My partner worked at the Internet Archive between more “professional” jobs for a while, and scanned many books and magazines from the 1800s. I like to imagine him scanning the patterns and other materials I have found there!
I randomly inherited a bunch of vintage knitting patterns from when a friends' family was going through her grandma's stuff. It's amazing what you get given once people know that you're a knitter.
This was fun. I have a collection of vintage and older patterns from just about all the sources you mentioned and others listed in the comments. The only source I have to add, that's a little weird, is the side of the road. Oddly, in my area (in rural Northern California) folks will leave out boxes of stuff on the side of the road with books and other free stuff all the time. Sometimes I will stop and look to see what they have and now and then vintage knitting books and magazines are things I come across. We even have come to call the paintings we have found on the side of the road "road paintings" because that is common here to for some reason.
I might even suggest that if your city has a large Reference Library, to check there. You can't remove the material, but you can usually photocopy or scan them for personal use. :D
I found a digitised archive of The Australian Women's Weekly magazine on the Australian National Library website. The magazine had lots of knitting, crochet and sewing patterns each month. All free.
Thanks for the variety of ways and places to source vintage patterns! I am just getting into vintage knitting... as in, I have looked at patterns for an upcoming project but have not chosen one and have not cast on
I have only crocheted one vintage pattern in my life, and that was a long time ago. It was from a book my mom had. It was a little vest, I still have it somewhere in the attic. One of my kids might fit it in the next few years.
Thanks for the ideas! And I never find knitting stuff in my local thrift shops here in Virginia. It’s always so disappointing! Even a local CRAFTS thrift shop has awful stuff!! I think England has bunches jn their “charity” shops. I am envious.
I have a set of vintage 1950s knitting books from my great aunt! At this point those books have been to more continents than me; I always feel a little boggled when I hold them lol. Im a little scared of starting any of the patterns though just because of the limited sizes and lack of gauge info tho. If you ever felt like making a video on how you handle the challenges of vintage patterns I would love to hear all about it!
I'm old enough that I've knitted vintage patterns when they were just knitting patterns - and the sizing is a real problem. It's actually why I took to designing my own patterns. Based on a whole lot of tension checks, my knitting tension is "average". But when I knitted a lot of those patterns, I found they were far too large - and I'm someone who likes their clothes on the loose side. With hindsight, I should have worked a tension square and then checked what this was going to translate into for what the pattern claimed was "my size" and then chosen a size that was actually going to work. I have a needle gauge that shows English, American and metric sizes - it's "Birch" brand and I got it at a local craft chain store (in Australia). I would expect that they are still making them - and it's an extremely useful little piece of kit. Interestingly, the gauges that are referred to in piercing stretching are often in the English system - the same as the needle sizes. The needle size is the key to unlocking what thickness of yarn you should be using, provided the pattern does give tension instructions. Earlier patterns don't always. Some of the pattern instructions are going to seem a little odd: casting off at the back of the neck only to pick up the stitches again when it comes to knitting the neck band has always struck me as, let's say, illogical. Some techniques and stitches that we use these days hadn't yet been invented - brioche and the magic loop come to mind. There have also been some changes in knitting vocabulary since those patterns were published. "Knit" stitches were sometimes referred to as "plain" stitches. (Purl was and is purl.) Yarn was generally referred to as "wool". Binding off was generally referred to as casting off. The long tail method of casting on was called the thumb method and the cable cast on was called "casting on with two needles". "Stocking stitch" was sometimes referred to as "plain fabric" - and "stockinette" was unknown.
@@resourcedragonthank you for that! I’ll have to look for that needle gauge it sounds like it would be extremely helpful. I guess I’ll have to make peace with making a lot more gauge swatches as well considering my books have only 2-3 sizes (none of which would fit me if knitted to gauge!)
Hi Jente, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️ I know you have a Sister what I didn't know is that you're twins 💇💇🤣 Gosh you made me feel "Vintage" seeing as I'm a 50's child ( yes, I am that old)!!! I haven't knit anything vintage for a while but I think I just might have to. Thankyou for sharing the places on the Internet where we can find Vintage Patterns. This is a very interesting topic. Happy Spinning and Knitting Sweet Fibre Friend Take care and stay safe Lots of love and Big Hugs Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🐕
I have got so many great finds off Trade Me here in NZ. I also find if you let friends and colleagues know that you knit crochet spin etc people will offer it to you as they prefer to have these things go to someone who appreciates it. Great video sending hugs from Katy from NZ 😊❤
So glad I found your channel! I live in Belgium too, do you know any particular place (online or in person) to buy yarn that's suitable for vintage patterns (fingering, light fingering, 3 ply etc)?
