When Men were Men, and Sweaters were Serious Business...

The Thrift shops in my area have been exceptionally kind to me...

 

The other day I picked up a Kodak Brownie camera (Chiquita series).  I'm so excited about it and I'm trying to research and find out more info on it.  I plan to use it!

I also picked up these....

Super Vintage Knitting Pattern Books!

I know I've posted about it before, but Thrift shops are awesome places for New/Beginning knitters.  Though some of the knitting books are books that were abandoned because the patterns weren't very good, sometimes you find some real gems.

Bender Oak was a little upset that I picked up even more books....He's not much of a reader.

  

I Picked some very old magazines, ranging from mid-fifties to early eighties.  Most are from '62-64, and it really, really shows in the pictures.  These magazines are all from really great companies, and the patterns in most of them are basic, yet awesome reflections of current styles.  

This one is really cool:

It's the Woman's Day Sweater edition for 1964.  See, back in the day, Women's magazines weren't always about dirty stuff with your partner, or focusing on your career and your kids at the same time (though "Focus" usually indicates a singular point, but anyways)...

What's really cool about this one is that the advertisment from an Actual 1964 Woman's Day magazine was neatly folder into it.  I've got both the pattern book, and the Magazine Ad!  There's a couple of really good things in this one, and I'd love to make them.  Woman's Day had something going, it's sad they stopped crafting and associated Fine Arts with Subjugation to the male species...

In the batch of magazines, there were two "Men's Editions"...It is really uncommon to find patterns for men, but these are really cool, and some of the patterns transcend time in style and sophistication...

 

 Look at this Suave Gentleman!  Look at him and his sophisticated convertible!  Look at him!  Is he checking the time because his Hoe be running late, or is he looking at his own Awesome reflection?  Who knows, because he is wearing a GermanTown Classic Cardigan.

Back in the day, Men were associated with Guns, Dogs, Slicked Back Hair, Cars, Tobacco Pipes, and itchy wool dinner vests or crazy-skill level required Cable sweaters...  What happen to those days?

  

(I'll tell you what happened, the 80's happened.)

He's probably telling her how to make him the perfect sweater, for a Man...

Sweaters, vests, jackets, and Dress Clothes were important back then.  And with a recession fresh in most people's minds, Frugality was a great thing.  Why both going to Lord & Taylor or Macy's for your Evening wear when you could make it yourself?  Just yesterday my friend Erik said "Why don't people get dressed up to go out to dinner anymore?"  

 Probably because nobody has matching Sweater Vests and Dress Shoe Socks, that's why!

A man like this, deserve a sophisticated woman, a woman with a long cigarette, a fancy breed dog, and an entire dress she crocheted out of sequins.

The best part of this pattern?  There's directions on adding the sequins into the Dog's sweater as well.  Because you absolutely need to complete the look.

I think I'll go work on something a little more "Modern"....