Drop stitch jumper

I like the idea of turning that knitting nightmare, the drop stitch, into part of a pretty design. Obviously you can't just drop stitches at random, you have to have a method to your madness,which is just what this lacy 1940s confection has.

"The Quickest Jumper you ever knitted!" claims this Weldons pattern. You knit rows of 3 ply garter stitch onto large size 5 needles, and when the work is almost completed, you drop every 5th stitch to form a ladder pattern. Bet that feeling of deliberately sabotaging your carefully-knitted work on the final row is quite nerve-wracking...

This jumper looks very demure knitted in a pale cream or beige and modelled with pearls and a bouquet of lily-of-the-valley, but if you knitted it in black, you'd have a far punkier confection on your hands.

Typewriter art of Prince Philip

From the same Girl Annual as the duffle coat button jewellery - a lovely picture of Prince Philip, made entirely from typewriter characters.

Obviously this is what bored people did at work before Facebook was invented.

Duffle coat button jewellery

Three reasons why you may have too many duffle coat buttons and be looking for something to do with them:

1 - That failed alchemical experiment in which you discovered the way to transmute base metal into duffle coat buttons

2 - Have been left large amount of duffle coat buttons in a will

3 - You own a duffle coat button factory

Whatever the reason, here's a way to make some duffle coat button jewellery from a 1950s Girl Annual. I think Luna Lovegood would like these a lot.

To make a choker you will need 8 or 9 wooden duffle coat buttons, twice as many 3/8 inch brass screw eyes and a No 001 bead clasp. Rub the buttons down with fine sandpaper. Pierce the end of the button and screw in two eyes. Colour with a coat of poster paint, and then varnish or enamel. Tie the screw eyes together neatly but firmly with matching thread and fasten on clasp.

Variations: 1 - Have all beads identical in colouring. 2 - Shade from light to dark and back again in one colour. 3 - Keep to two alternating colours. 4 - Paint each one a different colour. 5 - Stipple with gold or silver paint afterwards.

For ear-rings, cut one button in two and tie the screw eyes with cotton on to the tiny rings of screw-on ear-rings.

Umbrella cover, bun snood and spats

Here are three delightful crocheted accessories from the 1940s: "spats to turn your shoes into warm boots, a cover for your umbrella in chenille and a bun snood to match".

The umbrella cover is crocheted in Chenille yarn - lovely looking but would get rather soggy when wet...


The pattern also includes this lovely two-way hat, which can be worn on the back of the head, or rolled up and worn as a pill box.

Cute 1960s babies and their hats

Three very wholesome-looking babies and their knitted hats, from the early 1960s. Probably the same baby, which has clearly been bribed with a Jacob's Cream Cracker to model all three hats in such a winsome manner.

Or maybe they are identical triplets with three Jacob's Cream Crackers. We may never know.

Baby bonnet, helmet and beret are knitted in double knitting and poodle wools (that means bobbly wool, rather than wool harvested from a poodle).

Share and square

Transition Town Worthing's Re-skilling group invites you to:

Learn a new skill - pick up some wool and needles and learn how to knit with other members if you don't already know how.

Share your knitting skills with others and help us knit lots and lots of squares.

All knitted squares will be used to make blankets for the Worthing Churches Homeless Project.

If you'd like to donate yarn, knitting needles or completed squares, we have a drop-off box near the door where the flyers are at Lime Cafe, St Paul's Community Centre - or come along and say hello at the Transition Town Worthing stall at Worthing Farmers' Market.

Knitted squares should be 20 cm x 20cm (approx 45 - 50 cast on sts), knitted in dk wool with size 8 needles in garter stitch.

More info from transitionworthing@gmail.com and http://transitionworthing.ning.com

Mr May

Two manly men this month. A Sirdar acrylic 4-ply woolie is just the job for chaps who are macho enough to brave the beer garden in the merry month of May.

The gentleman on the left in the "sleeveless slipover" reminds me a little of David Beckham, for some reason. Perhaps the canary-yellow trousers have something to do with it.

Looking at his friend's wristwatch, you can see that it is 4 o'clock, so maybe they are skiving off work.