Kari Cornell - Modern knits, vintage style: classic designs from the golden age of knitting

As a knitter who loves fashion with a vintage sensibility, I owe a great debt to actress Lana Turner. Had she not worn the legendary curve-hugging sweater in the 1939 movie They Wont Forget, the quintessential sweater girl of the 1940s may not have existed.

As young, trendsetting women of the late 1930s and 1940s sought out fashions that mimicked Turners sultry look, they turned to knitting. During this time, which became known as the Golden Age of Knitting, yarn companies published countless patterns for beautifully designed sweaters, skirts, hats, scarves, gloves, and more in an effort to sell their yarns. It was paging through a stack of these old pattern leaflets and dreaming of the fantastic fashions worn by the starlets of the silver screen that inspired me to create this book. I wanted to publish a collection of patterns that captures the essence of the designs from knittings Golden Agethe late 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950sbut features patterns by favorite contemporary designers using modern yarns that knit up at a gauge that is tempting for todays knitter. Modern Knits, Vintage Style does just that. Classic sweater sets, pencil skirts, and the close-fitting short-sleeve pullover all make a comeback on the pages of this book.

These styles have staying power; they are the kind of pieces that can be dressed up or down and never go out of fashion. Im honored to be able to include the patterns of so many knitwear designers who share my love of vintage style: Anna Bell, Lily Chin, Teva Durham, Franklin Habit, Elanor Lynn, Michele Rose Orne, Annie Modesitt, Kristin Spurkland, Melissa Wehrle, and many others. It is their inspired designs that give new life to these classic garments. I hope you enjoy knitting the patterns from this book, but most of all, I hope you like the trip down memory lane. Photos of the vintage knitwear that inspired the designs appear alongside the patterns. I loved discovering the timeless details designers chose to include and the updates they decided to incorporate.

Ive also included any sketches the designers provided with their projects. These sketches give a sense of the process and lend a vintage scrapbook feel to the book.

Design by Anna Bell A sweet summer cardigan with slightly puffed sleeves, defined at the waist with a drawstring tie. Textured with an all-over little birds cable pattern, this sweater is fun to wear with a full, flippy skirt, capri pants, or a style like Katherine Hepburn with Oxford bags. Sizes To fit bust size 32 (34, 36, 38, 40)"/81.5 (86.5, 91.5, 96.5, 101.5)cm Instructions are given for smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses. Finished MeasurementsCircumference: 33 1/2 (35, 37, 39 1/2, 41 1/2)"/85 (89, 94, 100.5, 105.5)cm Length: 23 (23 1/4, 23 1/2, 24 1/4, 24 1/2)"/58.5 (50, 59.5, 61.5, 62)cm Materials Jo Sharp Soho Summer (DK weight; 100% cotton; 109 yd/100m per 1 3/4 oz/50g ball): 6 (6, 7, 7, 8) balls Carmen #221 Size 3 (3.25mm) needles Size 6 (4mm) needles or size needed to obtain gauge Five 3/4" (2cm) buttons Tapestry needle 70" (178cm) ribbon in coordinating color (optional) 4 small snap fasteners (optional) Sewing thread in matching color (optional) Sewing needle (optional)