Vintage Hollywood Knitting: Spinning and Knitting Joan Crawford's Pullover (Cursed Project Vlog)
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Hello friends! I was gifted gorgeous Lang Yarns Muse and a beautiful ball of Merino Combed Top (or roving) for Christmas. We shall turn these fiber arts resources into a Vintage Hollywood Sweater of dreams: a Pullover as worn by Joan Crawford. Now, be warned: this project turned out to be cursed, so a lot will go amiss. It'll be cringe and awful at times, but I hope at least the finished knit object is worth it. In this video we shall be spinning the merino top, knitting the vintage sweater and strutting our stuff. The spinning will be done on my Ashford Traditional and Louet S71, and I knit it with my Knitpro interchangeable needles. That might break. Or something.
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#crafting #knitting #knittingpattern #sweaterknitting #vintageknitting #vintagehollywood #joancrawford - Навчання та стиль
Often, commercially prepared top/roving feels ‘dead’ to me. Because of this, I rarely if ever spin it as is. Sometimes I thoroughly wet the top in lukewarm water and let it dry. It poofs up like a charm. Sometimes, when I can’t wait to use it, I just hit it with some steam using a steam iron or kettle. Again, poofs like a charm. Sometimes I run it through my drum carder one or more times. I often blend it with other colors of prepared fiber to make color blends, or I add some textured fiber to the mix. I find it is SO much more pleasant to spin top using these tricks. It’s worth a try!
I must remember this not that I have much problem with combed top. Thank you
I have been blending some of the same fiber (but in a different colour) with some of my fleeces lately, and you are correct, it's absolutely worth it.
I agree that commercially prepared fiber feels like all the life has been beaten out of it. I rarely enjoy the spinning of it. I’d rather pick out the van and deal with Nepps from my inexpertly home prepped fleece 😋
Your husband and your mom know you really well! Not only did they mindsync the perfect wool combination, they also knew you'd look stunning with it! ❤
They do know me really Well 😁
Love the marled red sweater. But my favorite thing about your videos is seeing all the different sweaters you wear throughout. All of your handknit sweaters are wonderful, a feast for the eyes, all that wonderful texture. Yummy!
Thank you :D
You could knit for both. Start with a smaller size to accommodate the smaller shoulder circumference, increase out to a size that works for your bust potentially decreasing or increasing a different size to accommodate your desired waist ease :)
Hand spinning AND Vintage knitting?? Exactly what I needed after a crappy day, I cant knit OR spin today due to pain but I can hang out with you for a while and that makes the day better. Thank you for the video Jente!❤
(Ps the clip where you're plying and your 1000ply bouclé yarn slowly flops around was a cinematic tragic masterpiece.)
Hopefully today will be less crap ♥️
From a sewing perspective, I always fit to the shoulders and upper chest then grade out for the bust and hips if necessary. It's a bit trickier to do with knitting but its totally possible.
Thanks!
Beautiful spin, Christina and Jente! My Ashford traditional is named Grace. I named her that because she was given to me for free after I prayed for one. I felt like it was God’s grace to me. I was also given six raw Shetland fleeces with it. I’ve learned so much from watching you. Thank you for continually making fun entertainment. Im agree with you, i dont care for commercial prepped fiber. It seems very boring to spin.
That's a beautiful story!
I am not a spinner or a knitter, but I am a crocheter and a newbie weaver. I am also older, much older so additional challenges are avoided. I enjoy watching you. I’m guessing because I’m quite Scandinavian and there is some deep level connection with your humor and wit. I’m glad you weren’t hurt when you sat on your needle. I’m guessing that would have been a combination of cursed and clumsy. Otherwise it was simply an accident.
The sweater turned out lovely. Your idea to use the commercial yarn for the bands and neckline was perfect.
How are Scandinavian and Belgian humour connected though? :)
Spinning commercial merino top feels like spinning mashed potatoes. Unfortunately the local hand dyers mostly use merino top and i find the pretty colors difficult to say no to so more always sneaks into my stash.
Mashed potatoes... Now that's a comparison I hadn't heard yet
Knit, spin, knit spin, do whatever sequence I like...I love you 😂
:D
Yes!!! This is so relatable, I have so much trouble with my upright lazy Kate from Ashford! I’ve given up and stuck the pegs through a plastic bin, works 100% better for me!
good solution!
