Fashioned by Lyndell Etsy Shop Update

I've a lot of new / old sewing and knitting patterns on the "Fashioned by Lyndell" shop.  De-stashing some of my pattern collections.


Don't you just love the photographs in those old knitting pattern booklets? Everything from sweet children ...

To these cool guys wearing a really deep V-neck style that must have been really fashionable at the time.  This photo really needs a caption

"Hi dude!  Have you noticed my cool hair-cut?"

The women really 'work' a variety of looks through the decades :

Elegant

Fierce

 This lady is leading with her chin but the man behind her looks quite sinister!

 But I don't think anything will frighten this blonde woman - or perhaps she is feeling triumphant that she escaped wearing the beanie!

A batch of Finishing

I've been "clearing the decks" and scrambling to finish some knitting projects so I'll have time for the next commission (another cardigan for the current production of "Mousetrap" - there is a change of cast coming up).

So - quite fresh off the needles are this vintage style vest for a very good friend. 



I've dubbed this Zep's Zig Zags :-)

I adapted this from a vintage pattern - circa 1930s or 40s.
The original pattern is called "Forbes" from "Patons Knitting Book No. 338" it was a jumper for a man, in a 3ply yarn (that's Light Fingering) which is far too much work for a commission - even for a very good friend!    I adapted up to 5ply which still took absolutely ages - the yarn I used is Bendigo Woollen Mills 5ply "Classic" in "Mayfair".
The vertical lines and horizontal zig zags are on the back too.

The original pattern also had the Zig Zags just above the hip basque - we thought that was a little TOO fussy.

and a close up of the front













I've also been knitting up samples for Sydney's main craft store Morris & Sons.


One Ball Samples - to show what the yarn looks and feels like when knitted and how much knitted fabric you get from one ball of it.

    

These are all Morris & Sons' "home brand" of 100% baby alpaca called Maya - in 3 weights / thicknesses.  It is a lovely soft Alpaca yarn.


The brick colour is Maya 14ply / Super Bulky - colour 3420 “warm spices” dyelot 215446, the needles 7mm - sample is 29sts wide.

The green is Maya 8ply / DK - colour 3823 “grass” dyelot 215879, needles 4mm / US 6 - sample is 45 sts wide.

Then - unfinished (and it'll take forever to knit through that 1 x 50gr ball) pumpkin colour is Maya Laceweight / 2ply - colour 3218 “sunset” dyelot 215472, needles 2.75mm US 2 - sample is 73sts wide

Isn't it interesting how much more knitting you get from a really thin yarn!   Probably why those vintage knitting patterns are nearly always for thin yarn is that it is so much more economical - all except it terms of the time spent doing the knitting!

This self-striping Mohair sample is Schoppel Wolle “Mohair Lady” colour

376 1874ombre - I used 5mm US 8 needles and the sample is 45sts wide. 

 

Love the fire-like colours of this self-striping yarn - it is a nice whiskery mohair too.

And, because no post on the blog can be completely without photographs of Blythe dolls these days!   Here are Lillian and Imogen modelling new knitted Ombre Skirts.

Imogen :  Do you think they'll notice our tiaras?

 These are in Noro "Sekku" a Laceweight yarn with lots & lots of variegation.  Not sure that I'd like this yarn knitted into a human sized garment but it is perfect for Blythe Doll clothing (Imogen's lace blouse is also from the same ball of this yarn!)  

Mummy planted all these purple flowers just for me.

Lillian's skirt is purple & pink - perfect with her new purple top and lace-top sockings (from Cool Cat)

Imogen :  "My new skirt looks better without the shirt tucked in - this makes my hips look enormous!"

Me:  "Possibly, but I do want to show everyone the whole of the skirt."

Imogen :  "hmmm OK but I'm going to pout!"

Flat out like a Lizard Drinking

I do love a good Aussie idiom, sadly they are no longer much used as we become increasingly globalised & homogenised.

Flat out like a Lizard Drinking = buzy, very buzy.   Which is what I am this month!  Mostly working on some commissioned hand-knitting for another stage show, I can only show you peeps...

The Aqua plain & striped is a twinset - very vintage, very lady-like.  The costume designer chose the design from a vintage pattern, she chose the yummy colours too.
The yarn is 5ply (Sports Weight) which does give a lovely authentically vintage look (it drapes like thicker yarn never will)  BUT thinner yarn = more stitches to be knitted and I've had to be almost machine-like in my hand-knitting to get it done - has taken 10days for the cardigan.

