September 25, 2014

Knitting trends of the 1940s


Like a lot of folks, I am a passionate crafter, however, I am neither a sewer nor a knitter, two timeless arts that many in our vintage loving midst are both crazy about and very skilled at. I have a ton of respect for those who practise these crafts and always enjoy learning more about either subject. Thus, when I asked my new, but already very dear friend, Cherry, if she'd like to guest post while I was on holiday and she enthusiastically said that she would, I was thrilled when she shared that the topic of her post would be none other than a fantastic, image filled look back at some of the knitting trends of the 1940s.

Whether you're a seasoned knitting pro, a beginner, or like me, have never clicked one needle against the next, I'm sure you'll adore this post and find yourself appreciating the beautiful knitwear that filled the action packed decade that was the 1940s all the more thanks to it. And speaking of thanks, that is precisely what I'm extending to the seriously wonderful Ms. Cherry for her engaging, delightfully lovely look at this great subject.


♥ ♥ ♥



Thank you so much to Jessica for asking me to do a guest post on her blog while she is enjoying a much needed vacation. It is such an honor to be here. My name is Cherry, I'm a knitter and a blogger over at She Knits in Pearls. I am also a vintage lover, so when Jessica asked me if I’d like to do a guest post, it felt only natural to write about vintage knitting. I am happy to share a bit of my knowledge with you.






During the 1940s you would be hard pressed to find a woman who didn't know how to knit. Many women learned how during World War One in order to knit for our soldiers and that practice continued on into World War Two. Sidar Wool Company strongly urged women with their slogan “If you can knit-you can do your bit”. Specific patterns were made and circulated for each branch of the military. There was even a wool control board that insured the distribution of the right yarns to knitting guilds all over Europe where there were rations on yarns.

Here in the U.S., many women gathered in weekly knitting circles to knit and organize there knitting efforts. They would have a list of the soldiers from their respective town and knit socks for each of them. However, not all knitting was for the soldiers. There was plenty of knitting for themselves; it was a great way to stay warm and glamorous during a time when our resources were limited. These limitations greatly influenced the trends of the time, but they sure didn’t hold us knitters back.






Women were determined to stay fashion forward. As resources became limit, we had to make do with what we had. Shapes and overall silhouette became more tailored and less extravagant. Jackets and skirts became shorter and slimmer. When it came to knitting that meant shorter sleeves and slimmer, shorter waist lines.

Lace and airy stitch patterns were a great way to make a little yarn go a long way. Many vintage knitting patterns were often made with simple yet ornate design elements. Not only was this a way to get the most out of what they had, it was a way to make garments interesting and feminine. It wasn’t just yarn and wool that was in limited supply. Dyes were scarce too. This meant that colors of yarn where limited as well. To compensate, textures such as bobbles, cables, and ribbing were used to keep things new and interesting.










Fair Isle knitting became very popular. Small balls of yarn could be knit into cheerful and patriotic designs. Each scrap of yarn could be used. In a time of “Make-do and Mend” women would even unravel old sweaters to create new stylish pieces. If the leftovers of a certain project were small they would be used for darning or mending a garment to make it last longer. When larger quantities were available, they could be used as stripes or color blocks on other garments.





If you’d like to try your hand at recreating the lovely knitwear from our past there are many on-line sites that offer wonderful vintage patterns for free. Wendy at The Vintage Pattern Files has done a fantastic job of collecting and sharing vintage patterns with her readers. You can find many great patterns on Subversive Femme as well. Bex shares a ton of vintage patterns and she knits them up as well.

I will say, vintage patterns can be very difficult to work with, especially for a new knitter. They tend to be written in very basic terms, often times not informing you what weight yarn to use or even what needle size. They may just give you a stitch gauge and a multiple of stitches you need for the pattern, ie. CO multiple of 8 stitches. This leaves it up to you to know how many stitches you will need for, say, the back of a sweater. Vintage patterns are not impossible to work with: they just take a good base knowledge and a bit of courage.

If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, designers are working to take vintage patterns and recreate them with modern directions, yarn suggestions and construction techniques. Check out designer Susan Crawford. Or designer and blogger Andi Satterlund, her patterns are modern with a vintage inspiration (and I happen to be completely addicted to knitting them).

Whether you are a knitter or not, you have to admire the creativity and ingenuity that went into the knitted garments of the past. What you may have thought were just the fashion of the times, were very deliberate. In the time of clothes rationing, women were able to take what they had, use a great deal of imagination, and create a whole new style.

As sweater weather is creeping up on us vintage lovers, we can look to these design elements for inspiration. Whether we are vintage shopping, thrifts store hunting, or getting out the yarn and needles, these and other 1940’s designs would be a great addition to our fall wardrobes. Happy hunting and knitting!

♥ Cherry

22 comments:

  1. What a great post - I love all of these pictures! Although the 50s is probably my favourite era for style, if it was just for knitwear alone I'd pick the 40s. I love some of the patterns and shapes they came up with. I'd love to wear any of these, but I'm especially fond of that little short-sleeved patterned number in the middle there! Swoon. CC x

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  2. Nice post! Unfortunately knitting isn't one of my best skills, otherwise I certainly would have made the stripey one!