You made something beautiful again!
Could you maybe clamp down the lazy kate to the table? That would at least prevent it falling over.
Something like that I guess...
lovely sweater!
Thanks!
Uhuuuul this red burgundy color is my favorite! It looks stunning!
Thank you :D
I always knit the size around my underarms (upper bust) otherwise shoulders would be too large. My bust isn't significant, but if I had more bust than my garment could stretch then I would rapidly increase below the bust and then equally rapidly decrease back to the armpit width before reaching the armscye. A boob pocket 😊
A boob pocket. That makes me smile.
Ahhh so pretty, love that fit and colour.
with how much trouble you were having with the pattern the blouse turned out extra amazing! I looove the colour of the suri/alpaka mix it looks amazing on you!
Thank you :D
Spinning different types of sheep fleeces is half the fun. Yarn and project are beautiful. You have amazing taste.
Thank you ☺️
I knit a lot of vintage sweaters. I love your version. In future, you could try knitting for your back size, e.g 32" for front and back but, when you get to the bust area on the front, go up a needle size, e.g 4mm to a 4.5mm then back down to a 4mm for the upper chest and shoulders.
That's a simple yet elegant solution
That sweater came out so cute
Thank you ☺️
Retro Claude had mentioned this pattern before, too. I’m. It sure if she’s done it yet, or she also had issues with it. She does a lot of vintage patterns. I love her channel and highly recommend!
I saw it after I finished mine and she too had issues with the fit being too large , very reassuring if someone like her has the same issues :)
@@MijnWolden Holy smokes! I wasn’t expecting you to see that so soon, let alone respond. Hi! Just wanna let you know I’m a new subscriber, found your videos two days ago and I’m slowly working through your backlist, and love it so much. Hello from Michigan, USA!
@Sincyn241 hello, welcome 😁 I try and answer most comments
I have a Kromski lazy Kate of similar design to your Ashford that I also struggle with. Sometimes it wants to tip over, other times the rods/bars holding to bobbins fall out of the wooden sides. 🫤 On my list of projects: use the bars to make a 45 degree angle lazy Kate. Maybe it would work better that way 🤷🏼♀️
I hope it works!
I tend to go with my upper bust measurement for my sweaters, it is easier to add some short rows where needed if I feel I want more ease. I tend to prefer a small amount of positive ease on some of my sweaters - the last two I made finished at around 35-36 inches and I have a 33 1/2" bust. If I want something looser, then maybe 5, or 6 inches of positive ease, unless it is thin and drapey like a lightweight cardigan. Sometimes when I spin my handspun can be a bit thicker and denser than some commercial yarns and that can affect the gauge too.
I have the same book which was given to me at Christmas, but I think I need to swatch for the projects I want to try. I know Claude at Retro Claude has made the Claudette Colbert Cardigan and she had a few sizing issues with that pattern, but hers came out a little smaller than she expected.
Yes, and her Joan Crawford sweater turned out too big as well. (Which felt like validation for me personally: it wasn't entirely user error)
As a newer knitter the patterns that are knitted in sections really scare me… how ever this is a great example of how you can alter it to really fit you. And love the cool red on you ❤
I do prefer knitting in the round, but most vintage patterns are knit flat
This sweater is sooooo flattering on you. Those shoulders the way you have designed them, brilliant! Its just so beautiful 😍
Thank you :D
Sweater looks GREAT on you!!!
Thank you :D
That sweater is a-mazing! Beautiful work! I understand the small frame but larger bust issue. I've started choosing a size based on my upper bust measurement and then doing some increases in the full bust area.
I will try that going forth!
Just subscribed to your channel, and you are such good fun, love your humour as well as that gorgeous jumper, and lovely colours! Thanks for the giggles!
Thank you ☺️
Your sweater is lovely ... those colours are just gorjuss (I'm a red lover). I snorted with laughter at your "channeling my inner grandfather" comment, and was about to say that there is no "inner grandfather" in that sweater .... until .... you put on the braces ... and then I laughed even harder. But once again Jente, you have created a thing of great beauty
Always a grandpa 😎
Just in case you do another Q&A. Have you ever used chainply? What are your thoughts about chainply?
