An Exciting New Project!

I have posted a few times this week about my little project. So today, on the very first day of the project, I would like to tell you all about it as I am super excited to be starting!

It is all about the iconic English magazine Stitchcraft.
These magazines were a part of my childhood and I will share my memories of different issues as we get to them. Recently my parents downsized our family home and there was no room for mum's collection of Stitchcraft from the late 50s, 60s and 70s. No way was I letting them be sent to the op shop, so they have found a new home with me and have been the inspiration for an exciting new idea.

I think this idea came to fruition a few weeks ago. My mum's Stitchcraft magazines had arrived and were all sitting on the lounge room floor. That night I was watching a movie called Julie and Julia. I had read the book when it first came out and that sort of methodical project really appeals to me. 

Julie decides to cook and blog her way through Julia Childs' cookbook Mastering The Art of French Cooking.
And I looked from the magazines on the floor to the TV screen and just thought, 'Yes! The same idea but with Stitchcraft!'

So I will be knitting, sewing, embroidering or otherwise crafting my way through all the issues of Stitchcraft that I have. I do not own every issue, I wish! Some of the earlier ones I have purchased as PDFs as they are so difficult to find.

This is the earliest issue I have, from February 1933 Issue No 5 (as a PDF).

Stitchcraft began publication in October 1932 and ceased in the 1980s. I'm not sure of the exact final issue number, but there were approx. 600 issues in total.

Most Stitchcraft enthusiasts are in agreeance that the magazine's heyday was the 40s and 50s, although some of the early 60s patterns are great too. I was reading in this history of the magazine that the author stayed loyal to the magazine through the 70s, until the May 1977 issue finally tipped her over the edge and she gave it up as lost! I do not have this particular issue to see what about it was so terrible, but there are some let's say interesting patterns in some of the 70s magazines! 

I am not necessarily aiming for historical accuracy; I would like to show the wonderful versatility of so many of the Stitchcraft patterns and how they can be worn today, whether you are looking for a historically accurate garment or just one with a vintage feel.
Also this will be a great exercise in stash busting and the lots of the yarns I have (such as heaps of variegated) were just not available at the time.

Expect to see quite a few baby garments being chosen. One, as I am expecting my first grandchild in August; and two, as they are quick!

I will follow them in numerical order (that's the nerdy list maker in me!), but if I happen to find an earlier one somewhere along the line, I'll pop it in.

So follow along - from the wonderful:

to the not so wonderful (but still lots of fun to look at)!

And please, anyone else who collects Stitchcraft, join in and let me know what you are crafting. Maybe if I get really tech smart and people seem interested, I can even set up a linky! That would be really exciting! Just let me know in the comments if you would like to craft along and think a linky would be fun.

I did find this cover photo from the very first issue on Ravelry.

You can find lots of the lovely covers to look at here, especially the earlier ones.

And what do you think of the name? It came to me when the boys were listening to Adventures In Odyssey. That series seems to just go on forever and I can see this project being a lengthy one. So it just seemed to fit.

I think this will be a fun journey and I hope you do too! So please join me on Sundays for Adventures In Stitchcraft. You can even grab the button in my sidebar.