My personal favorite shop is 't Vlijtig Bijtje in Waanrode/Werchter. And online I think Ginger and Thyme is a great place, they have all kinds of yarn :)
70,s is not vintage I have knit heaps of 70,s and 60,s patterns but then I don’t consider myself old but you would possibly think I was old. Let some of the older women in your spinning group know you are interested in 70,s and earlier patterns and I think you will end up with a bookcase ful of them ,they have them stashed away till they find someone who wants them.I have all kale fassett, Sasha kagan,Alice starmore,to name a few and ow I see them going for big prices, they were expensive in my currency when I bought them, young mum single wage,4 children but my mother and family gave them as presents, now though some of the prices are crazy, I wouldn’t be passing them on though. Yet real vintage patterns 40’s and younger are harder to get not in thrift stores, only antique stores and they charge for them. If I see them in thrift stores I buy them in the hopes that one day I can pass them on to someone who will appreciate them as I know they will only get ruined if left there too long and thrown in the rubbish , but careful what you call vintage, I think there is a time frame somewhere as to what true vintage and antique means. Still love Kaffe fassett and made many of his patterns. Love
As I've always understood it, 30 years is vintage, 100 is antique. So what is "vintage" or "antique" is constantly shifting. But I do sometimes try to make a distinction and often refer to 70s-80s as late-century vintage (as opposed to mid-century 40s-50s). Most of my 40s and 50s patterns were found in consignment shops and used bookstores. I finally picked up my first Kaffe Fassett needlepoint book not too long ago! But was a little sad it didn't have more patterns in it. I need to get his knitting ones, too!
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
Community tips: * the library!
* your local spinning/crafting group
Have you got more tips to get vintage patterns and supplies?
My partner worked at the Internet Archive between more “professional” jobs for a while, and scanned many books and magazines from the 1800s. I like to imagine him scanning the patterns and other materials I have found there!
Somehow that looks like the most exciting boring job ever 😁
I randomly inherited a bunch of vintage knitting patterns from when a friends' family was going through her grandma's stuff. It's amazing what you get given once people know that you're a knitter.
People do start gifting so many things!
This was fun. I have a collection of vintage and older patterns from just about all the sources you mentioned and others listed in the comments. The only source I have to add, that's a little weird, is the side of the road. Oddly, in my area (in rural Northern California) folks will leave out boxes of stuff on the side of the road with books and other free stuff all the time. Sometimes I will stop and look to see what they have and now and then vintage knitting books and magazines are things I come across. We even have come to call the paintings we have found on the side of the road "road paintings" because that is common here to for some reason.
That's so cool!
I might even suggest that if your city has a large Reference Library, to check there. You can't remove the material, but you can usually photocopy or scan them for personal use. :D
Of course! Our municipal library is closed for restorations right now, that's why I might have forgotten it...
What an interesting video! So much great advice and so many resources. Thank you so so much! From Chile, South America, best regards :)
Thank you :D
Roxanne Richards TH-cam channel has lots of references for vintage knitting. And eBay can be a good source as well
Ah yes, forgot all about eBay. Kind of lost its popularity here
I found a digitised archive of The Australian Women's Weekly magazine on the Australian National Library website. The magazine had lots of knitting, crochet and sewing patterns each month. All free.
Oho, interesting!
Thanks for the variety of ways and places to source vintage patterns! I am just getting into vintage knitting... as in, I have looked at patterns for an upcoming project but have not chosen one and have not cast on
Exciting! Let me know how it goes 😁
I have only crocheted one vintage pattern in my life, and that was a long time ago. It was from a book my mom had. It was a little vest, I still have it somewhere in the attic. One of my kids might fit it in the next few years.
Hopefully no moths, so your kid can enjoy it!
Thanks for the ideas! And I never find knitting stuff in my local thrift shops here in Virginia. It’s always so disappointing! Even a local CRAFTS thrift shop has awful stuff!! I think England has bunches jn their “charity” shops. I am envious.
Those thrifting influencers making it all look so plentiful!
I have a set of vintage 1950s knitting books from my great aunt! At this point those books have been to more continents than me; I always feel a little boggled when I hold them lol. Im a little scared of starting any of the patterns though just because of the limited sizes and lack of gauge info tho. If you ever felt like making a video on how you handle the challenges of vintage patterns I would love to hear all about it!
Well, as many previous videos have shown: I just go for it, and it doesn't always work out 😅
I'm old enough that I've knitted vintage patterns when they were just knitting patterns - and the sizing is a real problem. It's actually why I took to designing my own patterns. Based on a whole lot of tension checks, my knitting tension is "average". But when I knitted a lot of those patterns, I found they were far too large - and I'm someone who likes their clothes on the loose side.
