Sometimes I buy a vintage pattern that I’d love to knit (or crochet) but I’m convinced I’ll never get a suitable yarn and so never be able to try it.
That’s what I thought when I came across these fantastic patterns for knitted and crocheted accessories from the 1960s.
I’ve seen little purses like the ones pictured here in op shops but I’ve never bought them. They don’t seem to age well so they look quite grubby and they often have that musty smell that I know will never wash out.
The “yarn” used for these fabulous hats, bags and accessories is called Swiss Straw. It’s basically an acrylic version of raffia and I’ve never seen anything similar in shops. I was wondering if I could substitute a paper yarn or even just using natural raffia.
Then I came across a bag of Arbee Fiesta Yarn at the hospital op shop. It looked similar to the Swiss Straw and there were nine little balls of it in white. Things were looking up. A kitschy little purse (and maybe a matching pillbox hat) are now a real possibility.
The ball bands on the yarn had a real 50s/60s look. I assumed that it had been out of production for decades but I did a Google search anyway. I discovered that its still in production and the ball band design is still the same.
If you’d like to get some Fiesta Yarn of your own, visit Arbee’s website here. They even have a range of reprinted craft books from the 1960’s available as PDFs. I’m very tempted to start making my own lampshades and maybe covering an old Mateus bottle in mosaic tiles.
(Please note that I do not own the copyright to any patterns featured in Retro Monday. Unfortunately this means I make or send out copies).
Those kitschy knits sound fab. Fashion should be fun!
Your Aunty Cheryl is doing a knitting /crafty thing at her local library, and using this to make a bag, I had a raffia bag 45 yrs ago, very trendy, late 60’s!