The sweater looks great on you!!!
In a couple of weeks I'll probably ask for questions for TdF, I'll write this one down already 😉
I also agree. I love the feel of combed top/roving but spinning it can become monotonous real quick. I like dyeing it different colors or adding different fibers with it to help keep my attention while I spin.
The sweater and the colors are absolutely fantastic on you! For future patterns I would still go for bust size and then reduce the shoulder width to accommodate the size difference. It's always easier to take things in than to add once something is made...or frog it. As for the added width, it could be the weight of the sleeves. Whenever adding sleeves, it will distort the main body and since alpaca doesn't have the elasticity compared to wool, it probably pulled and stayed that way.
Thank you 😁
you did great , liking the color
so about the Ashford upright lazy kate. my mum had one. it was the only one she had and I honestly thought all lazy kates were made like that. the yarn barf was a real issue (I think she might have used elastic bands to fix that though) and she ALWAYS kept it on the floor and pulled upward from it. I can only assume that was to prevent it falling over.
I'm glad I'm not the only one having a troubled relationship with it.
I'd say knit for your shoulders and add bust darts. I've knit some patterns with horizontal bust darts which add length over the bust. I want to try vertical bust darts to add width over the bust on my next project. And maybe some waist shaping too.
The blouse could indeed use some waist shaping. It's essentially a rectangle with shoulders.
I love this project. It looks really good on you! You need to correct how you knit your guage swatch. Try this, pick whatever yarn and needles and cast on 10 stitches and make a gauge swatch like you normally would and note the measurements. Same yarn and same needles cast on 20 stitches and knit a square place a pin and measure from that pin to whatever length you picked for the first gauge swatch and then count the stitches between those pins. See if there is a difference between the numbers. The second method is more accurate. Oh and patterns that say you should wash your guage swatch, pfft, I am not washing a sweater when I am in the middle of knitting it to check that I am still on guage. That is not how this game is played.
I was wondering if she only made a swatch with both of the strands, so that when she knitted the arm cuffs the row gauge was off? And for the body, the only thing I can say is I usually cheat and make a small wuick swatch and that usually bites me in the butt later... Better to make a bigger one and measure several times and take a middle value but.... who has the time when you just want to start knitting right?😅
That is not how the game is played indeed!
It could have been, but not by that much. The Suri alpaca is really thin
🎉❤ heel erg mooie blouse ze, echt waar, en die kleur past u echt perfect.
Maar ik snap wagebedoeld met dus ten eerste loemp, ja ik ben da ook en ik breek er zo ook graag af op loempige wijze...spijtig genoeg.
En ten tweede het spinnen vanndus je eigen vezels en dan de commerciële, ja die commerciële zijn inderdaad saai, zeker als ze mor 1 kleur hebben, vind ze fijner als ze dus verschillende kleuren hebben. Maar het liefst van alles kaard ik dus die commerciële door dus mijn zelf gewassen en gekaarde vachten en dan hebt ge dus de kleur mor ook da rustieke nog. Dus ik snap het allemaal...🎉
Dankjewel :D Meerdere kleuren had het spinnen inderdaad fijner gemaakt. "hoe ziet het er nu uit?" "en nu?"
🎶 Knit and spin 🎵
The themetune of my alone time. 😍
I also have a petite frame, narrow shoulders and a largr bust than patterns with my frame are designed for - have you used a pattern with bust darts yet? I've started doing this to make the pattern fit mt shoulders and then create extra fabric to fit my chest.
Delightful video, as always!
I haven't, but you aren't the first to suggest it, so I might need to start researching this!
Yes you can! 😍 ❤ High five to Dries 🙌
Not a merino purist at all, but it is the local fibre here in Australia. It’s what we get.
I do spin some that is 27 microns and wear that fine but the 22 micron stuff is divine. It is so soft and squishy. Most of my sweaters are probably 27 microns and that is fine. We have short winters.
Yes, for you it's the local fiber of course. I just am annoyed that the marketing around merino has made it so that our local fibers are thrown away, when they're just as good.