This soft brown with all the texture is, thankfully, in thicker yarn- 8ply or DK.  This is based on another vintage pattern (one in my own collection:-)  )  but lots & lots of adaptation for this as the original pattern was for sock-weight yarn.  I've adapted the stitch as well, as knitting with twice the thickness of yarn makes a stitch pattern so much larger - it would not have looked vintage at all. 

Even with the highly textured stitch which is worked as a cable, this garment seems to be flying along after the slow progress of the thin-yarn cardigan!

In amongst all of that - I'm also making some more Knitted Cashmere TopHat coverings.  I made the first one last year and posted about it here  -  now they want 2 more Top Hats.  The first a rush-job and purple - not a bright psychedelic 1970s purple but a softer, rustic, crushed berries colour.  Of course I was nearly out of Cashmere fibre and had to order some in (from Belisa) then I spun it nice and chunky / rustic with about 40% sheep wool.
The cashmere is the brown - that is its natural colour and it is really soft, like spinning with cloud!   

Then I dyed it purple and knitted all the shaped pieces - the knitting is probably the fastest part of the whole process! 

Here they are after blocking.



I love the texture.

And now for something non-knitty.

Remember this?

Well Violetta was correct and it was a tutu ...  though along the way, part of this costume became a useful prop for this photo of Lillian ...

Here is the complete finished tutu costume ... Odette, the white swan in Swan Lake, for Blythe.

I sold this costume on my new Etsy shop for BlytheStar  within 3hours of listing it - hope the new owner loves it all as much as Violetta did! 
It was quite an involved process to make it all - first the tutu skirt seen in that previous post, then the satin bodice with its beading ...


And the lacing up the back - I had wanted to use metal eyelets but couldn't get any tiny enough that actually function without getting really rough on the inside - don't want to scratch Dolly's back.  Though, to be honest something worse than scratches has happened to the doll in these pics !!


There I've been drawing the 'wing' design for the top layer of the tutu.  

The 'wings' are lightly quilted satin and heavily beaded with lovely silver-foiled glass seed beads.  And yes, Lillian borrowed them for her Angel photo.


I used the same 'wing' idea for the head-dress - always a very important part of a classic ballerina Swan costume.

Audrey helped me to get the shapes correct.











The head-dress finished, it sits on a Blythe head without needing pins or things.






Here is a back view of the tutu ...

















And one last 'hero' shot.   I'll have to make more complete costumes like this for my BlytheStar Etsy shop ...

Hats hats hats

Hats hats hats - these are hats I've made - they'll be for sale at the exhibition on Sunday 18th at Yuga Cafe - 172 St Johns Rd, Glebe.







Big Red ??   it's looking rather cherry colour there but is in fact a rich burgundy red - the felt has a lovely velvety finish. 


Style & trimming inspired by 1940s Hollywood Glamour  - Rita Hayworth, Heda Lamarr, Ava Gardner.

A fabric hat in Gray with black pleated insert. 

Inspired by 1930s Hollywood Glamour - Marlene Dietrich wore pancake hats like this.  The rakish angle is de rigueur  and I've shaped the crown so it fits snuggly when worn at an extreme angle.





And - as we've been going backwards through the decades - my Cream & Cafe Latte cloche - very 1920s Flapper Girl, very Miss Fisher, Great Gatsby, The Artist ...









It was inspired by the hat in the bottom row - 2nd from the left.
From a 1928 Sears, Roebuck & Company catalogue, reproduced by Dover Books. 

Busy Sewing with Lovely Fabrics

This last week I've been busy sewing some yummy fabrics - mostly soft silk & rayon velvets, some of them with devore or burn out designs.













I've been making more of my 1930's style Kimono Cocoon Wraps - I never know quite what to call them but they are rather lovely as a throw it on, instant touch of glamour. 

I've kept one in this mauve / grey colour and wear it all the time.

The 7 I've just finished making are all for my Etsy Shop.

Dark Blue Florentine Devore

Lt Blue Florentine Devore

Mauve with Black printed Devore

Lovely Rich Ruby Red

Plain Velvet in a Smoky Brown / Grey colour

 And - because I've been asked so many times - I've made some very Bridal ones too.  One in ivory lace -

The other in lovely soft rayon / silk velvet ... most of these Kimono Wraps have beads strategically placed for their weight (as did the original vintage 1930's wrap that I have copied).  I put a fall (or 3) of beads on the centre back point and groups of beads on the front corners.   Here are the pearls I sewed on the bridal velvet Kimono - it is a lovely buttery soft velvet.