send it to you. I can buy a second-hand copy online, this particular instalment is no. 7 in the series and was published in 1979 (1st edition). Just let me know if you are interested.

[@mlpike]

What if you made the center cable section a bit like the chevron shape?

[@hazeldonner1855]

Hi Rox, great video again. Have you looked into Alice Starmore knitting books on the history of fairisle and also charts. She is from the Western Isles of Scotland and started publishing in the 70’s. She also has tutorials for steeking on her website ‘ Virtual Yarns’. Good luck finding a project.

[@cathafloat1195]

Perhaps you could knit a Kaffe Fassett 1970s inspired stranded colourwork steeked cardigan in wild clashing colours. Also Arne and Carlos have some good tutorials on Norwegian steeking armholes etc.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I think Kaffe Fassett didn't come onto the knitting scene until the 1980s. His books were some of the first I bought for inspiration when I learned to knit in 1986!

[@aranjackson259]

Same here. My KF books are all from the 1980s. 😎

[@edinacole6382]

@@RoxanneRichardson me too! Kaffe’s were my very first purchase. I worked in a yarn store and although I never made anything of his, I love them and one day I will make at least one of his designs. In the meantime, I have three gorgeous coffee table books :)

[@cathafloat1195]

@@RoxanneRichardson maybe you could make this project for your 1980s sweater since you’d like to do stranded colour work and steeking. Patricia Roberts was very popular in the ‘70s.

[@MonicaLea]

Wool spinners, myself included, most certainly do use distaffs (or is it distaves?) to spin.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

But would you use one that was that tall?

[@MonicaLea]

@@RoxanneRichardson It depends on what you prefer. Personally, I prefer a ring distaff for most stuff, but sometimes I use a longer one that tucks into a belt and I have friends who use one that is as long as a broom and has a stand.

[@terrimetcalf3378]

I have an idea for the center back cable. I hope I can describe it in a way that you can visualize. It looks like the cables on your sweater are about 16 sts wide. Could you make a mirrored cable of 8 sts on each side of the center knit stitch? It would be about the same width as the other cables but have mirrored edges. I enjoy watching your vlog. So interesting and makes me realize how much there is to learn.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

The cable panels are 15 sts wide. There are 4 RS row crossings of 3 sts crossing 3 sts. (sts 1-3 cross 4-6, 7-9,10-12,13-15) At many points, I tried changing the width of the central panel in order to come up with some sort of mirrored cable that would work, including your idea. I've come to a conclusion about why nothing has worked (or worked well enough to actually use), which I will talk about on Friday.

[@cwolfpack3]

Wondering why not use the red on the pockets (like you did) AND on the button band? It'd look super sharp! Oh, nevermind, you just said that as I typed. LOL

[@soapturtle]

is there a reason you couldn't mimic the button band down the center of the back? Have that flow up and join into the collar/button band. Then it would replace that sole middle cable in the back and you could mirror your cables completely. This would also work on the sleeve.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Needle size and row gauge differences are two things that come to mind.

[@gorogueknits5876]

@@RoxanneRichardson This was the thought I had, too, to use the button band stitch in place of the center cable. I suppose you could knit it separately and then seam the left and right sides to it, but you'd have to be 100% sold on the look to add that many more steps! :) Loving the look of the gray with red, and what a satisfying project to work on.

[@bonnielundholm5535]

I have "Mon Tricot Knitting Dictionary 900 Stitches Patterns". It is an English translation of a French book printed in 1972. It includes knitting, crochet, patchwork, jacquard, afghan, fork, and technics. You might try looking for it.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

Ah, thank you for suggesting that! I forgot that I recently bought a Mon Tricot (in French) with 800 st patts. It was published in the '60s, so it'll do! :-)

[@aolster3198]

My Mon Tricot book is what immediately came to mind. It is available in English. "1030 Stitches Patterns."

[@sarahand5442]

I have both of these books and used them when I started knitting, not much else was available. They called the colorwork jacquard. There were also magazines. The ones I liked the best were ' American Home Crafts', published by Redbook Magazine and 'Ladies Home Journal Needle & Craft' published by Charter Concepts, Inc. All the big women's magazines had similar publications on needle work and other crafts, very 1970s. I think you would also be interested in the women who edited and designed for these magazines.

[@margaretkoch3967]

Hi Rox, I just recently had a neighbor give me an old knitting magazine. It's by Mon Tricot, published in France but written in English. It has quite a few pages on colorwork and looks like it was printed in 1972. Would this be helpful?

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I actually ordered a used copy of that book, after seeing a number of comments mentioning it!

[@connieschmittauer5581]

Another book that might be helpful, (I checked it out of our library) is called Knitting in the Old Way Designs & Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters by Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts and Deborah Robson. You may have already seen this book as you have an incredible library of your own.

[@RoxanneRichardson]

I had the original edition, and now own the 2nd edition! :-)

[@tdhandcrafts]

Hi. I stumbled across a song about knitting on KZbin that you might find interesting. The song is "Stick To Your Knitting Kitten" by the Four Vagabonds.

[@sonjanordahl3158]

Just a suggestion. Why don't you put a strip down the back that is an extension of the button band/collar.

[@donnabeaton4707]

That’s very brave of you to think about knitting a totally red button band. Personally I would use the red as an accent color either between the button band and main sweater or the outside edge. I think a I-cord accent would be nice. Good luck with the sweater.

[@akorio21]

All the distaff talk made me think of JilianEve here on YT! I would love to hear a discussion between you two!

[@lindaelder2898]

If you are using steeks, I recommend needle felting as a technique for stabilizing the steeks before cutting. Once felted they will not ravel.

[@damdamfino]

Are you against looking at vintage/retro sweater pictures on Pinterest (or wherever) and just reverse engineering the colorwork pattern from a vintage 1970s sweater that you like? I’ve always seen some lovely ones I drool over. Of course, crochet was very popular in the 70s.

[@ingeleonora-denouden6222]

that was my first thought too, remembering the seventies: many colours, but in crochet. The stranded colourwork appeared in the later seventies, when 'folklore' became more in fashion

[@beepbopboop3221]

Maybe you can ask Billy Matsunaga? She on youtube. She lives in Japan and works as a kimono stylist. She is German. I think her spouse is Japanese. If she doesn't know she might know where to find the answer. Billy recently did a Shibori demonstration. It's like tie dye. I wish I could ask Grandma (Japanese) but she is not knitting on this side of Heaven. I would love to knit a sweater with kimono motifs in the colorwork. I'm not on that level yet. My colorwork is limited to stripes. I am finishing a raglan wool sweater with Japanese lace down the sleeves. It doesn't get super cool here so I figure andes yarn needs some vents! I'm ambitious. My first me sweater is self designed. I did a practice baby sweater first but women are harder to fit. I'm excited to not have excess fabric at the top. I'm a size larger at the hips from where my bust is. Store bought alway look baggy. I of course cast on smaller size at the top and increased to to next size towards hips.

[@thestitchcafe8295]

a red button band would really pop against the gray. jmo

[@davidgarza7568]

Hi there, I have a number of vintage 1970s knitting magazines love in magazines like Reynolds and the WorkBasket that have Color stranded work sweaters. I would be happy to send them to you or send you pictures. Let me know. Thank you , Stephanie from California

[@rainieraine1192]

…you’ll be using your new sewing machine to sew up your knitted garments now….