Vintage inspired Christmas bow finished!

Finally finished the Christmas decoration bow! Actually, it took just a few days to make it. To go to the edited post, pattern, modifications & details click here.

vintage inspired crochet: christmas bow pattern

Timing, timing, timing! I was drawn to this Christmas bow because of the vintage feel of it. Initially, I imagined it in combination with a very simple wreath made of branches. I really liked the idea of the contrast between the simple and pure branches and the delicate, vintage-feel of the lace pattern.


I really, really wanted to finish it in weeks before Christmas, but I'm afraid I'm running out of time. Well, I'm still going to try! Instead of a bow this might be a table runner with a contrasting colored tablecloth underneath. If you start to crochet this now and have a few evenings you might be ready on time before Christmas eve! The original pattern comes from a contemporary crochet magazine which means it is probably copyrighted but certainly not available outside some parts of Eastern Europe and Germany. Because most of visitors the here are following this blog from outside Europe I feel I can share the pattern with you.



material:
- the original pattern suggests 250 g mercerized cotton (50g=280 meters) with 1-1.25 mm crochet hook.
- I used about 80 grams of a slightly heavier cotton yarn which I had in my stash ( 50g=210 meters) with a 1.5 mm hook
- silver ribbon (I used a leftover piece of dark green bias tape)

my pattern modifications:

• smaller squares: the original instruction is to make 1dc + 2ch squares (fill with 2dc's) but after making the first part I didn't like the look of it. The little angel-face was too stretched out for my taste. I restarted the project with 1dc + 1ch (fill with 1dc) and liked it much better. For comparison: the magazine picture (left) and my version (right):

   

• modification of the flower motif: because the smaller squares I needed to resize the flower a bit in the horizontal direction. For this I replaced the 7 chain 'rays' on the right and left sides with 5 chains. It has been some time since I crocheted something like this, so at first try I also made the mistake of not adding extra chains for the extra single and double crochets which are made in the next row. The pattern includes the finished amount of chains, one side from top to bottom: 4-5-7-7-7-5-4 ch. My count one side from top to bottom: 4-5-5-4-5-5-4 (this is the horizontally shortened version with the extra ch calculated. So this is exactly what you need to crochet if you use the smaller, 1dc+1ch squares:

• bow variation: I made my own version for the bow, a smaller piece without the flower motifs, just repeating the other patterns around:

   

the original pattern chart:
I used the US abbreviations below which are different from the UK abbreviations! Read more about it here!
- the original pattern uses US 1 dc + 2ch squares (fill with 2dc's)
- the crosses in the center of the flower represents single crochets.
- the pattern below is the edge, originally there are 11 repeats of the flowers in between.

source magazine pic & pattern: 'diana' crochet magazine

The 1934 collar en cuff in action!

Here are the pictures! Click here for the original 1934 pattern.
Of course, my version is less 'dramatic' sizewise than the original, but I think it is definitely more wearable. The collar really 'wants' to stay in a circular form, but after starching and ironing it stays nicely in shape:
   

(Sorry for my hair, it wasn't styled yet and I didn't wear make-up either) Though it's not clearly visible, I'm posing with an 1950's book on etiquette from the thrift shop!
Here is the full set on another sweater of mine:




8 ways to combine the pieces:
1. Just the collar:


2. The collar with the bow:


3. The cuffs with the bows
4. A small bow worn as a brooch
   

5. The small bow worn as a brooch in combination with the cuffs
6. The big bow in combination with the cuffs
  

7. The collar and bow worn with the cuffs
8. The set worn as originally designed
   



Notes on starching: 
Starch was used during the past decades to make household linens and clothes last longer. Especially the most used parts of the outfits like collars and cuffs were treated to prevent staining and weakening the fabric.
Yhe mixture I used is again a kitchen-purpose cornstarch:
Mix 1 heaping teaspoon of cornstarch with 300 ml of cold water and stir until it is completely dissolved. I dipped the cuffs and only the chain edges of the collar. Ironed it at medium temperature (for cotton) not too hot because thet could burn the cornstarch making brown spots.

An 1934 instruction:

Crochet collar and cuff pattern from 1934!

