It’s true.

I’ve finally learned that when I get into bender-mode (or the “tsunami pour” as my Canadian penpal calls it), it’s best to just get myself out of the way and let it unroll.  Screw the general clutter patrol, forget the dirty kitchen floor.  Dig into it and see where it leads.

The other day, I was talking to Barb at The Yarn Shop (who wholeheartedly supports my fiber benders, of course) about featuring a vintage style pattern as a Free Pattern of the Month.  Barb, who attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City back in the day, is always game for a little talk about fashion and style, especially when knitting is involved.  We were discussing the resurgence of the styles of the 80s, staying on top of style trends without falling into the fad trap, and simple summer knits.

As it turns out, the lines of the popular 80s styles are actually interpretations of fashion from the 1930s and 40s.

That leads me to a very sweet discovery:

A Stitch In Time

A Stitch In Time:  Knit and Crochet Patterns by Jane Waller and Susan Crawford.  It’s a re-publication of a book originally published in 1972, a collection of patterns from 1920 — 1949.  (You can get it here.)

Without trying to sound like a high school term paper, I just want to point out that the 1930s were a golden era in entertainment, despite the Great Depression.  People used movies, gatherings, and music as a way to escape the drudgery of their dismal realities.  (Think Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.  Big, dramatic eye candy.)  The same thing is happening on a similar level in these crappy economic times–tv shows where ordinary people are given extraordinary opportunities, movies like Avatar with intense special effects and mad swings of drama, that kind of thing.  I see it through the front lines of the blogging communities, in mama groups, in my Facebook circle, and then I watch it slowly unfurl into the space in front of Annabelle’s stroller on our walks downtown.  People are reaching out to a more solid foundation (chickens, aprons, making our own bread) but bringing a modern twist along with it (organic growing practices, alternative energy, the world wide web).  It’s good medicine in tough times, this influence of the simplicity of the past.

Wait, I was talking about clothes, wasn’t I?

Maybe it’s because I was raised by a collector–a mother who values the history and the story behind the ordinary–but I’m drawn to these old styles in a way that I can’t explain.  They’re feminine without going over the top, beautifully made, and very unique.  Also perfect as a lightweight summer knit or an elegant work of crochet.

rrrrr-ruffles! maybe just on the collar for me.

I like to escape our everyday woes in the world of vintage fashion, I’ll admit it.  Seriously.  Look at this stuff.

um, yes. I am so making this.

there’s some mad potential here.

yeah, some things are better off in the past.

but this little baby is making a debut in the present. fo sho.

there’s even some underwear.

Mad inspiration for this stitchin’ mama…  Once that first sweater gets off the needles, I’ll be tucked behind one of these patterns, hiding from the big, bad economy and enjoying myself.

Where do you find yourself when the world gets sour?  Seriously.  I’m curious.

the humble penny.  my new hero. 

for all you  stay-at-home mamas out there, I don’t have to tell you how we watch these little guys like hawks–though it’s been awhile since I had really studied one. 

1976. 

I fished it out of my son’s mouth this morning and we stuck it in the penny jar together.  I know that it’s been around for jimmy carter, the bi-centennial of the united states, ronald reagan, the cold war, the challenger explosion, grunge rock and flannel shirts, bill clinton, economic surplus, both george bushes.  and now it bears witness to our first african american president.  (I think abraham lincoln would be pretty pleased with that, I really do.)

but how many states has it seen?  how many times has it been fished out of the mouth of a child?  dropped in the street and left behind?  scored as a lucky penny? 

I imagine all the jars of change that are being traded in for dollars in these rainy days and I think of the humble penny.  steadfast and unnoticed, quiet and small.  and I know that america is going to be ok. 

because if it takes bringing a nation to its knees to reclaim the simple things in life,  it just might be worth it.  the countless tales of people getting laid off and starting up tiny home-based businesses, succeeding at “what I’ve always wanted to do.”  the dads spending time with their children–at the doctor’s office, the park, the library–all in the middle of the day because they’re not too busy with work anymore.  the idea of supporting the work of fellow americans becoming popular once again.  these are small and valuable tokens of humanity.

I see old pennies resurfacing from long slumbers in jars and they quietly bring good things.  like always.

**ps:  the “I like you America” category was inspired by my pal Carrie at Rhubarb Sky, who is totally awesome.  Check out her Etsy shop too.