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[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Vintage Knitting/Crochet Patterns Masterlist

Recently, I’ve been getting really into more older styles of knit and crochet, and in my search for vintage patterns I’ve come across a ton of sites and articles that have been incredibly helpful to me, so I thought I’d share them all with you. The majority of these are free, and this post is still being updated as I find more. Hope you enjoy!

(p.s. most of the places you can get crochet patterns are in the ‘Misc.’ section bc most sites have both knit and crochet patterns)

Knitting:

vintageknittingpatternarchive.com

An archive featuring a variety of patterns from the 1920s-1980s

Pros:

Completely free

You can search by bust size, colorwork, yarn weight, decade, and clothing article

Also features some crochet patterns

Cons:

The site can be hard to navigate

vam.ac.uk

An article featuring a 15 clothing patterns from the 1940s

Pros:

Completely free

Cons:

Only has instructions for one size

sunnystitcher.gumroad.com

A collection of vintage knit clothing patterns from the 1930s-1970s

Pros:

A “name your own price” site, you can choose to pay $0 if you choose

Cons:

Not a lot of patterns

aranpatternarchive.com

A collection of vintage aran knitting patterns

Pros:

Completely free

Has a wide variety of patterns

Crochet:

antiquecrochetpatterns.com

An archive featuring a variety of vintage crochet patterns

Pros:

Completely free

A lot of home décor patterns

Cons:

Most of the clothing patterns are for babies and children

A lot of the patterns are currently unavailable due to the site being updated

Misc:

thevintagepatternfiles.blogspot.com

Pros:

Completely free

Has patterns in different languages, including Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, and Russian

Has patterns dating back to the 1800s

You can search by size, clothing article, and decade

Cons:

The site can be a hard to navigate.

marymaxim.com

A collection of vintage knit/crochet patterns

Pros:

You can filter by pattern type and yarn weight

The patterns are relatively cheap, ranging from $0.99-$4.99

Cons:

No free patterns

You can’t filter by size

trove.nla.gov.au

A blog post featuring 2 vintage knit patterns and 1 vintage crochet pattern

Pros:

Completely free

Cons:

Patterns may be hard to read because they appear as old newspaper/magazine excerpts

antiquepatternlibrary.org

An archive featuring a variety of vintage knitting, crochet, embroidery, sewing, quilting, macrame, weaving, tapestry, and many more pattens.

Pros:

Completely free

Wide variety of patterns across many crafts

Cons:

Website has an older layout and can be hard to navigate

(p.p.s I didn’t put cons on a few of them bc I honestly didn’t find any. If you encounter any problems with any of these sites let me know and I will add that to the con list.)

(p.p.p.s. if you have any other websites you use for vintage patterns please share them I’m always in need of more)

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Finally finished this BEAST of a blanket. It measures approximately 72"x60" and ended up being like... a hundred hours of labor? Probably more, tbh.

I should have woven in the ends as I worked but... I didn't. I've learned nothing from this and will probably do the same thing on my next project. Such is hubris.

It would look better blocked out, but I literally have no space in my house to wet block something this size. I just have to do the old "pull it in a couple directions until it looks right" trick. Also, it's going to be a long while before I do another blanket. I don't mind keeping track of the stitches but it's a bear to have that much weight on the needles.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

I was gifted a new seam ripper recently. It's very nice. Ergonomic, good stainless so it'll hold its edge, and even a cute color. Overall, 10/10 thoughtful gift.

But I'm sorry, I'm going to keep using my cracked, cheap little ripper that I've been using since high school for any personal projects. The seam ripper and I share an emotional connection. I have sobbed with rage while using that thing. It has seen me giggle while taking out the seams for a pregnant friend's pants. It has sat there and NOT been used for a project that went perfectly for the first time.

I don't care if it's falling apart and hurts my hands to use. I'm emotionally bonded to my garbage tool.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

I'm currently drawing off of six skeins for some colorwork on a blanket (it's a bitch of a pattern so this is somehow the easiest option).

Intellectually, I'm aware I'm making progress. I'm like 20% of the way through the project and more than 10,000 stitches into the thing. But I haven't finished a skein yet, and it's SO FRUSTRATING. I need the satisfaction!

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

I was gifted some yarn by a well-meaning friend recently. It's very pretty to look at, and has a nice almost metallic finish. But holy crap do I hate working with it.

Unlike a lot of folks I do not hate acrylic fibers. I actually prefer acrylic for some projects because it doesn't stretch and can hold up to some abuse. I don't know what they did to the acrylic to make it simultaneously sticky and sweaty, but this draft stopper better be fucking BEAUTIFUL.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Goopernicus is coming along nicely. The back side of this is a monstrosity, though. (I should weave in the ends when I'm done. I don't.) Also, can you tell I have a white cat? The jerk really liked the wool.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Saving the pattern for later! It looks like it would be great for scrap colors.

