Two Last Minute Christmas DIY's

It is getting waaaaayyyy too close to Christmas. I have so much work left to do and am still not in the right frame of mind to really enjoy it. Actually I feel rather like Jacob Marley this year (yeah, the dead guy from a Christmas Carol...). Nevertheless I have been making some cute Christmas crafts I thought I would share with you. These two projects take very little time and would be a great last minute Christmas gift.

Holiday Earrings
You will need:
Two mini Christmas tree ornaments
Two earring hooks

Step 1) Remove the string from the ornaments, and attach the earring hooks through the loop. (You may need to attach a jump ring first depending on the direction of the loops). If your ornament does not have a premade loop, use a bit of thin wire to attach it to the earring hooks
Step 2) Wear them or give them as a gift

And for the knitters:
Mini Knitting Ornament
You will need:
A small amount of yarn (I used several colours)
Two toothpicks
Glue (I used plain old white glue)

This set of instructions is pretty flexible as the ornaments can be made bigger or smaller depending on your preference. I used a few different yarns to add stripes to mine.
Step 1) Cast on about 12 stitches onto US size 2 needles
Step 2) Knit for about 1 1/2"
Step 3) Cast on 5 or 6 stitches at the beginning of the next two rows
Step 4) Continue knitting until the sleeve measures about 1/2".
Step 5) Knit halfway across the next row. Cut yarn, leaving a long tail, and carefully slip the needles out.
Step 6) If you toothpicks have two pointy ends, cut one end off. Slip the tooth picks in where the needles were.
Step 7) Loop the yarn up then down again to the bottom of the mini sweater. Roll the remaining yarn into a ball.
Step 8) Secure with glue. Make sure to glue the stiches on both ends of each "needle", as well as the top and bottom of the loop. Apply a lot of glue to the back of the mini ball of yarn and stick to the bottom of the sweater. And that's it!

I hope you all enjoyed the tutorials today. I love coming up with cute projects, but I'm not really sure what types of projects you want to see. If you could take a moment to take the mini survey at the side of my blog --->
I would really appreciate it!

That's All.

Exams, Pattern Discount, and a Curtain Skirt

Exams have started and I'm afraid my posts may become sporadic until the end of August. I'm rather busy studying for exams and getting ready to move (again).

Since I won't have much time for posting I thought I would offer a 20% discount code for the knitting patterns in my Etsy shop for my readers. Just use the code VINTAGEINAMODERNWORLD to get 20% until the end of August. I have a lot more designs in the works but I'm afraid it may be another month or two before I get a chance to finish them.

I haven't had much of a chance to do anything lately but here is an outfit shot from a few weeks ago. The skirt is actually two curtain panels I sewed together. I just used a ribbon threaded through the holes to cinch the waist. An elastic would have been better but this way I still have the option of easily turning it back into curtains if I wish in the future.

 (Please ignore the fact I have no shoes on. I didn't want to get the carpet dirty)

Outfit Details:

Skirt: Made by me from 2 curtain panels and some ribbon

Top: Giant Tiger

Hair Bow: Also made by me using the same ribbon as the skirt

Earrings: Made by me

That's All.

Summer Rose

I cannot believe it has been more than a week since my last post! I have been incredibly busy the last few weeks (but I did manage to go home on the weekend for a belated birthday with the family!). There is a slight lull in assignments and midterms for the next two weeks, so hopefully I will have time to write a few of the posts I have planned.

In the meantime, Britt and I managed to get together to do a photoshoot for my two latest vintage-inspired knitting patterns. I love how the photos turned out! The first pattern, Summer Rose, is already for sale  here on Ravelry and here on Etsy. (As always, the pattern is $0.20 cheaper on Ravelry since I do not have to pay listing fees)

The second pattern will hopefully be posted in the few weeks so stay tuned!

That's All.

Hats, Magazines, and a little bit of Knitting

Outfit Details:

Dress: Made by me from a 1960's pattern

Sweater: Costa Blanca

Flats: Payless

I have been out antique hunting today. I was very disappointed I won't be able to get to the Christie antique sale this year, so I went to my favourite local store to make myself feel better. I wore a vintage inspired outfit today due to the weather (thunderstorms...), and the fact most of my poofy 1950's dresses make it difficult for me to sit on the bus without someone sitting on my dress!

