As Seen on TV

It's a bit late to write about this (in fact, very late), but I am going to anyway.  Last month, BBC4 broadcast Knitting's Golden Age,  a documentary about knitting from around 1920 to the 1980s, which the programme makers decided was the golden age of knitting, although there was a brief acknowledgement at the end that knitting is once again very popular.  

Angharad, who works alongside me on the Knitting & Crochet Guild's collection, appeared on the programme.  She showed some of the 1950s knitted baby clothes that we have in the collection, mainly matinee coats and cardigans.  The little matinee jacket that she presented is very pretty, with lacy knitted hearts that are embroidered afterwards in blue.

 

 It was knitted from a Patons & Baldwins pattern,  evidently a best seller, judging by the number of copies that I have found.   Perhaps its popularity was because if you wanted to follow the "blue for a boy, pink for a girl" rule, you could hastily embroider the hearts in the right colour after the baby had arrived.

Patons 382

Another baby cardigan was shown in the programme too - in very fine yarn, with the skirt, collar and cuffs in feather-and-fan stitch.  It's beautifully made. We haven't yet identified the pattern (if there was one) - let me know if you recognise it.

Angharad  also showed some soft toys knitted in oddments of yarn, and a very small doll with a complete outfit of knitted clothes.

The poodle (?) has evidently had a hard life and been much loved.   Mr and Mrs Panda are a favourite with the KCG volunteers (because they look perpetually surprised).  We speculate whether they are actually married, or perhaps brother and sister, or just good friends.

And here's the little doll.