April 1968: Overview

Cables, zigzags, and dogs, oh my! April 1968 is going to be a fun month at Stitchcraft.

The “country knits” on the cover are in just two sizes, “for her” (34-36 inch bust) and “for him” (38-40 inch bust.) I imagine the style would look good on a larger woman as well. The raglan seams are sewn together after front, back and sleeves are knit separately. The cables continue onto the collar, which folds inward.There’s also a “travel coat” with mock-cable twists in “Super-Sonic” style (multiple strands of bulky wool knit together on maxi-size 3/4-inch needles) and a smooth and elegant cardigan with just a few cables on front and sleeves.

Texture without cables can be achieved using Patons nubbly “Four Seasons” yarn for a tweedy dress (love that wig again), a plain jumper with frilly edgings, or a ribbed “classic blouse in larger sizes”.

The three summer tops in the centrefold photo also use textured rib patterns for a cable-like effect. All three are in different weights: the sleeveless top on the left looks lightweight but is make in bulky “Big Ben” wool; the fluffy blouse in the middle is made in soft, fine angora-wool “Princess”, and the “practical wash-tub summer sweater” on the right is made in Bri-Nylon “Brilliante”.

There are some nice cable and zigzag designs for men and children as well: Besides the cover pullover, there’s a traditional Aran-patterned sweater with cables and zigzags, a textured cardigan-and-skirt set for a little girl, and a boys’ jumper with a similar zigzag pattern to the men’s Aran sweater.

With so many great knitting projects, it’s no surprise that the homewares are mostly basic. There’s a pretty hedgerow-flower embroidery motif that can dress up a cosy, a tablecloth, a cushion, and/or an apron. The apron has a wide horizontal strip of embroidered fabric that’s divided by seams to make multiple pockets — very practical.

You can also crochet a quick baby blanket to use as a cover in the cot or pram, or a set of chair protectors with a flowery lace motif. Churchgoers can make a tapestry kneeler in “stained glass” effect for Easter, provided they work fast — Easter Sunday 1968 was on April 14th. The colours — two shades of blue, lemon yellow, red and gold — were probably quite pretty.

Plus, dogs! Besides the real live dog posing in the photos with the male model for that “country” effect, there are four projects for dog lovers: a cross-stitch rug with a corgi on it, a setter embroidered on a cushion cover, a cross-stitch dachshund for a book or “Radio Times” cover, or a tapestry dalmatian to hang on your wall. All of the pattern were included on one transfer, and all could be adapted to any medium (rug, tapestry or cross-stitch on Bincarette), so dog fans could go wild decorating their country homes.

The Readers Pages feature a reprint of the “Sunshine Cushion” from June 1966, which I made in July 2024. It’s a great pattern and deserved to be reprinted! In the children’s comic, white cat Pearl and black cat Inky meet and become friends.

That’s all for this issue! I like the cover cables and the Princess top, but I’m working on other projects that I would like to finish, so I’ll probably embroider the hedgerow flowers onto a vegetable bag. Or maybe unravel a half-finished cardigan that I’m unhappy with and turn it into the long-line cable cardigan.

March 1968: Bold and Bright

There were some nice knitting designs in the March 1968 issue of Stitchcraft as well as a very 1960s “bold and bright” embroidery/appliqué design. Captioned “The Modern Look for Embroidery”, it featured flower motifs in a sort of, I don’t know the word — cartoon style? The opposite of delicate and ornate. You could embroider them onto a cushion or appliqué them onto a coffee cosy. I have more cushions than sofas and do not need a coffee cosy, but a new laptop case would be useful and pretty.

In keeping with the spirit of upcycling / using up scraps before buying new products, I decided to make the embroidered version, since I had some wool embroidery thread in the appropriate colours (gold, orange, white and two shades of green) left over from other projects. I had lots of appliqué felt too, but not the right colour scheme. Still had plenty of denim from an upcycled pair of jeans (original would have been yellow furnishing linen), lining fabric from the fabric drawer and quilt interlining for padding. All I needed to buy was a spool of thread and a zipper.