I found lots of things I wanted to buy (I always do...) but in the end I settled for a hat, some magazine pieces, some 1950's knitting books, and some reeeeaaaallllyy cheap knitting needles. Most of the magazine pieces are from about 1910. I suspect someone learned that they could make more money by selling the covers and ads rather then the whole magazine, and that the pieces I bought were what was leftover. It makes me quite sad that people destroy perfectly good vintage magazines, but at least I rescued some of the remaining pieces. I will post some scans of the pieces later this week.

I have been working on designing a new pattern for my Etsy / Ravelry shop. It's not quite done yet, but here is a little sneak peak at my new vintage inspired hat pattern. It looks a bit like a rose.

That's All.

Buttons, Bows, and Earrings.

It has been a busy week! I am finally getting time to set up my room. Hopefully it should be done within the next week and ready for pictures, but as a sneak peak what do you ladies (and gentleman of course) think of my hair accessory 3-tiered tray? I have been making even more hair bows lately and needed something to fit all my flowers, bows and clips.

Despite not going outside due to an injured foot, I wore my new sweater today. I took several 1920's knitting patterns for inspiration and came up with this (sorry it's a bit of a dark photo, still experimenting with lighting!):

Before the foot injury, I did manage to get to my favourite antique store for the first time this term. I bought a big bag of buttons, some gloves that actually fit (!), and some clip-on earrings (which I will likely convert to something else).

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

That's All.

My First Sweater!!!

I finished my very first sweater a few days ago and wore it to work yesterday. It isn't the best sweater (I re-sized it too big!) but I am super proud of it!

It is from a vintage pattern and I did it as part of the Briar Rose Knit-a-long over at By Gum, By Golly. I decided that it looked better on me with an open neckline so I didn't bother to attach the buttons to the front. Now on to another knitting project!

That's All.

Practical Winter Shoes

I'm feeling a little under the weather this weekend so my DIY steamed stocking tutorial is going to have to wait. In the mean time, I thought I would share these fabulous vintage boots with you. The ad dates from 1951. I have searched and searched trying to find a modern equivalent in stores but so far no luck. If anyone sees a pair (only faux fur please!) let me know!

There always seems to be such an emphasis on high heels, so it's nice to know there were also practical shoes around in the 1950's.

Hopefully I will be feeling better in the next day or two and can gather pictures for a couple posts I have planned. I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend and a great Family Day (for those of us in Canada)!

Oh by the way, I have finally gotten around to joining Ravelry. My user name is PurlsofthePast (I am not good at coming up with creative names so I just re-used my Etsy shop name). If anyone else is on Ravelry feel free to add me as a friend! :)

That's All.

Giveaway Winner and My Knitted Skirt

Thank you to everyone who entered my 100-100 giveaway. Now it is time to announce the winner. Into the mini tophat went all the names....

And the winner is.... Brooksie! Please email your address and your choice of pattern from my shop to purlsofthepast@live.ca :)

I haven't done an outfit post for a while since it has been too cold to wear any cute outfits. Sweaters and trousers are nice but they don't make for very exciting posts. But today after months of knitting I finished my skirt. It took me a while since I could never find time to knit, but since I have started to knit after dinner and at night in front of the TV I have gotten a lot done!

The skirt is a little shorter than I would have preferred (ew knees!) and not overly flattering, but it is my first major knitting project and I am very proud of it :)

Skirt: Knitted by me!

Top: Smart Set

Stockings: The Bay with a seam added by me (tutorial coming soon!)

Shoes: Softmoc (they aren't the prettiest shoes but they are very comfy!)

That's All.

Simple Fingerless Gloves

This post took longer than anticipated due to the fact I couldn't seem to take decent pictures. So please excuse some of the pictures, since my camera hates the colour red and I had to use my own hands for modelling (I would never be able to get a job as a hand model!).

