knitting history, mid 1900'S

Wide spread interest in handknitting faded in the 60's,
It became rather unfashionable to knit
Knitting instructions for clean-cut designs in fine yarns, using lacey intricate patterns
were still being published
Such handknits were gradually replaced by machine knitted clothes in manmade fibres
knitting over-large sweaters with bulky bri-nylon continued, but these bulky garments soon became very unfashionable
In the mid 60's Womens Home Industries produced a range of see-through crochet dresses,
which proved to be very popular
These were shortly followed by home crocheted versions, using instructions printed in many magazines and knit books
The new elite of the sixties were young, talented and creative,
They were pop artists, singers, photographers, hairdressers,
interior decorators, writers and designers,
The talented young doing what they wanted, very sucssesfully
And they were British.
The sixties made Britain into a fashion leader
Throughout the decade and into the early 70's, buyers from all over the world
would come to look at British ready to wear.
This was the great age of theLondon Boutique , and Carnaby street.
It was also the age of Teenage Society , and the young shopper,
By 1967, 50 percent of all the knits, coats, dresses and skirts, sold in UK , were bought by 15 to 19 year olds
And the age of the mini
Mary Quant took the mini skirt to New York in 1965 with The British Fashion Show,
it became a favorite export
In 1966 Mary Quant received the OBE for services to the fashion Industry,
She attended the ceremony at Buckingham Palace wearing (of course) a mini skirt,
And the age of:
the dance craze The twist;
Plus, big, thick hair; wigs, and hair pieces; black, heavy eye make up; very pale lips;
Knitted dark plaid stockings; coloured nylon stockings; thick knee socks;
tight skinny rib sweaters, worn pulled down and tucked in; crocheted pudding-basin hats and long scarfs;
space age shapes and colours; art Deco geometric patterns
In 1962, James Norbury published a book, 'Traditional Knitting Patterns',
Barbara Walker published her 'First Treasury of knitting Patterns' in 1968.
The BBC publication, 'Knit! with James Norbury', a book on knit technique, appeared in 1968,
Norbury's better known book,'The Family Knitting Book' was published in 1969
During 1968/69 three new schools of fashion began to emerge
Flower Power ; Ethnic Peasant; and the ruffles and ringlets look
These new looks heralded the end of 1960's space age fashion

1970'S

The seventies saw dramatic changes in the role and purpose of fashion
Parisian Couture Fashion now took a back seat, and mass produced
Ready to Wear fashion took over
Never again would there be one single , leading or right fashion look,
Now there were a host of fashions, with the emphasis on individual, often freelance, stylists
The buying public were no longer divided into the young and the others
as they had been in the 60's
Now the split was more to do with those who prefered to buy lots of less expensive clothes
and those who opted for investment buying, more expensive, but fewer purchases.
Women were dressing to amuse and please themselves,
Never before had there been so many different looks
Clothes were now much more about decoration than fashion,
Everything is painted with flowers, stripes, or fantasy
Liberty prints become collectors items,
This is the time of pattern on pattern , colour worn over colour, layer over layer,
Style is no longer dictated, the choice is yours,
Hot pants were being worn in city offices,
Spotted shirts were worn with tile-pattern skirts and a patchwork knitted vest.
Very high platform soled shoes were worn with baggy sailor trousers,
This was the decade of colour, pattern and the unconventional
This was the age of the Kings Road and Punks, Flower Power, Peace,
and the Womens Liberation movement,
For many people the great general focus of the time was on environmental issues
Pollution, preservation and conservation were the social buzz words,
There was a return to the 'back to nature', home spun, ideal,
This in turn created a trend towards the creative hand-crafts, nostalgia reigned
Restablished knitting's fashionable image
Hand knitting now became as popular as in the Twenties
And sweaters were a big part of the fashion picture
Sweaters came with three-quarter length batwing sleeves , or short square cut kimono sleeves,
They came vsleeveless with low cut necklines,
They were wildly striped or patterned,
They were worn, one layered over another,
Vogue, who had withdrawn their knitting books during the 60's,
now started to publish country look patterns
The patterns were a combination of modern design plus nostalgia for the past
Long ribbed cardigans and matching skirts in speckly wool, to imitate Donegal tweed,
Sleeveless tank tops, in wild patterns and colour combinations
long striped coats, and the ever popular sailor sweater
In 1972, Zandra Rhoades produced her first sweater, it was striped in pink, green and blue,
with bat wing sleeves, and a long point at the centre front and centre back hem line
In Italy, Rosita and Ottavio Missoni created a knitting revolution, with incredible mixes of pattern and colour
In Great Britain, Jean Muir was the undoubted Queen of jersey knit
And Kaffe Fasset a gifted colourist , had a tremendous influence on colour knitting
His first design 'Moroccan Waistcoat' appeared in Vogue Knitting in 1969.

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