Als always, I would have had to send away for the transfer in 1968, but there was a helpful schematic in the magazine which I transfered over to paper and then onto the denim, sizing it up to fit. Transfering the design to the denim was hard, even with a white tracing pencil. I had to go over it with chalk and then of course keep going over it again and again because the chalk wiped off during the embroidery. One of these days I will try using solvent paper.

The embroidery itself was not hard, but lots and lots of buttonhole stitch over a large area. I had two kinds of embroidery wool and one kind (the two shades of gold and the white) was very fine and thin. There would have been no way to make a proper buttonhole stitch where the threads like right next to each other. So it came out somewhere between buttonhole and blanket stitch.

The hardest part, as always, was setting in the zipper. I try not to use profanity on this blog, so I will just say that I was greatly frustrated. Also, why am I utterly incapable of cutting or sewing a straight line? It is a rectangle…. it is not difficult… I measured constantly in all directions … I have one of those quilting mats with measuring lines on it… I don’t know what my problem is. In the end, I just sewed the zipper in by hand, which was far neater and easier than doing it on the machine. I tacked the lining on by hand as well.

When it was finally finished and I had successfully managed to not throw either the project or my sewing machine out of the window, I realised two things: 1) in spite of the deep frustration and the hours (yes, plural) spent trying to get the zipper in, the upper edge (zipper edge, of course) was totally crooked and 2) the motif was actually meant to be repeated smaller and multiple times across the fabric, not just once and big. No wonder the buttonhole stitch was so hard to do correctly… Yes, there is a photo of both cushion and cosy in the magazine. No, it somehow didn’t dawn on me in spite of consulting the pattern frequently. No, I don’t know what my problem is.

In spite of that, it’s…. not bad? I mean, functionally it’s fine. My laptop fits in it perfectly, the zipper works (hallelujah), the padding is a good thickness, and denim is a good, tough, washable fabric for laptop cases. The design is indeed bold and bright, and quite cheerful. The crooked edge annoys me, but I could re-do it. Still, somehow I feel this project is not quite right. Maybe I will fix the crooked edge and try to sell it? Give it as a gift to someone with the same size laptop? Keep it and let it grow on me? We’ll see.

March 1968: Overview

Spring is here and the March 1968 issue of Stitchcraft celebrated by introducing a new yarn: Patons “Four Seasons“. Four Seasons was a crinkly, nubbly mix of synthetic fibres (59%) and wool (41%) that produced a textured, tweedy effect by virtue of the “nubs” being a different colour than the rest of the yarn. It was double-knitting thickness when knit up and produced an interesting colour and texture even in plain stocking-stitch, so was perfect for making simply styled garments quickly.

The simply designed, next-to-no shaping “Chanel Style” suit on the cover (Stitchcraft’s name for it, not mine, and shows how iconic the Chanel suit was) is made in plain stocking-stitch with Four Seasons and trimmed with an interesting crochet braid in plain wool “Cameo Crepe” yarn. You can see how Patons coordinated the Four Seasons colour palette to make it match with the plain wool yarns already in production. The matching sleeveless blouse is also made in the same shade of Cameo Crepe. The equally simply-knit travel coat in Four Seasons goes well over a plain jumper and mini-skirt.

Other women’s fashions include a twin-set in Patons’ almost-new yarn, “Princess“, a soft, fluffy wool-angora mix. The colour photos on the inside front cover contrast the “Soft Look” (Princess) with the “Shetland Look” (Patons “Fiona“, a mix of 51% Shetland wool and 49% acrylic) while also making great use of blue-orange-mustard contrasts. Also, amazing wig on that model in the mustard-coloured dress! The “soft misty mood of the traditional Shetland look” gets exploited for all its worth in a pretty, but very much not traditional Shetland-style graded-colour pullover.