I thought it would be fun to finish the Miss Lemon wardrobe series with a 1930's project, Miss Lemon could make herself!
I turned to my favorite source of vintage magazines, the Australian Women's Weekly again and choose a fairly simple but impressive crochet pattern of a collar and cuffs from 1934. Collars and cuffs were the ultimate accessory to brighten up last years frock as they wrote quite often:

"Here's another of those completely adorable collar and cuff sets that go on and of in the twinkling of an eye so that your best friends never know whether it is the same frock you are wearing so often or not. The set is delightful for a dark frock, and adds that ultra-chic touch of smartness that turns an ordinary dress into a most distinctive one." 

Gauntlets were very fashionable in the early and mid 30's. Already in 1933 a similar crochet pattern was published to make gauntlet attachments for simple fabric gloves:

"Here is another of fashion's irresistible little notions that can be worked at almost lightning speed from an ounce of wool and then attached to any pair of gloves to match your daintiest frocks. White fabric gloves with white crochet gauntlets would look so smart with a black and white outfit. And white tops on beige, brown, or grey gloves would be equally effective."

Bows were an 'inseparable' element of the 'Continental' knitted and crocheted designs in 1933-1934. We know Miss Lemon loves matching cuff and collar sets, so let's imagine she took out the crochet needle in the evenings, after a long day in company of her demanding boss, Mr. Poirot!



"An enchanting little set, comprising collar and cuffs, as sketched by Petrov*. Then you can step forth blithely to work in the knowledge that you are as chic as any girl could wish to look."

* Petrov (also known as Geoffrey Claude Turton) was a cartoonist and magazine illustrator. Petrov regularly contributed to the AWW magazine in the 1930's.

The original collar and cuff ensemble was designed to be larger than mine. I wanted to make a contemporary version which could be worn without appearing 'overdressed'.



   

Pattern notions:

- I used a metric size 2 crochet needle.
- The size of the finished items may vary by the size and weight of the yarn used. I would recommend to start by making the bow of the collar. This goes quite fast and gives a good idea of the sizing!

Below the big bow, a small bow and cuff (sizes in cm)
   

The finished big bow:


A finished small bow:

- To make a larger collar add a multiple of 2 chains to the starting row of chains.
- If you don't use mercerized cotton yarn you may expect about 5-10% shrinkage! In order to avoid an unusable small sized set you should make the pieces slightly larger: add some length to the desired cuff circumference and collar length.

What is Mercer cotton? In 1851, John Mercer (1791-1866) found a way to increase the luster of cotton by adding caustic soda, sulfuric acid and other chemicals to the fiber. By altering the cotton, it was found that it didn't shrink as much when washed and took dye more readily. Mercerized cotton is also more mildew resistant than standard cotton fiber and has a softer appearance and feel.

My pattern modifications:

• For both the collar and the cuffs less chain rows were made (collar 12 rows, cuff 11) The original 18 and 16 rows seemed a bit overwhelming, I felt less rows would give a nice balance for the bows. My bows are made as described in the pattern. For the collar I made 3 rows of 4 ch, 4 rows of 5ch and 3 rows of 6 ch. For the cuffs 6 rows of 4 ch and 5 rows of 5 ch.
• Size of collar: I increased the chain length of the collar. The 110 chains of the pattern formed a length too short to make a nice v-neck.
• Picot's: I used slipstitch instead of d.c. to make the picot's, because that's the way I learned it and it makes the work look finer too i.m.o.
• Edging bows: The bows are made with smaller, 3-chain loops, so 2x3 d.c. as described for the collar was way too much. I used 2 d.c.-picot-2 d.c. instead.
• Edging cuffs: Again, I used the 2 d.c.-picot-2 d.c. edging for the loops and loop edges (picture below left). This gives a neat finish. I found that the 3 d.c.-picot-3 d.c. stretched out the edges of the cuffs too much

   

The crochet terms used in the original pattern are the UK terms. Interestingly, another crochet pattern I found in the AWW used the US terms. Getting confused? I certainly was, but the picture and crocheting a test piece helped.

