I love vintage pattern magazines from the 1940s and 1950s. Each one has several cute and relevant patterns that I can adjust for my lifestyle. Then, there are sometimes some that make me scratch my head and wonder what the designer was thinking! I remember as a child my mom telling me about the bleach bottle crocheted baby beds that were a popular project when she was young. I didn’t have a bleach bottle but I made this little sleep sack for my daughter’s dolly. It cradles her 5 1/2″ (14 cm) doll perfectly!

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I have a secret love for vintage patterns. I can spot them aisles away in flea markets and antique stores. Their creased covers and penciled in notations from years ago give them such a sweet, homey appeal. I not only love the patterns, some of which are elegant and others rather funky, but also the fun illustrations throughout.

I can spend hours flipping through their dogeared pages laughing at the crocheted bikinis and cooing over the sweet baby layettes. It just goes to prove that crochet has kept the hands of women busy for many years turning a skein of yarn into innovative pieces of functional art, and at times funny finished projects.

Do you collect vintage patterns? If so, what is the most absurd or elegant pattern you’ve found?