Knit a Delicate Water Lily Pot Holder / Coaster - Must Be Seen, SO Beautiful! Free Pattern Too! 👉 https://buff.ly/3B5Y1kG

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

I hate that I laughed at this before realizing how useful it was.

We all joke a lot about how knitting is math in disguise, and we all know how gauge and the rule of three are so good together, but I was not prepared for how much I'd regret not being able to calculate least common multiples better.

For all your colourwork and pattern repeat needs. Thanks Wikipedia.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

So my sister wants to start sewing more, because

a. She’s 5′ 11″ and can never find pants long enough for her legs or shirts long enough for her arms.

b. She hates synthetic fibers as much as I do and it’s difficult to find natural fiber clothes that aren’t made of cotton

c. She’s a biologist and would physically fistfight microplastics if given half a chance

So her gift from mom and dad for her birthday was a sewing machine. Not a super expensive one but a good solid serviceable one.

And recently she asked “So where do I GET wool or linen and thread that isn’t polyester” and mom was like ‘go ask your sister’

And I, of course, crashed into the group text like “GET A PEN I HAVE WEBSITES FOR U” and honestly I’m thrilled about this

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Sweater Update

So I realized as I was doing some fit testing that I made this sweater several sizes too large but I had intended to have a loose fit. (Maybe not quite this loose, but live and learn. I have wide shoulders and didn't think about reducing the body width.) I'm going to add some asymmetrical stripes in blue to the sleeves and finish with a relatively wide cuff, so it's really just the home stretch from here.

I decided I like the color combination a lot more after adding in the bottom ribbing. It looks a lot better in daylight than it does under my working lights.

Not pictured: my cat, about two seconds from tearing down this sweater for daring to exist in his vicinity. He's a jerk.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

I know this blog is more for my fiber crafts but I just got a super sweet comment on one of my fics that has like 30 hits and I'm so touched.

Like, I was feeling super uninspired with how low the hits are on most of the things I write. I don't write for the sake of the comments or internet fame or whatever but it's tough to get through writer's block when there's no one reading, you know? So, thank you, user. I'm glad you liked my story and I hope you like the rest of them.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

We are officially out of the "just trust me bro" section of the sweater project and it now looks like an actual garment! I did have to add in a stripe of blue wool just below the bust so I'll have enough to finish the sleeves and bottom ribbing in black, but it doesn't look as bad as I feared. The wool-to-silk transition is kind of obvious when you look close and will affect the drape, but this is a sweater for me so I don't really care.

Also, note to future self. If you swap the needles for something smaller and anticipate adding more stitches, you're going to use more yarn. Which shouldn't be a surprise and yet here I am.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

So normally I don't go for panel quilts because I find them finicky and not as fun. But look at these panels and tell me you could resist. I have some old steampunk fat quarters from ages ago that I can finally pull out of the stash, too.

It's not feeding the addiction if you're net-decreasing the stash, right? Right.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Anybody else get weirdly defensive when people are confused why you have a non-monetized crafting hobby? Like, maybe I want to connect to my ancestry, or create unique gifts for my friends, or challenge myself to learn a skill. Or I want to maintain the thousands of years of tradition passed from teacher to student, and in every movement I am mirroring countless crafters throughout time. With every dropped stitch or tangled spool or crooked seam, I can share the same feeling as the generations that came before me and remember that we are not so different.

Or maybe, I don't know, I just like doing it and I don't need to justify my fucking hobbies.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Oh, I'm for SURE not going to have enough yarn for this sweater. If anyone asks, I totally meant to have stripes in the pattern. Just... let me dig through the stash.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Cast on a new sweater, which is fun. The fiber is 100% recycled silk, which I haven't used for something form-fitted before (just shawls/scarves). Silk is a bear to work with in my experience but I wanted something I can wear on bad sensory days and the color is beautiful.

The only downside is that I pre-soaked the skeins in case of color bleed, thought I had it locked in, and discovered my hands and fingers were black after a couple hours of working. I guess I'll try wool wash after the sweater is done to lock in whatever color I can? I've only worked with silk a few times, so I'm not as confident with it as I am other natural fibers.

If anyone has any advice on locking in silk dye, definitely let me know. I figure worst case scenario I end up washing the dye out, which honestly isn't the worst thing in the world.

[halfspunthreads-crafts]

Sir, I was trying to FINISH that quilt this weekend. (Buddy then proceeded to give me the stink eye and go back to sleep. The jerk.)