Lots of pictures (elephants, silly emo gloves and amusing vintage things)

[susie_flo]

Hello fiends, how are you all doing?  I've been hiding for a while and as a result have found the time to make an elephant.  He's called Elijah, and will soon be trampling his litle feet all the way to W9, to move in with a friend's new baby.   When he was finished he looked strangely naked until I made him a scarf... 



 

I thought I would also share some silly emo gloves I made last month.  Given that I could not look less emo in real life, I think I can get away with them... just.    (Like every other sad 30-something, I like to pretend that I am still an 80s teenybopper every now and then.)  They're from the same pattern as the psychedelic Seussesque ones I made last year. 



 

In several other idle moments, I discovered cool stuff on the interwebs...  including lots of scanned copies of very old books and magazines aimed at housewives and ladies with time on their hands.   Some of them are outstandingly funny, while a few have genuinely cool stuff in them.   They range from the 1840s to the mid 20th century.   I am thinking it may be fun to make a few things from old vintage patterns... the older ones are nearly all crochet, but there are are few knitting paterns scattered in there.

Whaddya reckon:






 

And finally, for your amusement, here is a selection of small ads I found in one of the magazines from 1914.






 

Comments

[steer.livejournal.com]

Oh you so need to make Glen the balaclava with ear holes!

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

The evil thought has crossed my mind... (it would have to be presented with enough earnestness that I would appear to be genuinely devastated if he did not wear it out and about)

[sara-lou.livejournal.com]

I want an Elijah!

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

He is cute isn't he? :-)

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

Aw, he's adorable! The mittens are ace too!

I'm somewhat afraid of the bedsock. Is it... I mean, it's... no, I don't even want to finish that thought.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Yes... you have to ask, it's a bed sock for what?!

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

By the way, I'd love to see some of the old crochet patterns; maybe when you come over for cake and string you could bring them along to show me? :-)

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Ok, I am about to email you (via your LJ email address) with a load of links... brace yourself for some major time wasting!!

Everything I found is available online... and due to the quantity it's a lot easier to browse that way than to try printing it all off. I am afraid it is weirdly addictive, and takes a little bit of patience to wade through patterns for doilies and the like, in order to find some buried treasures.

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

(But yes, def up for discussing over cake)

[ms-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Elijah is adorable, are you available for knitting commissions for small nephews?

I'm liking those arm warmers too and I love those adverts, I could sit and look at vintage adverts all day, do you think people will sit and get the same quasi nostalgic glow/what on earth? type feelings in years to come watching bits of QVC on Youtube?

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough I can imagine people 20 years from now roaring with laughter at QVC ads...

I found another US ladies mag from 19th century that made me roar... (tomorrow I will post a couple of choice articles for amusement).

About Elijah... I could make you one, if you really wanted? I have enough yarn left. I'm not sure I have the time to start taking on any serious commissions, but I would not mind doing the odd one for a friend. He is very cute after all :-)

[ms-siobhan.livejournal.com]

I meant commission in return for money btw.

[(Anonymous)]

Awwww Elijah is gorgeous! Will he want to visit S'n'B on Wednesday? I'm about to knit an octopus next, not sure how that will turn out! I think the tam o'shanter is very you, so that could be a winner. Meanwhile, I'm not sure whether to plump for ordering the illustrated how-to-dress booklet or the beacon belt following its dire warnings of Umbilical Rupture! Those ads are excellent!

[(Anonymous)]

This is CatherineEH, btw. Also, I don't do paragraphs! ;-D

[the-meanest-cat.livejournal.com]

Hello, delighted to see you on here. Yes I will bring Elijah to S'n'B to say hello. The ads are fabulous aren't they? I love the idea of going looking for a dealer and asking if he has any crochet hooks... I can pretend it's new street slang.

I am becoming scarily addicted to these ancient women's mags... (I think tomorrow I will post some truly terrible, yet hilarious, articles from an especially santimonious US publication of the 1890s)

[kissmeforlonger.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to hear that wearing corsetry helps me avoid umbilical rupture!