OLD crochet magazines - wonky patterns!

[MsSuzKelly]

I have this magazine from the 80s and I REALLY wanted to make a thread project the other night from it (I had never attempted it way back when - didn't do thread)...anyhow - the pattern is SO poorly written. I can't believe it. Then I started to look at other patterns and they are all written poorly. It's for a Christmas Tree dove ornament -and the picture is awful - so I couldn't even try to guess at the pattern. LOL

 

OK grumble over. LOL. I am glad patterns are written good today! Well at least the magazines I buy these days, they are!

[Momcrochets]

Now I'm going to have to see how old my mags are, and see if any of my TS rescues (however slim that collection is) are poorly written! I think most of my stuff is 90's and up though. Unless it's a remake of a vintage pattern, of course.

[Wyndfire]

I have a skein wrapper from a skein of Pop'N Yarn of indeterminate age. It has a pattern for a ripple blanket on it. The pattern begins "Chain around 215 or 220 stitches. You may have some extra, which you can always take out late." I kid you not! Its honest, but not real accurate!

[Granny Square]

I do that (chain too many) when I'm making a really long chain, in case I messed up the count. It's much easier to undo extra chains at the beginning (and it won't unravel) than re-do the chain and first row.

 

I've seen that in vintage patterns to, but you'd think they would have bothered to count for a published pattern !?!

[Wyndfire]

I do that (chain too many) when I'm making a really long chain, in case I messed up the count. It's much easier to undo extra chains at the beginning (and it won't unravel) than re-do the chain and first row.

 

I've seen that in vintage patterns to, but you'd think they would have bothered to count for a published pattern !?!

 

Yeah thats what I thought too - for an actual published pattern, wouldnt you just count the actual number of chains and provide that number? It made the pattern seem very slap-dash, if you know what I mean.

[Empress Busy Bee]

OLD crochet magazines

 

I have this magazine from the 80s

Reading your title I thought it was going to be from the 40s or so.

[Yarn Duck]

I just don't think of the 80's of being OLD.

 

But it is true that crochet patterns have changed in the past twenty years and are written much better today. I've got some much older books full of blurry black and white pictures and vague directions. I'm impressed that anyone was able to use them. Patterns from the early 1900's are almost unreadable.

 

And I've got magazines I purchased back in the 80's and they are a bit different than what I buy today.

 

I think designers use to assume that their readers already knew how to crochet most anything and just needed general guidelines to go by.

[newthingcrochet]

I do that (chain too many) when I'm making a really long chain, in case I messed up the count. It's much easier to undo extra chains at the beginning (and it won't unravel) than re-do the chain and first row.

 

I've seen that in vintage patterns to, but you'd think they would have bothered to count for a published pattern !?!

 

I only recently found out you can do this. I can't tell you how many times I've had to rip something out because I didn't have the right number of chains!

[MsSuzKelly]

LOL - well, shoot! That was a long time ago, I am sad to say. 20 + years. Long time..hehe.

[Trinket]

I know what you mean... I was trying to make a pattern from an old crochet book from the 70's or 80's, and it was really badly written. The pattern was so clumbsy! It looked okay in what you could see from the slightly fuzzy picture, but... bleh!

 

I ended up running into that again when I picked up yet another 80's crochet book and started working out of it just today. I had my heart set on a blanket from it, but when I got started, for some reason, even though I was following just what they said in the pattern, it was coming out terribly gappy and sloppy looking. I had to scrap it and try something else, despite my disappointment.

 

I have to say, though, that I've come across a few newer patterns that have been poorly written, too. But not nearly so often as with the older patterns.

[darski]

Reading your title I thought it was going to be from the 40s or so.

 

Yeah. It does seem odd to have 20 years considered old...

 

we don't want to count up the decades anymore for this *old* crocheter

[MsSuzKelly]

 

hey just to let you know - I am not a spring chicken by any means...

 

I will be 44 in january.

 

Well, ok, maybe I did exaggerate just a tad.....

 

the magazine in question: simply titled "Christmas Crochet"....1986.

 

Tried to make "snowbird".

 

 

PS - something else odd about this magazine and my "McCall's Design Ideas Christmas Knit & Crochet" - doesn't give credit to the designer of patterns. Hmm....no idea WHO created these patterns.

[happy stitcher]

I only recently found out you can do this. I can't tell you how many times I've had to rip something out because I didn't have the right number of chains!

 

I'm so sorry for you! I can remember those days!

Now that you know, though, things will be so much easier! When I make an afghan I just chain out to a length I think will be good and then add a little more - that way I know that any stitch pattern I use will work - all I have to do is take out the extra chains.

 

[amdm]

I am surprised to read this. I have a number of 1980's publications, McCalls needlework magazines, AnnaBurda magazines, Golden Hands collections, as well as pattern books, and have never had any problems with the patterns. In fact, before I got onto the Internet, these were the only patterns I had, and I would have been lost without them.

[Empress Busy Bee]

LOL - well, shoot! That was a long time ago, I am sad to say. 20 + years. Long time..hehe.

I agree it was a while back but it wasn't "a long time ago".

 

hey just to let you know - I am not a spring chicken by any means...

I will be 44 in january.

Neither am I. I am around your age.

I guess it's how you feel. I still feel pretty young.

[Ellie 13]

I'll be 47 in Feb. and started crocheting 35 (+/-) years ago. To me, a pattern has to be dated before I started crocheting (before 1970) to be "old". I have some patterns/booklets from the 30's - 50's that are faded but OK.

Ellie 13

[HomekeepingGran]

I'm so sorry for you! I can remember those days!

Now that you know, though, things will be so much easier! When I make an afghan I just chain out to a length I think will be good and then add a little more - that way I know that any stitch pattern I use will work - all I have to do is take out the extra chains.

 

I do this, too, if the pattern I want is just a repeat of a certain number of stitches like the ripple, for instance.

[NanaM3]

 

I think designers use to assume that their readers already knew how to crochet most anything and just needed general guidelines to go by.

 

It does make sense since 100 years ago the patterns were for necessities that were not sold in stores ... ALL were being hand-crafted either by the woman herself or her hired seamstress. In my family, my great-great grandmother (nee c1840 )had been raised in a well-to-do NY home in which she was taught "fine hand-work" such as tapestry and tatting. When she was disowned (no kidding she really was!) for marrying "beneath her station" and a few years later was left destitute by his death, she turned her only skill into a life-saving vocation.

 

And thus in my family was born the habit of making sure every girl learned these crafts. I just mailed off the threaded bonnet set to my new grand-niece and in the package I wrote her a note saying that when she's ready I will be most pleased to teach her.

 

Perhaps as the youngest child I am merely following through on what youngest ones do, seek to keep the family history going, but I feel most strongly that un-passed crafts will die out. I feel the same about music. My father's family was HUGE with piano playing and singing and I am pleased at how several of my kids have grown in musicianship.

 

(sorry for the editorializing but CVille is a place I feel welcome to say such things)