Knit this gorgeous girl’s summer top in cool 4-ply Cotton Fine from Brown Sheep Company:

FREE Retro Knitting Pattern Girls Summer 4ply Cotton Top

Knit this gorgeous girl’s lacy short-sleeved summer cardigan in cool, 5-ply Patons Grace mercerized cotton:

FREE Retro Pattern – Girls Summer Knitted Lacy Cardigan

Crochet this gorgeous girl’s cardigan in 5ply mercerized Patons Grace:

FREE Retro Pattern- Girls Crochet Summer Shell Stitch Cardigan

Crochet this fabulously cute, nautical-style cotton top for your kids this summer!

Crocheted in a 5 ply mercerized cotton – Patons Grace – this top is cool and right on-trend for summer 2011!

Kids Nautical Style Retro Crochet Cotton Top

This super-sweet summer cotton set is great for both boys and girls!

Knitted in 8-ply cotton, we have chosen Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece – available at www.yarnover.com.au – as THE perfect summer yarn! Nautical colours and 80s styles are SO hot right now, so get knitting!

FREE Retro Pattern Kids Nautical-style Sweater and Top

Here is a pattern I have been wanting to knit for ages. It is from a Patons kids pattern book from the 70s.

The original pattern is knitted in Bluebell 5ply crepe (26 sts per 4 inches) which is quite expensive these days. So instead I have substituted Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport – 5 ply-Balls (24 sts per 4 inches) or cones here. It would make a lovely warm vest done in wool for winter, or substitute Brown Sheep Cotton Fine for summer.

Adjust your needle sizes accordingly and be sure to do a gauge swatch.

FREE Vintage Pattern – Girl’s Retro Seed Stitch Vest

Have fun!

My knitter Maree has been hard at work writing a pattern for a lone baby bootie brought in to the store by a customer. The bootie belonged to her as a child and was knitted by her Grandmother whom has since lost the pattern. Maree agreed to look at the bootie and write up the pattern for her (for a small fee of course!), BUT has very kindly agreed to allow me to publish it for you FREE of charge! How nice is that? Particularly as it took her the better part of a week to work it out! LOL!

I forgot to take a picture of the booties before the customer took them home but basically they are a Mary-jane style bootie with a double-thickness sole in garter stitch. You knit the sole first and then pick up the stitches around it and knit the body of the bootie.

They are knitted in 3 ply wool which ends up being for a 6-9mth baby. If you want them bigger, do them in a 4 ply/fingering, or if a smaller size is required, knit in 2 ply or laceweight.

Enjoy the pattern and if you knit them up, please send us a picture!

Marees_Victorian_Baby_Booties_Free_Knitting_Pattern

My revisions for the Noro Taiyo Crochet Market Bag

FREE Crochet Pattern - Noro Taiyo Market Bag

are now finished and here is the PDFCrochet_Noro_Taiyo_Bag_PDF

Happy Crocheting!

This is the first FREE pattern in my vintage baby knitting series.

This pattern was taken from a vintage Australian Home Journal magazine:  Baby Book Number 3, published in the 1940s.

This kind of pattern is ideal for our Australian climate, and particularly my Queensland one – where babies often run around in just a singlet and nappy in the hotter months.

This is a versatile pattern – knit it in the recommended 2 ply wool for winter warmth and heirloom quality, or try it in 2 ply baby acrylic for washability.  It would do equally well in 4 ply sock yarn or plain wool and would also be fabulous in a 4 ply cotton or cotton/wool blend for warmer months.  Make the pattern stretch into the later years by knitting it in a soft cotton/wool blend 8 ply yarn.

Vintage FREE Pattern - knitted lacy baby vest in 2 ply (laceweight) wool or similar

Materials Required:

25 – 50g of wool, acrylic, cotton etc…

Straight needles, 9 inch, in a size to suit the yarn weight.

2 ply (laceweight) – 1.75 to 2mm (0-3 months)

4 ply (fingering) – 2.5 to 2.75mm (6-9 months

8 ply (DK weight) – 3.75mm to 4mm (12-18 months)

Abbreviations:

s = slip

k = knit

p = purl

st/s = stitch/es

p.s.s.o – pass slipped stitch over

w.f – wool forward

DIRECTIONS:

Make 2 pieces (front and back)

FRONT:

Cast on 56 sts and work in stocking st for 60 rows, increasing to 59 sts in the last row.