I totally agree. I have sourced a farm I buy my fleece from that gives me a quality fleece. I don’t much care what the breed is. Mostly crossed with merino because that is what grows In our climate. I would love to see a market for fleece from other countries though. I doubt our ancestors cared what the fleece was and found a use for every bit of the animal. Let’s normalise crazy, dirty and weird fleece 😁
I love the fuzzy marled yarn. I would buy the yarn in a heart beat if it was a commercial yarn. The pattern sounds sucky, but the final garment is really lovely.
It is! Lang yarns Muse. My husband bought it in Greece however, so I don't know if it is available everywhere
The kind of person I am, I would have spun all the top before even looking for a pattern. I just love spinning 😅
Hahahaha, I don't have the patience, I'm very much a crafter that crafts for the end projects
The finished sweater is so gorgeous!
I don't know if you've tried it yet, but to avoid the niddy noddy misbehaving while taking the finished yarn of the bobbin, it might help to put the break on the bobbin on a very light tension. I always do this (I put the bobbin on my wheel with the drive band off but the break on) and it prevents the bobbin from turning very quickly by your pulling on the yarn and then promptly overturning, getting pulled back by the yarn wrapping around in the wrong direction, and staring to turn the other way. I hope this makes sense!
I also prefer the more rustic and simply prepared wools. I recently started spinning a (gorgeous) merino-silk blend that I got with my wheel and I just- it- it was just too smooth! The fibres have no grip on eachother and I don't know what to do with that anymore! I need me some grippy woolly fibres.
I have tried it, but sometimes it is easier to lug a lazy kate around than an entire wheel :D
@@MijnWolden truuuueee.. I don't have a lazy kate so it has to be my wheel anyway. But your lazy kate is tensioned right? Wouldn't that have the same effect?
It's sadly not tensioned...
@@MijnWolden aaah then I saw it wrong, I thought it was. That would have been nice :P
It looks awesome! The suri alpaca yarn looks so nice with the merino you spun. Phenomenal work.
Thank you 😁
Ooooooh the yarn chicken olympics 😔
The finished blouse looks amazing though! What a beautiful red.
Yarn chicken olympics they were
Loemp reminds me of the Pennsylvania Dutch word "dopic". It's used in a way to mean clumsy or klutzy but in a more endearing way, as if done by a clueless child. The kid who turns his head into the wall at just the right moment to bonk his forehead because he was initially looking behind him or the person who drops the dozen eggs because they didn't see the cat lying in their path.... because they just aren't always in touch with the home planet. That's dopic.
That's endearing. When we say 'loemp' we are not so nice. It's like saying someone has two left hands.
Commercial top is usually very compressed and therefore doesn't draft as nicely. When I comb a fleece and or card fibre myself, it always drafts 100% better. I also am not fond of spinning professionally prepared fibre.
Yeah, super compressed. Unless I fluffed it open a bit I couldn't even tear off a Staple lengths' worth of it.
Gorgeous! I've noticed that commercial roving as well as dyed roving or combed top using acid dyes is harder on the wool. Of course I haven't yet tried natural dying but I believe the heating of the wool as well as the acid changes the ph of the wool and makes it not as soft. When I dyed the wool first and then combed it it made it softer but not like un dyed wool that had been hand combed. This summer I plan on doing some natural dyeing. Also not all merino is the same. I get some from an indie dyer and it's gorgeous but I can't find any unprocessed
Yeah, wool can be so different from individual sheep to sheep
I love how your blouse turned out! 😊
Thank you 😁
This is my favourite vintage project you made! I have very similar colouring to you and I find that raspberry cool tone reds work way better on my skin tone.. as for the commercial yarns I assume they have little to no lanolin left in them which makes it more sticky (almost like a microfibre cloth) the lanolin makes the spinning so much smoother
The Ashford combed tops (which I don't think those were) still have quite a bit of lanolin in them. It makes them smell nice!
The microfiber cloth comparison is spot on!
