Knitting Patterns

Free Vintage Knitting Patterns

By editor ⋅ July 4, 2007 ⋅ Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Vintage or antique knitting patterns are a direct link with the past, offering us an intriguing way to recreate the valued artistic crafts and fashions of previous generations.  But vintage knitting patterns also pose a challenge to today’s knitters who must find a way to convert obscure, antique yarns and needles to modern equivalents.  If a gauge is given, the task is made easier; one simply knits a test swatch or two (or three, or four) until the gauge for a given pattern is achieved with the right combination of needles and yarn.

I have just added four vintage knitting patterns to AllFreeCrafts Knitting Patterns Index, including pictures and full instructions for a Teapot Cosy, Egg Cosy, Kettle Holder and Double Blanket.  Each pattern calls for the use of celluloid knitting needles which, to my knowledge, are no longer available today, along with Beehive yarns in vogue when the patterns were published by Patons and Baldwin in 1915.

Although knitters will have to experiment with steel or plastic needles and make do with modern yarns, there is no doubt in my mind that the effort will be worthwhile.  Whether you knit one of these items for yourself, or to give as gifts, there is an intrinsic charm in knowing the pattern itself dates back almost 100 years, when mothers and grandmothers would have invested as much of their time and talent into producing the pattern as you have today. 

Sure, you can go to the dollar store and buy cheap pot holders by the dozen - but by knitting your own, you create something of unique beauty as well as practical purpose.  You contribute directly to the running of your household by adding a useful item of comfort and class.  You can certainly accomplish this with a modern pattern, but a vintage pattern that has stood the test of time forms a bond between you and all the women of previous generations who have also labored over the same pattern, for much the same reason.

One of the best resources that I have found for antique patterns is the Antique Pattern Library, which is dedicated to scanning antique and public domain needlework, knitting and crochet patterns and providing them online as free PDF downloads.  They rely on volunteers to contribute vintage pattern books for scanning, so if you own any of these rare, public domain patterns, please check out their website and see how you can help.