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Throwback Thursday in Knits: Vogue Knitting Fall/Winter 1962

Got a late start on this week’s Throwback Thursday in Knits—the photos are still uploading as I type—but it’s a doozy!

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First, some interesting ads.

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Mary Maxim is a Canadian company that started out selling spinning wheels. They’re still around today, and they still sell patterns, including this 1957 offering: Buffalo Cardigan Pattern. (I first encountered this sweater on Grumperina’s blog.) You can also buy clothing from them! What’s interesting to me is that this is the first instance I’ve seen of coming across an ad in one of these magazines for a yarn company that’s still in existence today.

Also interesting is that there’s an ad for a knitting machine. I wonder if knitters routinely used knitting machines in the ’60s? That might explain all those knitted dresses from other magazines. If anyone knows, please share in the comments!

A magazine subscription for two years at $2.50? Whoa, inflation.

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Also interesting to note that Vogue Knitting has always put a ton of ads up front. This is the table of contents, on page 19. There weren’t eighteen solid pages of ads—some of the pages had half-page vertical spaces of useful information, such as measuring gauge—but ugh. This is still one of the things that bugs me about Vogue Knitting today—so many up front ads! I understand it. I don’t have to like it.

Black and white! The new techniques! There are some interesting pieces in this story… I think. The photography is really great for editorial, not so great for pattern viewing. They would be roasted over coals for photos such as these today.

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If that’s not Amy Sedaris on the right I just don’t know what to do with myself.

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What am I looking at here? And why are these ladies both leaning out of the gutter?

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IF THAT’S NOT A DESIGN FOR A KNITTED SNUGGIE I’M GOING TO BE TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED. Spoiler alert: not a knitted snuggie. Though daaaaamn that dress on the right.

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Blurry photo is blurry!

But then there’s this masterpiece purposefully shot through a glass!

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Sorry, “mistily” shot through a glass window. I think “through a glass, mistily” is going to be my band’s name.

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Oh hey there, Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark’s doppelganger.

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This one is kind of a knitted snuggie.

Smoking while wearing a knitted dress and holding an umbrella! Actually this kicks off the whole “umbrella story.” I guess it makes sense—don’t want your knits to get wet or for you to get so hot you sweat and then felt all your hard work.

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Cable sweaters for the whole family!

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No, wait, maybe Fun Fanciers is going to be my band name.

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Ooooh shiny!

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DEAR DUDES IF SOMEONE MAKES YOU A SWEATER TRY TO NOT LOOK SO PUT OUT MAYBE?

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Here’s an option to mail away for this pattern, written for a knitting machine (they did include the actual hand-knitting pattern in the magazine). I am so intrigued by this!

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A quick look at the pattern pages…

…before an discussion about how “Laines du Pingouin” is “Penguin Wool” and penguins don’t have wool and this is causing much hurt in my brain. Fun fact: if this is the Laines du Pingouin that was created by Lainière de Roubaix, in 1960, the company produced enough yarn in one day to wrap around the earth forty times.

There. Knowledge.

2 Comments

  1. juliafc juliafc

    agree with you about that orange and grey dress. Nom

    • Amy Amy

      I saw that and thought “Oooh Julia’s going to be all over this!” 😀

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