There’s more! The “overpull” in bramble stitch has a great three-dimensional texture, as does the high-buttoned cardigan in a trellis lace pattern. Knitters who preferred the smooth and simple look could make a classic, loose-fitting polo-neck jumer. All three are in tried-and-true Patons 100% wool yarns: the classic jumper in Cameo Crepe, the overpull in Totem Double Crepe, and the cardigan in Patons Double Knitting. That 1960s diagonal-line photography becomes amusingly apparent when you place photos next to each other.

Men, boys and babies get their due as well. The men’s Aran-patterned cardigan in thick “Capstan” wool features the same model from the September 1967 issue, who looks like a friend of mine. The cardigan, available in four sizes from 39-40 to 45-46 inch chest, seems way too big for him, though. The photo of the boy’s “Super-Sonic” polo sweater has the same too-bulky, too big mismatch, though anything knit the “Super-Sonic” way (6 ! strands of DK wool held together on huge “Maxi Pin” needles to get 3 stitches to the inch) will look huge and bulky anyway. Babies, at least, still wear fine-knits, like the lacy set of dress and matinee coat for Spring.

Crochet fans can make something for baby, too: a soft and pretty blanket made of 48 lacy motif squares in Patons “Fiona”, bordered with plain dark bands and lined with blue fabric. You can make a lacy blouse for yourself in the usual Mercer-Crochet thread, and use the leftovers to make a tie for a little boy for Easter! Can’t tell if the kid is happy about having to wear a tie or not, or if someone is holding a candy bar just behind the camera.

With all those great Spring fashions, it’s no wonder that the homewares are a little boring this time. There’s a little flower motif to embroider on an apron, or place mats, or a tablecloth, and a wonderful and very 60s floral design for a cushion in wool embroidery, or adapted to appliqué for a coffee cosy. Beginning embroideresses can practice stem stitch, loop stitch and chain stitch with lots of simple motifs on a tablecloth. There’s also an easy Florentine tapestry design for a large tea cosy or stool-top.

There’s a new serial comic, “Pets Corner”, whose first episode features puppie Blink and Boo, who do rascally puppy stuff and end up tearing a rug apart. But then they each have their own rug, so it’s all good.

The ads are the usual: Carters Liver pills for constipation, mail-order services for fabric remnants and marked tablecloths to embroider, pen pals, a poodle barometer…

Wait, what?!?

Yes, a poodle barometer. A decorative stone poodle that has been chemically treated with something that presumably responds to changes in humidity and/or temperature. Okay? I too have a vintage poodle, so I shouldn’t say anything. Mine is made of porcelain and doesn’t predict the weather, but does a great job guarding my grandmother’s 1950s Rosenthal coffee service.

Enjoy the Spring! My project will be some variation on the embroidered or appliquéd flower pattern. And I will soon be finished with the amazing orange dress from the September 1967 issue, so stay tuned.

February 1968: Fine and Lacy Adaptation

The February 1968 issue of Stitchcraft didn’t have any projects in it that immediately called to me, but a good friend had requested a pink headband for keeping her ears warm without wearing an entire hat, so decided to make an adaptation.

I first tried the two-colour pattern from the amazing cardigan set on the inside back cover. It’s made using a combination of stranded two-colour knitting and twisted stitches and makes a great trellis-like effect. It needs to be made in two colours to actually have an effect, though, so I switched to the fern-y lace pattern on the panel of the jumper on the front cover.

I had a decent amount of pink Drops Fabel sock wool left over from the April 1967 chevron-pattern dress, which was coincidentally almost the same shade as the Stitchcraft jumper. The pattern is made using standard knit and purl, k2tog / k3 tog, and yarn overs. The pattern repeat is 16 stitches + 1, worked on a stocking-stitch background i.e. the even-numbered rows are mostly purl. I added 6 stitches of garter stitch and a selvedge stitch on each side of the panel to get a good width and avoid curl. The pattern was surprisingly boring to knit! I didn’t even bother to make a chart, just used the written instructions straight out of the magazine.

