Connections to the Past

I believe I’ve mentioned before that I collect patterns — leaflets, books, magazines, and even digitally now.  The form just doesn’t matter.  Antique and vintage patterns are a special favorite.  When it’s a well-worn publication, it gets an even deeper place in my heart.

There’s an unexplained kinship with needlewomen of the past - wondering which patterns they worked and to whom they gave their beautiful handmades.

I’ve been slowly indexing my collection, going through a few publications per evening and jotting down notes on interesting patterns. Sometimes it’s shaping, sometimes it’s the stitch pattern, sometimes it’s the color combination that catches my eye and spurs inspiration.

The hope is that I can immediately find a pattern (or patterns) when needed instead of leafing through EVERYTHING because I can’t remember which pattern was in which book.

This taped and retaped magazine has this awesome scout hat. Love the shape of it!  I got this magazine in a huge auction lot about 3 years ago. A metal shelf , the kind you’d find in a garage storing paint or tools, was tightly packed with tattered needlework magazines and books.

When the hammer came down, the entire lot was mine for a mere $10.  A regular auction attendee, watching me (not helping me)  haul 3 tons of publications to my car, asked about the shelf. I had intended to leave it behind, but sold it to him for $2 instead!

You should have seen my husband’s face when I pulled into the driveway — my little Saturn weighted down with books to the interior ceiling and the trunk, too, filled to the brim. He gave me his you-are-certifiably-insane shake of his head. He just doesn’t understand.

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