October 1968: Overview

A new yarn made its debut in the October 1968 issue of Stitchcraft: Patons Doublet “double double” knitting. Designed to knit up heavy garments quickly, it was a super-bulky wool with a tension of 4 to 4,5 stitches per inch and was advertised as having a smooth texture and good stitch definition, perfect for the loose, casual shapes and textured cable patterns of the later 1960s as well as appealing to the “active lifestyle” of younger knitters who wanted to get projects done fast.

The design on the front cover uses Doublet for a unisex pullover with diagonal mock-cables that follow the V-neckline and continue down onto the sleeves. Previous designs of this sort had separate instructions for “his” and “hers” with slightly different proportions and shaping but using the same general design. This one simply gives the pattern for two sizes, 35-37 or 40-42 inch chest/bust, and designed to be long and loose on either figure. There’s a pink Doublet buttoned pullover as well (“knits a pretty look in half the time”) and a magnificent, but probably extremely unpractical coat that uses 60 ounces of Doublet wool for an average size. I imagine one would have to line it with sturdy woven fabric to keep it from stretching to the ground, but there is no mention of that in the pattern.

The other fashions for adults run the typical gamut from elegant fine-knits to practical, bulky sweaters in synthetic yarns. There’s a crepe lace dress for larger sizes (up to 43 inch bust/45 inch hips) and a classic bouclet dress for “the young set”, as well as a fancy, lacy blouse “to make you feel feminine”. The suggested colours for all three fine-knits are variants on white: Coffee Cream for the lace dress, Zircon for the bouclet and Snow White for the lace blouse.

For contrast, there’s a casual cardigan suit in bright orange and gold, made in Double Knitting, with a bonus pattern for a simple 4-ply shell to wear underneath. Another his-and-hers bulky sweater set is crocheted for a change, in synthetic Courtelle Double Crepe. You can top it all off with caps and mittens in three sizes for the the whole family. Textured stitch patterns, vertical lines, pocket flaps and V-necks are all trending.

Children can get matching unisex sweaters, also in Doublet (so it can be finished before the child grows out of it). The little girl in the photo is actually wearing “slacks”! Her legs are covered and she can play on a swingset without fear of cold legs or flashing the neighborhood! Stitchcraft seems to be slowly entering the modern world. For evening playtime in a chilly home with no central heating, you can knit a child a nice warm dressing-gown with nubbly Four Seasons and fuzzy wool Fiona yarns held together.

There are a couple of more unusual homeware projects, as well: a fancy lace spectacle case in fine crochet, a boldly patterned “Danish Design” cross-stitch rug and cushion, and a gorgeous “Jacobean”-style embroidered cushion, the last two using the additional colour photo pages to good advantage. The caption of the Jacobean cushion is “returning interest in traditional embroidery design”, which sums it up well: Jacobean-style embroidery kept coming back into fashion every few years from the 1940s until the 1970s.

Less spectacular, but still perfectly nice, are the Hardanger drawn-thread embroidery pattern for a tray cloth and coffee/tea cosy, the crocheted mats “for your dressing table” and the quick sewn cosy in the “Readers Pages.”

The Readers Pages also give us the latest installment (Part 2) of the current children’s comic, “A Ball of Wool”, in which Abigail and Anthony follow a magic ball of wool into a charmed forest full of talking animals. They pass by Sebastian Squirrel, Dan Deer, Anita Owl and Brewster Bunny before finding themselves on a beach with an unnamed and silent, but presumably friendly, large crab. What ever will happen next? It looks like they will go “Down in the Caves”!

I love this issue and will try to make both the lace blouse and the Jacobean cushion. Wish me luck!