CollectIn Texas Gal

4/2/18

AtoZ Challenge...Books For Knitters

AtoZ Letter B

Once upon a time I thought I wanted to be a Lace Knitter, and said so to my Knitting Group. At that time I was a novice knitter...that's like knowing less than Knit 1-Purl 2.

I should have guessed it was a presumptuous statement to make when my seasoned knitter friends' eyebrows shot up to their hairlines and their eyes rolled to the back of their heads.

I took to knitting like a duck takes to a sandbox. Never the less, I proceeded to collect all the stuff knitters need including books.

The Knitted Lace book was a gift from one of my eye rolling friends. At the time, I thought, "how nice of her to encourage me in the art of knitting lace."

After investing in lace knitting needles, skeins and skeins of lace yarn, a lace knitting class, super bifocal lenses and hours and hours of casting on thousands of stitches and failing at making even one pattern of lace...I knew why eyebrows met hairlines and eyeballs rolled in their sockets.

So, I started over with knitting and got back to basics with Vickie Howell's 'knit aid' book...a learn it, fix it, finish it guide. Seriously, doesn't she look the epitome of confidence and knowledge sitting there knitting in those stilettos and skinny jeans?

I definitely do not own a pair of stilettos, but I donned my skinniest jeans, got jumbo needles and fat yarn and became a Web/Blog Knitwit. Sure to her word, Vickie had me chatting with my knitting peeps in Knitting Abbreviations Talk....so cool to finally know what they had been talking about.

So, I'll leave you with this slew of abbreviations as I need to get back to my 'KPeeps' and the Tinking of the that LACE WIP that has been OTK since the 6-25-2011 KAL started with KIP friends at the LYS who assured me this shawl was FCEK. They LIED...it has been as hard as any VK pattern or IK project...and to think, I gave them my TIA for all of their HTH help! Needless to say I no longer KIP or KAL anymore at the LYS on this project since I can't remember how to SSK and seem to be OT more often than not while my friends are hard at work on their OKC projects. I'm OK with it all as I am HK on a shelf full of WIP's with hopes that one day they will be FO's....OMG!!

Aren't you glad this OKC is FO'd?

Retrospective of AtoZ Letter B

2013...Bluebonnet Lore

2014...The Burglar and Betsy's Blue Transferware

2015...1950's Bathing Beauty Bombs

2016...Button Bin Binging Basics

4/1/18

AtoZ Challenge...Apparel Acessories for Easter

AtoZ Letter A

Easter apparel has certainly changed over the years...I should say over the decades. For now, let's go with the last Century and take a trip back to the 20th...not so long ago...Century's 50's and 60's.

I remember it well. Easter Sunday was a day for wearing a whole new outfit from head to toe. I almost always made the dress. Shopping for the accessories...now that was the best part of getting ready for Easter.

Here's my 'OverDoSue' Collection of Vintage Easter Apparel Acessories.

Gloves, handbags and shoes were selected to match the dress, and having the versatility of mixing and matching for future Sunday Best Dresses. The jeweled handbag pictured with the black gloves is an Enid Collins, and if you owned one you were not only in style, but the owner of a future collectible.

Collins of Texas opened in 1959 in Medina, Texas. Enid Collins, owner and designer, made two types of bags, wooden box purses and canvas style bucket style bags. Each purse was hand decorated with paint, sequins and rhinestones in themed designs. Never intended to be fad creations, Enid finished all of her handbags with leather trim, mirrors, brass findings and fasteners.

Like all collectibles, Collins bags in excellent condition are most desired. Having a 'Signature' is also important. Early box bags are fully signed under the Enid Collins name, and are often dated by year. Canvas bags frequently have their themed names written on them and often are signed "ec or "c" which represent the years in which Enid Collins owned the company. Capital "C" or "Collins of Texas" are Tandy produced bags. Tandy bought Collins of Texas in 1970 and the bags of their era are no less attractive, but their signatures reflect on the value and desirability of the bag. (Enid Collins Handbags)

The choice of hat style, color and material was almost limitless. Designers produced masses of avant-garde , but traditional styles were the norm. The 1950s were the last real heyday for hat makers. The casualness of the 60's and onward saw the demise of many large haberdasheries.