A Stitch in Time and Jane Waller

Today is a holiday in the UK so I'm going to be a little bit lazy and post some info rather than patterns for your enjoyment. Mind you, this info comes with a gilded lining as there is just a chance that a lost treasure might be returning in an accessible (cheaper!!!) form.

For many, the definitive collection of 20th century knitting and crochet patterns was A Stitch in Time by Jane Waller. Published in the 1970's it contained 336 pages of patterns spanning the period of the 20's to the 40's and all for the price of £8.50. Sadly, I had to pay a ten times that amount for my copy 3 years ago and at the moment you would have to do the same. E-bay, Amazon - they all tell the same story. This is an extremely collectible book and with good reason. The patterns are published in their origingal form, with a small selection made up for the book in contemporary representations. The man's swimming suit is divine!!! The crochet patterns are outnumbered by the knitting but their are some gems and I particularly love the 'Wool Lace Party "Pretties"'.

Now the good news. There are plans afoot to republish this classic from knitonthenet with a publication date planned for September of this year. The author, Jane Waller, is a prolific writer and has many publications to her name. Like me, she's fascinated by her collection of vintage patterns which she tells about in an interview with knitonthenet. To spike your interest in the wonderful design and creations of this period, you can trawl the e-waves through the links in my pattern links.

Buying patterns on e-bay is also a sinch and I have a number of sellers who regularly have fabulous patterns in their auctions. Buying in the US market affords greater choice and the design of post-war America was wonderful. They really got Paris!!!