Vintage Needlecrafts Pick of the Week: Fashion Crochet by Caroline Horne

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This week’s pick: Fashion Crochet by Caroline Horne

Source: Inherited from my grandmother‘s collection

Publication date: 1970

Status: Out of print.  Available online with prices ranging from “reasonable” to “apply for a line of credit.”

Condition: Damaged dust jacket, but otherwise in very good condition

Craft: Crochet

This is an awesome little gem that I found in my grandmother’s home after she passed away.  Although it was first published in 1969, and my version is from 1970, it has more of a ’60s vibe to it.  There’s a note in the beginning saying that the yarn was provided by Coats and Clark for the American edition.  (I’m assuming the previous edition was published in the U.K.)  Most of these yarns no longer exist, but I’m guessing that most were actually threads since steel hooks are used for most of the patterns.

The dust jacket informs potential readers that “Crochet is fun, fascinating and very in-fashion these days.  For it’s a versatile fabric — it can be soft, fragile, openwork weave or just a firm, close one.  Either way,it holds its shape, and lasts.”

In case that isn’t enough to draw you in, in the introduction, Caroline Horne, a self described “teacher of Fashion Crochet,” tells readers

…once you have mastered the art of holding the crochet hook and the few stitches that there are in Fashion Crochet, everything else begins to fall into place.  Soon you will find yourself making attractive chic clothes — a welcome addition to any wardrobe — at a fraction of the price that they would cost in the shops, with the added incentive of being able to have exactly the right color and shape that you want when you want it.  Anyone can do Fashion Crochet and there is no time like the present for embarking on this absorbing, creative and constructive craft which is currently enjoying such a vogue in the world of fashion.

Well said!

I love the fashion illustrations by Yvonne Jones, which give the book a whimsical feeling.

(By the way, the cross hatching on the pants and coat represents crochet.)

I love the pattern names, too.

I assume that in 1969, everyone knew what a “classic teenager’s dress” was.

Caroline provides fairly detailed instructions, and she also offers different color suggestions for most patterns.

I love that the book includes a pattern for stockings.

I can totally imagine someone (who isn’t me) crocheting up a pair of these today!

Like most books from this time period, many patterns are offered in only one size.  Some have maybe 3 sizes.  I think Caroline hopes you’ll be designing your own projects by the end of the book, though.

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