I started and ended with a bit of plain garter stitch, increasing up to the total number of stitches to make the headband a bit narrower at the nape-of neck and create an elastic band effect to keep it snug. I wasn’t sure how big to make it — I have a big head and very flat hair, my friend has a presumably average-site head and very fluffy curly hair. After blocking, it ended up a little loose on me. If it’s too loose, I can always undo some of the garter stitch connecting bit on the underside.

It looks pretty and I like the pattern a lot, but I’m not sure if fingering-weight sock yarn was the best choice for a headband that should keep the ears warm. I’m afraid it won’t be warm enough. in which case, I could line it with fleece?

Not 100% happy with this project, but hopefully my friend will be.

February 1968: Overview

After the “cold snap” predicted in the January 1968 issue of Stitchcraft (and which actually happened throughout the icy, snowy month of January 2026), the February 1968 issue looks toward Spring. There are still plenty of warm things to knit, but the focus is on layering and knitwear as outerwear.

The cover design is a lightweight, but presumably warm pullover in a leafy lace-panel pattern and Patons “Princess” yarn (85% wool, 15% angora.) It’s slimmer, longer, high-necked, and belted — trends that will continue throughout the year. The back-cover design is a twin set in late 60s style, loose-fitting and worn with a kilt-like plaid skirt. It, too, is touted as a “long-liner” and the caption says it can be “belted if you like.” There’s a similar long-and-slim feeling to the “Country Mood” set on the inside back cover, which features a zipped cardigan over a mini-skirt, both in really interesting two-colour trellis pattern. The pattern looks like it would be made with slip-stitches, but is in fact stranded, with twisted stitches to give the trellis effect. Longest of all is the amazing bobble-stitch coat on the inside front cover, weighing in at a whopping 50-54 ounces and similarly zipped up the front.

For men, there’s a his-and-hers “Two for the Country” bramble-stitch sweater to be worn indoors or out, and a softly-coloured stranded jumper in an interesting “key”-type pattern. It only uses three colours (“Banana Cream”, “French Mustard” and “Light Steel Grey”), but the pattern gives additional depth and richness.

There are three patterns for children of different ages in this issue, starting with a coat-and-cap set for a little boy. I suspect he’s only looking so happy because he’s in a warm photo studio; if he ever actually went outside in that outfit, both his legs and his ears would freeze right off. I know if was customary to dress little boys in shorts at the time, but this poor kid doesn’t even seem to have those! How on earth is he supposed to play in the snow with a practically bare bum? At least the little girl gets to wear tights with her mini-dress/tunic this time, and since it is “for visiting”, I assume she will be wearing it inside. The circular yoke of the tunic is knitted horizontally and sewn on, and the white stripes are made by dropping stitches and picking them up later. The third design is a great indoor-outdoor sweater for a slightly older child, in thick “Capstan” wool and a twisted-stitch pattern that presumably acts as s sort of thermal blanket to keep warm.

One nice thing about this issue is that there are extra close-up photos of the more interesting stitch patterns:

Most of the housewares in this issue are advertised as “Easter Gifts”, though I see no connection to the the patchwork rug and cushion, or the embroidered cushion and chairback.

The elaborate crocheted or knitted doilies as well as the knitted tea cosy have floral patterns, but still no real connection to the holiday. I guess the “Humpty Dumpty” coffee-pot and egg cosies could accompany your Easter breakfast, if they don’t put you off it entirely! Stitchcraft is obsessed with Humpty Dumpty. Over the years, there have been egg cosies, stuffed toys, Christmas tree ornaments… I admire the creativity and the artistic commitment to a theme, but I do wonder. If you know why the egg cosy is happy and the coffee pot is angry, please tell me in the comments!

