Handknit Holidays - A New Outfit for a Sweet Little Dolly

vintagemegknits
Dec 4
2 min read

This little lovely appeared as "A New Doll for Christmas" in the December 1937 issue of Good Needlework and Knitting Magazine

What lovely little 1930s person wouldn't want to wake up to a new dolly under the tree? Or wrapped in lovely paper on their birthday? Or a lovely new handknit holiday outfit for their tiny treasure?

I've had a bit of an interwar domestic history obsession of late and have acquired in my ramblings a significant stack of lovely women's magazines and needlecraft books dating between 1918 and 1939. And as you do, in the mad panic before the holidays, I have been leafing through them all looking for those perfect gift knits for the people in my life that are worthy of handknit holiday gifting, both the big and the small.

I know it's just a few weeks to Christmas, but I have a small person who loves her dollies and I think I can pull this one off just in the nick of time.

This sweet little dolly all dressed in lovely soft wool, features in the December 1937 edition of Good Needlework and Knitting Magazine as "A new Doll for Christmas". She had previously featured as "A New Doll for Her Birthday" in another publication from that decade, The Book of Good Needlework edition No. 5. My personal copy is a lovely old hardcover volume, that is now rather shabby (unsurprising given it's age) but the pages are still more than legible and it is definitely the exact same pattern. I haven't found an exact date for publication, so it may or may not pre-date the magazine article.

1930s Book of Good Needlework No. 5. You can find downloadable copies of all five books in the series here

I have yet to cast on the project, but have found a box of lovely old Patons 3ply baby yarns, which knit to around the same tension as the 2ply Lady Betty Wool recommended in both publications. I'll pop back after the holidays and let you know if I got this one finished in time.

If you'd like to knit along, I've added photographs of the magazine pattern below. I think you can just right click and save to your device. If not, head over to the link provided in the image description above to download your own copy of the whole book.

Happy Knitting,

Meg.