This weeks crafting project is a pair of fingerless gloves. Not super "vintagey" but very practical. I live in an old house, which means in the winter my hands get very cold when inside. These gloves are warm but still allow you to have use of your fingers (for typing or knitting!). This is a very simple project; if you can knit a scarf then you can knit these gloves.
Simple Fingerless Gloves

-Yarn (I used 100% wool to keep my hands extra toasty)

-Knitting Needles (around a US size 9 or 10)

1) Cast on stitches to create the length of the glove. I used 25 stitches for mine but add more if you would like them longer.

2) Use a plain knit stitch, and continue knitting until it can comfortably fit around your wrist (without stretching). Cast off.

3) Repeat, creating another rectangle of the exact same size.

4) Decide where to put your thumb hole (trying placing your hand on the rectangle to get an idea of size and placement). I used bobby pins to mark the spot.

5) Use some of your yarn to sew the top and bottom of your knitting together (leaving the hole for the thumb open).
6) Turn inside out and you're done! You can embellish these plain gloves any way you like. Perhaps a row of buttons up the side, or some lace around the edges? I knitted little bows from this pattern and attached one to each glove.And that's it! Very easy and very quick to knit. Want something more complicated? Check out my Etsy shop for some more challenging vintage patterns. Yes I know, shameless self promotion ;)

New Dress and Fall Wishlist

There was a few warm sunny days this week which gave me an opportunity to wear one of my new dresses from the T.O. clothing show:

The show itself was a bit of a disappointment. There were a lot of vendors there claiming to sell vintage, but I don't consider 1980's t-shirts "vintage". Despite the lack of real vintage, I managed to get this super cute 1950s day dress and a 1960's summer dress (it looks great with a sweater so I am hoping to wear it into the colder weather).

The cold weather has now taken over and seems to be here to stay. So far my wish list for the fall season includes:
-several more sweaters in fun colours
-a decent pair of boots (no heel so I can wear them on a daily basis)
-a black cloche to match my coat
-another pair of trousers

I've gotten very ambitious and am trying to knit this skirt in a charcoal grey. At the current rate of progress I suspect it will be done around 2019.

That's All.

Chilly Weather = Knitting Time!

As the weather gets colder, my desire to knit starts to return. During the summer, the idea of sitting with a big ball of yarn just seems icky. But once autumn starts, all I want to do is relax with my knitting needles and a great old radio show.

At the moment I am working on the bow part of one of these, but if I had the skill (or the patience) I would love to knit one of these beauties from my 1939 Lux Knitting Book. If anyone wants the instructions I am willing to scan you the full pattern, but I warn you now that the patterns are very very very long and scary looking!

And one last thing, I would just like to wish Britt (my favourite model and one of my closest friends) a very happy birthday. Sorry I forgot what day it was today... (I feel so guilty but I honestly thought it was the 28th!)

(Ain't she pretty?)

PS: Wow 47 followers? When I started this blog I didn't expect to get more than 2! I guess I will have to start planning a giveaway for when I reach 50. Thank you so much for everyone who reads this. What do you guys think of the new design? I keep changing the header but I think I like this one...for now...

New Clothes, New Shoes, and Old Lace

My cousins came over for my mothers birthday a couple weeks ago but I only just remembered I took a picture of the table setting. I am completely in love with the lace table runner. I was searching for table linens and I found it stuffed in a drawer. My mom thinks it belonged to her grandmother.

For a centre piece I gathered a bunch of antique glass bottles and filled them with forget-me-nots. They are by far my favourite flower and our gardens have grown wild with them. I must remember to pick some more for my room.

The property search continues so I haven't had much time for shopping, but I managed a trip to the Softmoc warehouse outlet this morning. Yay shoes! (I am hopelessly in love with the boots. They were more money than I should have spent but I was too smitten to leave them)

And now as promised, some pictures of my latest sewing creations. I am still working on the slippers and 1950's jacket but as soon as they near completion pictures will be posted
Skirt-Made by me!
Shirt- Designer Depot

Dress- Made by me without using a pattern :)


And after nearly a year of not working on the hat, I sat down and finished it! It is a gift for my friend Jesse and it turned out much better than expected.