They apparently gave up on the Easter theme by the middle of the issue and just promise “4 pages of Rug-making, Tapestry and Embroidery for the Home”, which appear exactly as promised. There’s an elegant tea-table set of cosy and cloth in rose-pattern embroidery, a rug and cushion in best 1960s shades of brown, orange and gold, two floral tapestry wall panels, and a “Toilet Set” of toilet cosy and two mats. In previous issues, such items were called a “Pedestal Set”. I guess by 1968, there’s less need to be euphemistic. (But still a need to put a cosy on the toilet cover.)

There are some great “novelty” and “bazaar” (…”bizarre” if you ask me) items in the Readers Pages: crocheted rabbit and chicken egg cosies and an “amusing” string holder. Like the Humpty Dumpty obsession, I don’t get the point of string holders. They always seem to involve pulling the end opf a ball of string through the mouth of some creature, in this case a koala. It’s better than the last one, which was a terrifying clown, but again, if you know why this was ever a thing, please enlighten me! The felt pincusion to wear on your wrist, on the other hand (heh), is practical and useful.

We have come to the end of our latest comic, “The Woodland Workshop”, in which various woodland animals learn that you cannot find a dropped stitch by looking for it on the floor! Words of wisdom, truly. I liked this comic.

I don’t know what to make from this issue. I love the little girl’s tunic-dress and the boy’s sweater, but don’t know any children of that age who might want one. I love the trellis stitch pattern from the “Country Mood” set, but don’t want to make a whole skirt or cardigan from it. Maybe I could adapt the pattern for mitts or something? Or I could work on the fabulous dress from the cover of the September 1967 issue, for which I bought the yarn and everything, but haven’t had time to start. We’ll see! I did finally finish the jaquard pullover from the November 1967 issue and will update that post on Tuesday, so stay tuned.

January 1968: Knit for a Cold Snap

It is currently minus 13 degrees Celsius outside, so this caption from the January 1968 issue of Stitchcraft couldn’t have been timlier for this month’s project: cabled mittens (“mitts”) that promised me “Cosy fingers and thumbs”.

The pattern is written for Patons Ariel wool, which was marketed as being very airy (hence the name) and fluffy, so it would knit up quickly and be bulky, but not too heavy. It was made of 80% wool and 20% synthetic fibres. I used lovely Lana Grossa Slow Wool Canapa, bought a while ago from the “sale” bin, as it was sadly being discontinued. It is made of 90% wool and 10% hemp, which gives it tweedy white flecks.

The pattern is written to fit an “average hand” (women’s). I assumed my size 8 hands were larger than that, but also having never worked with Patons Ariel and being too lazy to make a swatch for such a small project, I went ahead and started with the suggested needle sizes and figured I could make any necessary adjustments while knitting.

The pattern is intended to be knitted flat from the wrist ribbing to the fingertips and then seamed up on one side. There is a thumb gusset and you are supposed to knit the thumb (flat) at the point where the thumb starts, then go back and finish the hand, picking up stitches that were cast on on the left or right side of the gusset to shape for the right or left hand. I made everything in the round and finished the hand before knitting the thumb (also in the round.) That made the gloves basically identical, but I found a way to finesse the thumb pick-up stitches to make the thumbs lie slightly differently for the right and left mitten. The pattern itself is four regular 6-stitch cables on a background of reversed stocking-stitch.

They came out very nicely and the fit is perfect for me. The only problem is that I prefer to wear gloves with fingers, or “convertible” gloves with half-fingers and then a mitten top to fold over them. I also don’t have many if any clothes that match the colour (though they do match my hair!) So I don’t know if I will keep them for myself or give them to someone as a gift.

In any case, a success, and finished very quickly. I’m considering making the baby romper from this issue as well, or just using the “extra” time for finally finish my November project… and/or any of the many other winter WIPs. Stay warm!

January 1968: Overview

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s 2026 in the real world and 1968 at the Stitchcraft Sixties.

Looking ahead, 1968 is the year that Stitchcraft finally starts to get into the “Swinging Sixties” vibe, with miniskirts, oversized hats, bright patterns and lots of dresses. The January issue doesn’t quite get there yet, though. The cover cardigan has a similar construction and fit to similar garments from 1966 or 1967: long and loose-fitting, with deep raglan sleeves and a collar. The stitch pattern looks like small horseshoe cables, but is made entirely with knit, purl and slip stitches!

