you’ve got mail

There’s not much like the feeling when you receive something exciting through the post that you just weren’t expecting!

So when I woke up this morning and checked the front door and there was a parcel for me I couldn’t wait to open it!

I opened it on the way to work and its a cute little book about buttons!
It was from Jo, a friend of ours who is very big on sending stuff snail mail, letters, pictures, postcards and gifts and enjoys ribbing me on my love of buttons!

‘Buttons’ is written by Alan and Gillian Meredith who have collected and studied buttons for over 30 years (!!!!!!) and owned the only button museum in the UK which is now owned by Manchester City Galleries.

All sorts of materials and fabrics are shown in amongst a history and explanation on how to date a button.

Best of all though are the pics of the lovely buttons themselves!

Here’s a few of my favourites:

Vogue Art Deco buttons on their original card

Gentlemen’s waistcoat button

20′s Century painted glass (fab is the spotty one at the top)

All of these Art Deco buttons are amazing I just can’t pic my favourite!

This little plastic Brooks froggy makes me smile

And all of these wooden 20th Century buttons are great, mainly the top two right hand corner and second from right at the bottom

I think that this book, like a good stash of buttons, will, everytime I open it, show me a button I just hadn’t noticed the time before therefore continuing my love of buttons!!

mojo jojo

Despite my recent jumper/yarn posts, the evil, brainy monkey of knitting malaise had me in a headlock for months. Well, NO MORE!!! I’ve got that monkey beat.

June turned out to be an excellent knitting month — I finished Beatnik, I finished a sock and started its pair, I even nearly finished ripped out and am nearly finished again my Paulie! I think it’s partly because I started making myself make time to go running, or rather started making myself make time for myself!

I’m really hoping I can push this into July. The school year is almost to a close (no more crazy marking schedules, in any case!), so I feel like I can start fitting in yoga and knitting AND running without having to justify time spent away from planning, outlining, researching, marking, writing, reediting…

It definitely helps having a couple of projects waiting in the wings!

• I’ve already swatched for the Acer Cardigan by Amy Christoffers, in my gorgeous Bowmont yarn from Devon Fine Fibres (originally the nearly finished Welt and Rib Raglan sweater, which I tried on just before casting on the arms and decided it was NOT doing my waistline any favours).
• I’ve cast on Juuli by Suvi Simola in Fleece Artist organic Merino aran weight — I love the pattern, but I think the gauge is too loose and the lovely richness of the yarn isn’t quite working with the leafy stitch pattern. I think I’m going to have to wait to knit this one when I have a little girl to knit for, in a springier (i.e. seasonal, not textural) yarn.*
• So I’m now looking at Dark and Stormy by Thea Colman or Tinder by Jared Flood. Both patterns call for a worsted, and I think the FA will work better as a worsted yarn than aran!
• I’ve got the most AMAZING yarn from Countess Ablaze in the works for Larch, also by Amy Christoffers.
• And, last but not least, I’ve bought the Lakeshore Shawl pattern by Glenna C. to be knit up in the awesome Countess Ablaze aplaca/mulberry silk lace weight, as a present for Persons Unknown.

So basically, July will be full of Amy Christoffers and Countess Ablaze. It’s thematic (and they have palindromic initials — it’s thematic AND meant to be)!

Now I just need to get back on the yoga mat and I think by September I’ll start feeling like things are back to normal. Right in time for the school year to start up again!

* Incidentally, Juuli is part of the two-volume Hold Your Needles, a fab collaboration between Suvi and Mari Muinonen. There are so many patterns in that I want to knit! I ended up buying both e-books, and they are delightful. The children’s patterns are especially adorable.

** Also, the most fabulous post-grad secretary in my department pointed me in the direction of Park Run — has anyone participated in this? It’s a weekly (every Saturday) timed 5k through a planned route in a park, starting at 9 a.m. I’m so excited to do this!! I found running in the race really motivating, and I think this scheme will really help boost my performance. The first one I’ll be able to attend won’t be until 21 July, but I can’t wait.

A Stitch in Time 1930-1959 – Volume 2

When I first came across A Stitch In Time 1920-1949 :Volume 1 knitting pattern book I thought my dreams had come true!

I have tried before to knit a vintage sweater using a vintage pattern and to be honest I gave up pretty quickly, the pattern wasn’t really that old either, late 70′s!!

To begin with it was quite tough to find a suitable yarn, the sizing was very boxy and the pattern structure was sometimes quite difficult to read and although I do love designing my own patterns, i’m not terribly confident altering a pattern for such a large garment myself. This is why I fell in love with Susan Crawford, Jane Waller and A Stitch In Time.

Using their uber genius minds they took some of the best vintage patterns,  put them together in a manner that was easy to understand, included current yarn and sizes and published them all in a book with excellent instructions and descriptions, not to mention awesome new photos! What gives them the edge  is that they include the original patterns in the book too!

Since I bought A Stitch in Time I have knit quite a few patterns and love every single one! (I have blogged about them all  but my favourites are Concentrate on the Sleeves and To Wear With Anything) There are many more patterns I just cant wait to knit!

I really did not believe it could get any better…..

That was until, at Knit Nation this year, I learnt about A Stitch in Time  1930-1959 : Volume 2!!!

Immediatly I signed up!

I was gutted at the time to hear that it wasnt being published until September but knew that I would be so excited when it actually arrived. Unfortunatly there were a few publishing problems and the book was delayed for a while. This was not a problem at all as they were so nice about it, we were sent a free pattern from the book, via email, to whet our appetities and I must admit that it really did hype it all up for me not knowing when the postman would knock!

That day arrived last week, the doorbell rang just as I was on my way to the gym, and it was the book!!

I opened it immediatly to find not only the book

but a lovely bag and 2 money off vouchers!

It really just kept getting better!

This volume, a beautiful hardback copy signed by Susan herself,  knocks socks of the previous, something I thought I would never say.

Not only do we once again get the most incredible vintage patterns plus the originals, with photos, we also have an in-depth guide to ‘Perfecting The Vintage Knit’ covering all you could need to know from sizing to trims and (to my utter enjoyment) a whole page on ‘Choosing The Right Buttons’. Undeniably an invaluable addition.

The book is just full once again of fantastic patterns to suit every taste and shape and as Emmms proved whilst flicking through the book in the cafe last week, there is so much to coo over and so many pages to stroke that A Stitch  In Time will definitly keep your attention for a long long time!

My ultimate favourite has to be Cryscelle, which is used as the cover image.

Here are a few more of my favourites, I say a few as I couldn’t include the whole book!

(from left to right, top to bottom: ‘Lady’s Jumper-Cardigan’; ‘Lady’s Evening Jumper’; ‘Box Coat’; ‘Colourful Winter Sports Outfit’; ‘A Pretty Frilled Jumper’; ‘Tyrolean Jumper Coat’)

Emmm’s favourites should be up here soon!!

Thanks once again to the amazing Susan Crawford and Jane Waller !!!!

(All photos taken from A Stitch In Time 1930- 1959 : Volume 2)