Documenting a Process

 I know it has been some time since I have posted to this blog. It is not because I have stopped knitting! Mostly, it is because life interfered. I am picking this blog back up to document a process I have recently started. (I will link any podcasts I mention in the body of the blog post.)

A few weeks ago, I watched a podcast in which the podcaster showed all the sweaters she had knit in 2020. This is not someone I normally follow, but it popped up in my suggestions feed. One of these sweaters was a vintage pullover. She mentioned how hard it was to either source vintage yarn or to find a modern equivalent.

I then watched a live video of an unboxing of yarn and material kits. The kits contained a pattern, enough yarn to knit the pattern, and enough wool material to make a skirt. Evidently, these kits were popular during the 60's, but are no longer available today, unless someone has one sitting around in their house and they decide to sell it. The idea set my mind to working. I looked for one of these kits online, but struck out.

Blue Plaid Skirt

My mind continued to work. I really liked the idea, but how could I follow through if I could not buy the kits. Then the idea struck and the crazy began.

I have wool material in the house that I had bought to make a skirt. I bought two lengths, one in blue and one in pink. The blue one is already made up into a skirt. The pink is sitting in my stash waiting for me to sew it. 

As for the yarn, when it was mentioned that vintage yarn was thinner than most modern fingering weight yarns and was also knit at a very fine gauge, I immediately thought of Holst Garn. Many of their yarns are a light fingering weight, a characteristic which would make them perfect for vintage knitting. 

Pink Plaid Material

Then the crazy kicked in, I could make my own kit! I have the material and I can acquire a yarn that would work for my purposes!

I pulled out the material and my Holst Garn shade cards in Supersoft and Titicaca. I also pulled out any of their yarns that I have used over the years. I have yarn in:

• Supersoft, a 100% wool blend of Shetland and Merino wools, 
• Titicaca, a 100% alpaca yarn

  

  All of my swatches so far

• Noble, a geelong and cashmere yarn
• Tides, a wool and silk yarn

Then the swatching began. I am using US2 needles or 2.75mm needles. I ordered the shade cards in the other yarns they sell that would work for my project. I also ordered the Coast yarn. Coast is a cotton and wool blend.

This is as far as I have gotten so far. I will keep you posted on the progress as I knit and learn!