Other women’s garments include a bright pink-and-purple crocheted pullover with a similar bulky, V-necked shape. The model has a bizarre January tan that can only come from a bottle. There’s also a colourwork design to use on either a sleeveless top or a dress, and a short, zippered cabled jacket.

Cable, mock-cable, and bobble patterns are trending, and warm reds and golds pair with bold pink and winterly white. Warm accessories include a a chic little bed-jacket with ill-placed (or strategically designed to draw the attention of one’s bed partner?) bows. You can make a pair of warm cabled gloves, or bed socks with ribbon bows to match the bed-jacket.

Two of the women’s garments stand out. The cape made a brief fashion appearance in the later 1960s, and Stitchcraft‘s version pairs it with a skirt in an ensemble for larger sizes (to fit 38/40/42 inch bust). There is even an adorable version for a little girl, with one of the cutest photos ever. She looks like Little Red Riding Hood going out to see her grandmother on New Year’s Day, but with cold legs. At least she’s wearing tights, for once! The adult version is made in an intriguing “Purple Dusk” shade of Bracken Double Knitting tweed, the children’s version in the same wool, but in two shades of pink: Gentian and Raspberry. Little Pink Riding Hood, as it were (and without the hood.) The caption to the cape photos is “The Cape makes sense”. I disagree — capes are bulky and hard to layer. It does have a certain flair, though.

Speaking of bulky and hard to layer, another late 60’s flash-in-the-pan trend was extremely bulky garments made by holding 4 or more strands of bulky wool together. Patons called this “Super-Sonic” and included a pattern for a cabled and moss-stitch dress that can be made in 8 hours at a tension of almost 1 stitch/inch using 4 strands of bulky “Big Ben” wool on 00 needles — that’s 9mm or a US 13. The accompanying text says, “The thick fabric is firm and elastic and 2 inches at least, are deducted from the length of a dress, to allow for settlement.” That’s a nice way of putting it! I imagine it sags immediately. The colours are a wild mix of Light Navy, Sunglint (yellow), French Mustard, and Jade.

There are two designs for men, both featuring thick wool, warm gold colours, and textured, geometric patterns similar to the ones used in the women’s garments. The zig-zag pattern is made with knit and purl stitches, with twisted stitches on the front side panels, and the textured looks-like-a-mini-cable pattern on the polo-neck pullover is made entirely with knit and purl stitches on a reversed stocking-stitch background. Note the very 1960s dynamic diagonal-line photo poses.

For babies, there’s a thoroughly cute, but also quite practical, zippered romper. Congratulations to the photo team for getting a baby to smile in two different photos! That’s what having warm legs will do for you.

The last garment in the issue is a wonderful set intended for a young teen, made up of a jumper, skirt and matching knee socks. Here we see Stitchcraft finally getting into the swing of things, with a fun, geometric colour motif in primary colours that looks like it was inspired by a Roy Lichtenstein comic-art speech bubble.

With all these great garments, it’s no wonder that the homewares are a little boring, but that’s also the direction Stitchcraft‘s homeware designs will take in the later 1960s. The most interesting design is an “attractive scene for your first attempt at a picture in tapestry.” Then there’s a tapestry design for a cushion or church kneeler, a “key pattern” embroidery design for a cushion or place mats, a cross-stitch design for a cushion or chair-back, and a design in woven embroidery for a cushion or workbag.

Versatility is key (but when in doubt, make a cushion.) Even the Readers Pages offers a design for a cushion, knit in squares from leftover wool.

In the children’s comic, “The Woodland Woolshop”, Samuel Squirrel finds out what happens if you don’t use cushions — he paints a stool and then Eddy Bear, who has come in to replace a hole in his knee, unknowingly sits on it and gets a flower design on the seat of his trousers. May all your mistakes turn out so fortunate.