The abbrevations used in the pattern and the corresponding US terms:

ch. = chain

d.c. = single crochet

treble = double crochet
For more explanation of UK and US crochet terms click here.

  
This pattern appeared in an 1934 issue of the Australian Women's Weekly magazine. All original newspaper images through Trove, all other images are mine.

Notes on finishing:

- After reading the pattern descriptions I wondered where the press-studs should be placed, where the small bows should be sewn and whether I should finish all of the edges of the cuffs or the sides should be attached first. I guess those days these things were more evident to the readers than now. As far as the edges of the cuffs go, the pattern doesn't mention crocheting round or sewing the sides together (though it seems like there are no visible edges on the picture) so I choose to finish the sides and upper edge with the picot motifs. I attached the bows in the middle of the cuffs, just on the last two rows of the treble stitches.

- I didn't used press-studs, planning to handsew the collar and cuffs to the sweater instead. It can be easily removed before washing.
- It can be handy to attach the bows separately with small safety pins. That way they can be easily removed, washed and starched again. Besides that the bows can be worn separately as a brooch.
An advice from the AWW's 'Miss precious minutes' series: 
"Attach white touches by tacking or fastening by tiny gold safety pins, then they can easly be removed and laundered."
- Starching of the finished collar, cuffs and bows before finishing (=assembling bows) is necessary! The lace loops won't stand in place on their own. Iron everything on a thick towel with the right side down to keep the surface structure intact.

To see my finished set in action click here!

Correction in 'cabbage rose' crochet pattern!

Since I am busy with corrections and new crochet projects, suddenly I realized  that I made a mistake in the 'cabbage rose' pattern! Well, not really a mistake, but it could be confusing since the meaning of the crochet terms differ in US and UK descriptions.
The pattern is now updated, in the first version I used the UK abbrevations (dc for sc and ts for dc). The right US version is here!

Picture taken from www.simplycrochetmag.co.uk

Quick little projects: Crochet 'cabbage' rose brooch

I was looking for a pattern to make a brooch for my mom, but I couldn't find any that I liked. Sometimes I wonder how this is possible with all of the blogs, websites on the internet...
Actually I did find a few of which I liked the shape but there was no pattern. The patterns which looked okay didn't look like the rose I imagined. They often use double crochet stitches to make the petals which I found too 'flat'. After a couple of hours of trial and error here is the pattern I came up with:

ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
Sl st = slip stitch

Edit: The pattern is updated, in the first version I made a mistake to use the wrong abbrevations (dc for sc and ts for dc) Below is the correct US version.


Picture taken from www.simplycrochetmag.co.uk

Yarn used: Phildar 'Phil coton 3' (thickness: 50g=121m)
Crochet hook: metric size 2
(suggested knitting needle size on package: metric 2.5-3)

Rose petals (US abbrevations!)
Chain 61 
Row 1: starting in 5th chain from needle: *sc, ch 2, sc in the same chain as the previous sc; ch 2 skip 2* finish with 1 sc in last chain
Row 2: chain 5 and skip picot of previous round *in space of 2 chains: 2 sc, chain 2, 2 sc; ch 2 and skip the picot of the previous row* finish with 2 ch and one sc
Row 3: starting with first space *in space of 2 chains: 1 sc, 7 dc, 1 sc; 1 Sl st in picot of previous row*

This is how the 1st row looks like:


The 2nd row:


3rd row:


Circular base for the back (US abbrevations!)
Chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to make a circle
Round 1: ch 3, 11 sc in circle (=12 sc)
Round 2: ch 3, *alter 2 sc and 1 sc* in the stitches of the previous row. (=18 sc)
Secure last stitch with a Sl st to the first one

   

Roll the finished rose up:
Create a base by sewing the first 7 petals around the outside of the circle. (We work clockwise from outside to inside on right side) This is how the back looks with the first row of petals:


Make the next round of 6 petals:
   

Make the third round of 4 petals sewing onto the circle base and pull thread through the base of the last 1.5 petal + side of the last one and gather it a bit to form the middle of the rose. Pull the petals onto the base in the middle with a few stitches:


Secure thread and finish the brooch by attaching a safety pin or sew rose onto garment, hat or bag!