Health Vests

I recently wrote an article on Twilley's Health Vest cotton, for the current issue of Slipknot (the magazine of the Knitting and Crochet Guild).  You can find a version of the article here, on the blog of  Thomas B Ramsden, the company that owns Twilley's.  Health Vest cotton was a thick cotton yarn used to knit string vests (of course) and a few other things - one of the patterns is for the Horse Cooler I wrote about here.     In writing the article, I suggested that the Health Vest cotton patterns were issued in the early 1960s, judging by the women's hairstyles.  (Yes, regrettably, there were patterns for string vests for women.)  I have just found an ad from 1962, showing that I was right. 

From Pins & Needles, September 1962

You could get a leaflet on the virtues of Health Vests, and a free pattern for the vest illustrated, worn by Bill Brown, the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper.  (But you still wouldn't want to wear one, would you?)