With hindsight, I should have worked a tension square and then checked what this was going to translate into for what the pattern claimed was "my size" and then chosen a size that was actually going to work.
I have a needle gauge that shows English, American and metric sizes - it's "Birch" brand and I got it at a local craft chain store (in Australia). I would expect that they are still making them - and it's an extremely useful little piece of kit. Interestingly, the gauges that are referred to in piercing stretching are often in the English system - the same as the needle sizes.
The needle size is the key to unlocking what thickness of yarn you should be using, provided the pattern does give tension instructions. Earlier patterns don't always.
Some of the pattern instructions are going to seem a little odd: casting off at the back of the neck only to pick up the stitches again when it comes to knitting the neck band has always struck me as, let's say, illogical. Some techniques and stitches that we use these days hadn't yet been invented - brioche and the magic loop come to mind.
There have also been some changes in knitting vocabulary since those patterns were published. "Knit" stitches were sometimes referred to as "plain" stitches. (Purl was and is purl.) Yarn was generally referred to as "wool". Binding off was generally referred to as casting off. The long tail method of casting on was called the thumb method and the cable cast on was called "casting on with two needles". "Stocking stitch" was sometimes referred to as "plain fabric" - and "stockinette" was unknown.
@@resourcedragonthank you for that! I’ll have to look for that needle gauge it sounds like it would be extremely helpful. I guess I’ll have to make peace with making a lot more gauge swatches as well considering my books have only 2-3 sizes (none of which would fit me if knitted to gauge!)
Hi Jente, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️
I know you have a Sister what I didn't know is that you're twins 💇💇🤣
Gosh you made me feel "Vintage" seeing as I'm a 50's child ( yes, I am that old)!!!
I haven't knit anything vintage for a while but I think I just might have to.
Thankyou for sharing the places on the Internet where we can find Vintage Patterns. This is a very interesting topic.
Happy Spinning and Knitting Sweet Fibre Friend
Take care and stay safe
Lots of love and Big Hugs Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🐕
If it makes you feel better: I'm a nineties baby and that is also already considered vintage in fashion 😂
I have got so many great finds off Trade Me here in NZ. I also find if you let friends and colleagues know that you knit crochet spin etc people will offer it to you as they prefer to have these things go to someone who appreciates it. Great video sending hugs from Katy from NZ 😊❤
My granddad gave me all my grandmom's knitting needles and crochet thread, but threw out the patterns because he thought they were of no use 😅
i have a number of older pattern , open to rehome them
So glad I found your channel! I live in Belgium too, do you know any particular place (online or in person) to buy yarn that's suitable for vintage patterns (fingering, light fingering, 3 ply etc)?
My personal favorite shop is 't Vlijtig Bijtje in Waanrode/Werchter. And online I think Ginger and Thyme is a great place, they have all kinds of yarn :)
70,s is not vintage I have knit heaps of 70,s and 60,s patterns but then I don’t consider myself old but you would possibly think I was old. Let some of the older women in your spinning group know you are interested in 70,s and earlier patterns and I think you will end up with a bookcase ful of them ,they have them stashed away till they find someone who wants them.I have all kale fassett, Sasha kagan,Alice starmore,to name a few and ow I see them going for big prices, they were expensive in my currency when I bought them, young mum single wage,4 children but my mother and family gave them as presents, now though some of the prices are crazy, I wouldn’t be passing them on though. Yet real vintage patterns 40’s and younger are harder to get not in thrift stores, only antique stores and they charge for them. If I see them in thrift stores I buy them in the hopes that one day I can pass them on to someone who will appreciate them as I know they will only get ruined if left there too long and thrown in the rubbish , but careful what you call vintage, I think there is a time frame somewhere as to what true vintage and antique means. Still love Kaffe fassett and made many of his patterns. Love
As I've always understood it, 30 years is vintage, 100 is antique. So what is "vintage" or "antique" is constantly shifting. But I do sometimes try to make a distinction and often refer to 70s-80s as late-century vintage (as opposed to mid-century 40s-50s). Most of my 40s and 50s patterns were found in consignment shops and used bookstores. I finally picked up my first Kaffe Fassett needlepoint book not too long ago! But was a little sad it didn't have more patterns in it. I need to get his knitting ones, too!
@@retrocraftdreams then I must be vintage oh help
@@elizabethstreeter2145 Don't worry, I am, too! 😂
Even I am vintage now 😁 even the early nineties are 30 years ago now.