My friend, Mrs_Picasso blogged about Amusing Knitting Patterns -- if you are not a friend, you may not be able to read the post, so here are a few of the highlights:
An Apple Cover for keeping your fresh fruit from getting bruised in your bag!
For those who love their computers, and feel they need to be warm this winter, a cable knit sweater for your laptop, and items for your mouse and the monitor.
But when it comes to strange...
A fried breakfast hat with a matching handbag. Apparently, knitting fruit is popular, just look at the entire food section at Knitting Pattern Central!
Coincidentally, I've been sorting through many patterns myself, to list here at We Have Your collectibles, and I found this strange knitting pattern: It's for "Baby Helmets" aka bonnets, and along with the to-be-expected ducks & puppy-dogs, there is a gun. Now, that's what I want at my baby's temple, a gun -- NOT.
But I've been looking at more than knitting & needlework patterns; I've been sorting through all sorts of patterns. And I've noticed something else.
Actually, I've noticed quite a few things.
For one thing, sewing patterns are more annoying than road maps. They do not fold & unfold easily. It's not just because they are delicate pieces of tissue paper, but it's the fact that the fold lines have no rhyme or reason. Unlike maps which are folded in an organized manner, sewing patterns have no 'seamingly' similar organization. And once cut, they are not folded in new a new way for ease of opening - no, No, NO! They are to be re-folded along the old nonsense fold lines, no matter how such fold lines are dedicated to destroying the tissue paper pattern pieces themselves.
The other thing I noticed is that no matter how precisely the pattern pieces are meticulously folded to adhere to their original fold lines, no matter how well preserved the original pattern envelope is, no matter how nice the original pattern owner was in saving the pattern instructions & any other materials that arrived with the pattern -- this does not mean that all of the pattern is complete.
It is most frustrating to have to open the envelope, pull out all of the contents, and one by one, open each fragile tissue piece & compare it to the sewing guide to see if they all exist -- only to discover many are missing. So why save the pattern, in those labled shoe-boxes that detail patterns by year, form of clothing, size, or any other anal retentive form of organization, if the patterns are incomplete??!
It's a mighty odd pattern of behavior, if you ask me.
Now, the next question is, do these partial patterns have any value to sewers? I mean, since they are saved, are they of any use? Do those that sew or collect vintage patterns search for, swap, trade and buy say, pattern piece M from Simplicity pattern 6121, child's size 5?
If so, contact me, I have it. And many more *wink*