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  3. This is a great post! I just knitted my first vintage sweater (which happened to be my second sweater ever) this past May, and it was definitely a big learning experience! You're right in vintage patterns not being so explanatory, but if I can figure it out, others can, too! It's totally worth it!

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    1. I'm so glad you agree about those vintage patterns. They take a bit of courage, but it is totally worth it. Welcome to the wonderful world of sweater and vintage knitting. Be careful, it's completely addictive.
      She Knits in Pearls

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  4. The MINUTE I saw the title I knew that I would love this blog post and I did! What a wonderful overview of knitting in the 1940s, right up my alley. I was not aware of many of things you mentioned about why they knitted the way they did and now I do. Thank you.

    I cannot knit to save my life lol! My mom is a master knitter so I have talked her into knitting a simple 40s pattern for me this winter. Now to pick a style....

    Liz :)

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    1. So glad you have a master knitter in the family, how lucky you are. It should be fun for you two to collaborate on a project. I would love to see what style you choose and a final project.

      She Knits in Pearls

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  5. I'm so happy to see your post here! I really enjoy your blog anyway, so it's great that Jessica is having you help cover for her while she's gone. This was a really interesting read; I love things that touch on the history of fashion, and the ways that what was going on in the wider world had a practical effect on it. It's really amazing that women went through the war, with all of the hardship and rationing, and were still determined to look good and be stylish. I loved the bit about how they would pick apart old sweaters so they could incorporate the materials into new ones. It certainly makes any wardrobe woes I have seem trivial.
    Cheers,
    Jessica, cakesandcakesvintage.blogspot.com

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    1. I totally agree about how trivial our wardrobe woes seem in comparison. I often think I would love to have lived through the 40's and 50's, until I realize just how spoilt I am with technology and modern living. I am happy to admire those times gone by from afar and respect and cherish our past in a modern way.

      She Knits in Pearls

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  6. I'm a recent follower to 'She Knits and Purls' it combines two of my favorites {vintage & knitting}. I do love to knit, but can't do anything complicated yet. However all these lovely images make me want to knit one, purl two. ;)

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    1. Thank you very much for reading and following. I'm working on simple patterns with vintage flair to publish on my blog. Hopefully, even with your newish knitting skills, you'll be able to use a few of them. Stay tuned, things are in the works.

      She Knits in Pearls

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  7. I also heard that (perhaps only in the UK) while regular knitting yarn was rationed, small skeins of darning yarn was NOT rationed, which also encouraged the Fair Isle-style knitting.

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    1. Oh, I had read that somewhere too and must not have wrote it in my notes. Very true. Another example of how history and events influenced crafts and fashion.

      She Knits in Pearls

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    2. Yes, that was indeed the case in the UK. Regular wool was rationed, darning wool was not.

      I've got books of patterns from the era, and in the back is advice on what to do when you recycle wool from an old knit (you always end up with a bit less yarn than in the original garment, because of unused bits) and how to use up the very tiniest scraps.

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  8. I actually have a few of these pattern!Great post Jessica
    http://balearaitzart.blogspot.com.au/

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  9. What a wonderful post! I come from a long line of sewers and knitters, and my mother-in-law knits and crochets, so needles, hooks, and yarn/wool are in constant supply in my house. Now that it's cooled down here in NYC and my dissertation is slated for defense, I'll be pulling out my needles to knit the fall and winter away. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  10. What fascinating history! I would so wear most of those today! and it makes me wish I knew how to knit etc....Thanks for this great post.

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  11. Just adore little knits! I like the short sleeved ones the best! Beautiful imagery!

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  12. Great post with some adorable items I wouldn't mind having in my winter wardrobe! I'm not a knitter myself, but my sister crochets from vintage patterns and has made similar comments about the challenges of using them (like a lack of detail about hook or yarn size to use). I've had some similar experiences of vintage sewing patterns, and instructions in vintage millinery books! There is a lot of assumed knowledge, but they do mean that I learn a lot from the process!

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  13. I need the tea time jumper! I tried knitting and will try again. I collected a bunch of these patterns and even tried a knitting class, but alas, they was a language barrier with the teacher (I speak English, she Spanish), and I didn't quite catch on! This has inspired me to find those patterns and try again!

    Thanks for sharing with us!

    ~ Tam Francis ~
    www.girlinthejitterbugdress.com

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  14. oh gosh how fabulous are all those sweaters and cardigans. i would love to have them all;)
    kiss,mary
    http://www.maryloucinnamon.com

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  15. What a lovely post. :) I will check out your blog. Did you know that texture knitting also was so popular in the forties, because the texture could hide if the yarn was worn? I have the Make do and Mend booklet, it is very charming to read, and I also got some good advice from it. I am in process of learning to knit, but I don't think I will be able to follow an English pattern soon (I'm Danish). But I have finished some projects I am quite proud of. I really loved this post. :)

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  16. Some really lovely knitting patterns here, I wouldn't mind making quite a few of them. I always think that 1940's patterns are very ingenious due to the restrictions that they had to work around.

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