No they weren't Ashford, sadly
Je trui ie echt super mooi! Ik denk dat ik dezelfde paar en metalen 14mm naalden heb. Als de jouwe van Phildar zijn, zijn het dezelfde 😊. Ik spin zelf geen wol, maar ook al heb ik graag merino, zolang het maar niet jeukt en prikt ben ik blij. En zolang het muelesing free is. Als het een troost kan zijn, ik heb ook al van die lompe dingen voorgehad. En als ik Joop kat 5 minuten alleen laat kunnen Bert en ik een zoektocht beginnen naar de naalden die hij steelt van zo gauw hij zijn kans ziet 😆. Ik ben zo al 2 paar interchangeables kwijt geraakt!
Zou goed kunnen dat ze van Phildar zijn, het is een paar uit de verzameling van mijn grootmoeder, en dat is gewoon alles door elkaar ☺️
I haven’t checked the comments to see if it’s here but for small frame and larger bust, you measure under your armpits around your chest, rather than your full bust measurements. This will ensure that it fits the rest of your frame and will provide for some negative ease that will stretch over your bust.
Yeah, there are some others mentioning that. It'll be the way forward
@@MijnWolden I found this very helpful, not just for knitting but for sewing and buying clothes online as well. Your sweater is lovely
It's so pretty, that colour looks so good on you! ❤❤
Thank you 😁
It’s adorable
Thank you 😁
Sweater is lovely! Beautiful work.
Thank you 😁
Maybe knit for your shoulder width and waist size and do a full bust adjustment. You look lovely in your sweater.
I have never seen full bust adjustments in knitting, only sewing 🤔
@@MijnWolden Check out Carol Fellers video, Ask A Knitter Ep. 4 | How to Adjust a Pattern for a Larger Bust Size. I know I have a book somewhere. for this...
Hi Jente, I hope you're OK xx ❣️❣️❣️
Thankyou so much for sharing this video podcast
I love your Blouse/Sweater, the colours are perfect together.
I remember you showing the Fibre 🐑that your Mum bought and the Yarn🧶 thst Dries bought, both has Christmas Presents, 🎁🎁 we knew then they'd be perfect together and in the right Pattern and how you chose to knit them was a perfect choice.
I hope you're having a good week. 🤔🌝✨️
Happy Spinning and Knitting Fibre Friend 🎡🧶🐑🥰
Take care and stay safe
Lots of love and Big Hugs Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂🐕
Thank you, Jen ☺️
@@MijnWolden Hi Jente, I hope you and Dries are both OK xx ❣️❣️❣️❣️
You're very welcome xx 🥰🥰
Thankyou so much for the Heart ♥
Sending Heart ♥ back to you ❤️💞
Happy Spinning and Knitting Fibre Friend 🎡🐑🥰
Take care, love and Big Hugs to you and Dries..Jen xxxx ❤️❤️❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🐕
Beautiful yarn! Are those authentic Ashford bobbins that fell apart? Terrible! I see you have a jumbo flyer on your vintage Traditional. Cool. I opted for a regular flyer to upgrade mine. I cannot spin as much as you are at once!
I did wonder if those bobbins should be covered by a guarantee.
I think they are authentic yes, I got them second hand together with the wheel
very pretty.
Thank you ☺️
I use the smaller size for my shoulders and the larger size for the bust. It take a bit of figuring, but very worth it. I actually learned the basics of the alteration when I was sewing knit fabrics for tee shirts. (of course you could add shoulder pads...but....) The sweater turned out quite lovely, even though it was just the slightest bit cursed. \(^-^)/
Only the slightest bit cursed :D
Also, the Siri alpaca will grow and continue to grow. The merino shouldn’t though. It could be part of the size issue. Apparently the shoulder standard is 11cm. I am 8cm so everything is a drop shoulder on me. It looks great in you regardless. ❤
11 cm? How is that the standard? :D I'm pretty sure I'm around 7 or 8 cm too
I studied fashion and pattern making in a previous life. They taught me the standard. I wonder who it fits.
Yea I have the same with merino! I can't really comment on how commercial prep compares to handprocessed fleece, since I've only ever had access to commercial preps, but even then, merino just is very boring. Sure it's soft and buttery, but there's no tooth to it. Where's the crunch? The bounce? I need feedback while spinning!!