Repeat the 12-row pattern below, twice. (24 rows of pattern):

Row 1:  K 6, * s. 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 5, wf, k 1, wf, k 1, wf, k 1, wf, k 5, k 2 tog, k 2.  Repeat to last 4 sts, k 4.

Row 2 and alternate rows:  K 6, * s. 1, p 1, p.s.s.o, p 15, p 2 tog, k 2.  Repeat from * to last 4 sts, k 4.

Row 3:  k 6, * s. 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 4, wf, k1, wf, k 3, wf, k 1, wf, k 4, k 2 tog, k 2.  Repeat from * to last 4 sts, K 4.

Row 4:  repeat row 2

Row 5:  K 6, * s. 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 3, wf, k 1, wf, k 5, wf, k 1, wf, k 3, k 2 tog, k 2.  Repeat from * to last 4 sts, K 4.

Row 6:  repeat row 2

Row 7:  K 6, * s. 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 2, wf, k 1, wf, k 7, wf, k 1, wf, k 2, k 2 tog, k 2.  Repeat from * to last 4 sts, K 4.

Row 8:  Repeat row 2

Row 9:  K 6, * s. 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 1, wf, k1 wf, k 9, wf, k1, wf, k 1, k 2 tog, k 2.  repeat fom * to last 4 sts, k 4.

Row 10:  repeat row 2

Row 11:  K 6, * s. 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, wf, k 1, wf, k 11, wf, k 1, wf, k 2 tog, k 2.  Repeat from * to last 4 sts, k 4.

Row 12:  repeat row 2

Neckline:

Now K 1, P 1 over 16 sts, cast off 27 sts loosely, then K 1, P 1 over remaining 16 sts.

Work on one side of 16 shoulder sts for 2.5 inches.  cast off ribwise.

Repeat for the other 16 shoulder sts.

BACK: work exactly the same as FRONT

Making Up:

Press carefully, sew up shoulder and side seams.  Crochet a beading/edging around neck and edging around armholes (see below).  Crochet the same edging around lower edge.

Crochet Edging:

* 3 chain, 1 treble (U.S. – DC) into edge, 1 DC (U.S. – SC) 1/4 inch further along the edge.  Repeat from * all around.

Feel free to print this pattern for your use and may be freely distributed.  Pictures of the finished product are welcome.  please e-mail:  info (at) yarnover (dot) com (dot) au.

PATTERN CORRECTION/ALTERNATIVE!

I have had some comments that this pattern is not working out. The original book is very vague regarding the lace pattern – it simple says “repeat the 12 rows of pattern”. There are actually two lace patterns in the book which are used – one for the coat and the second 12-row repeat pattern is used for the bonnet, panties and other small items. The 12-row pattern repeat used above is the one for the coat – try this one below which is used for the sleeve and other smaller items:

Row 1: K 2, * s 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 5, wf, k 1, wf, k 1, wf, k 1, wf, k 5, k 2 tog, k 1. Repeat from * to the end of the row.

Row 2 and alternate rows: K 2, * s 1, p 1, p.s.s.o, p 15, p2 tog, k 2. Repeat from * until end of row.

Row 3: K 2, * s 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 4 wf, k 1, wf, k 3, wf, k 1, wf, k 4, k 2 tog, k 2. repeat from * until end of row.

Row 4: repeat row 2

Row 5: K 2, * s 1, k 1, p.s.so, k 3, wf, k 1, wf, k 5, wf, k 1, wf, k 3, k 2 tog, k 2. Repeat from * until end of row.

Row 6: repeat row 2

Row 7: K 2, * s 1, k 1, p.s.s.o, k 2, wf, k1 wf, k 7, wf, k 1, wf, k 2, k 2 tog, k2. Repeat from * until end of row

Row 8: repeat row 2

Row 9: K 2, * s 1, k 1, p.s.so, k 1, wf, k 1, wf, k 9, wf, k 1, wf, k 1, k 2 tog, k 2. Repeat from * to end of row

Row 10: repeat row 2

Row 11: K 2, * s 1, k 1, ps.s.o, wf, k 1, wf, k 11, wf, k 1, wf, k 2 tog, k 2. Repeat from * until end of row.

Row 12: repeat row 2

I hope this helps – please e-mail with any questions/problems!

Happy Knitting!

Gabrielle