I cracked a knitpro 4 mm interchangeable needle in the exact same way half a year ago haha. Decided to get the metal ones for 4mm and smaller to make sure it never happens again 🥲
The crunch! The bounce!!! 😁
When you do these handspun hand knit projects, how long does it take you from start to finish? I would be so interested to see a video where you tallied up how long you spent on it total
That's difficult to say as I never work on only one project. I started this one January 1st and was done April 3rd, but also knit the Polina sweater, did the 100 days of spindle spinning challenge, did some long draw practice,... In that same timespan.
I enjoyed your podcast but find the music distracting. Love the sweater.
Love your yarn and the blouse, even if it turned out a little bigger than planned ❤ from the picture I believe Joan Crawford has some support for the puff sleeves you might want to add if you like to have this 'crisp edge' look but I like it very much with the softer line
BTW I suggested the 'Candle flame Cowl' on ravelry for the yarn of last week's video but my comment seemed to have been gotten lost
She probably has, but I think the softer look Fits the fluffy alpaca better.
I don't know if you tried linking to the pattern? UA-cam doesn't like comments with URLs in them
@@MijnWolden I agree, the soft line looks beautiful with the alpaca yarn and fits your sweater very well.
And yes, I did put a direct link into my comment. UA-cam is funny sometimes.
Have a very nice day🤗
at least the accidental "ply" was at the end of the bobbin and not randomly in the middle x)
Oh yes, that would have been awful!
It looks lovely! I am amused by your term “chaos goblin”. How many spinning wheels do you have?
I have four! There will be a more in depth look at all of them next week ☺️
This combo is so pretty! I am also not usually a red girly, but I could really get behind this one
Thank you ☺️
Lovely blouse. I am just thinking about casting on a vintage blouse from fable knits. Do you know her and her patterns? Love them. But i know the issue with shoulder and boops not being coordinated in size. I often have it with cardigans. Have a lovely day
I do know fable knitwear and her style. I really admire it, but haven't yet purchased one. A case of decision paralysis it seems :D
@@MijnWolden i can understand that. She has too many nice options. Just to let you know they, usually knit up surprisingly quickly. I made the silverbell dress and the forest berry dress and they went quicker than some sweaters i made
Love it!
Thank you 😁
It's your party you can craft how you want to.
Heck yeah, that's the spirit 😁
It's beautiful! It looks great on you. Red looks great with your complexion! Jente Crawford! (I hope I spelled that right.)
Thank you (and yes!)
I don't particularly like spinning commercial Merino top. I much rath spin from roving, rolags or batts.
I've turned some of the combed top into batts, and it is much nicer that way.
I don't think a swatch is going to be accurate if you measure it on the needles
Ashford lazy Kate’s are top heavy. Put a clamp on it!
I put the full bobbins at the bottom (or bottom & middle) of the lazy Kate (obviously, if using jumbos, you'd have to use the top for the second one) and I find lowering the centre of gravity prevents nasty naxidents.
Thanks for the tip
Thank you for the tip 😁
Joan Crawford the best! DIVA
She is :)
Did you make that knitty noddy?
I did, although 'make' might be a big word for rigging some sticks together
@@MijnWolden I really like it.
Interesting! You spin in S and ply in Z. Your hand spinning is beautifully consistent. Ah, (further on in the video) uncomfortably consistent.
There's nothing wrong with taking two months to spin that bobbin, you've been doing a stack of other things. The amount you achieve amazes me.
It's probably not the correct way of doing it but my method for trying to get the same amount of single on two bobbins with combed top is to fold it in half lengthwise and split there.
Despite it being a cursed project the finished result is awesome. The colour is really good on you.
Ah, yes, vintage patterns and "positive ease"! That was why I stopped using vintage patterns back in the day & just design my own. I like my clothes loose but not big enough for me and a friend.
Yes I do spin the opposite way than most. I knit eastern uncrossed and I find this way the yarn doesn't untwist itself as much.
I wouldn't say my yarn in uncomfortably consistent, only that spinning fine yarns hides a lot of inconsistencies 🤭
I often put the lazy Kate on the floor especially if it only has one bobbin on it then putt my foot on the. Base to stop it moving .often the Ashford bobbins seem to come apart just a bit of wood glue will fix it.
Wood glue did the trick indeed
Just gorgeous!!!’
Thank you 😁