Fine Things for Plain Occasions

Author Hunter Hammersen has been collecting vintage etiquette guides since she was little. The guides were written before books were filled with page after page of colour pictures, but their authors still had very distinct opinions about what you should be wearing. This means the books are full of marvellous descriptions that you can interpret however you choose, which is exactly what Hunter has done. She started with delightful quotes from some of her most treasured books and used them to design a whole host of different patterns. Each includes the quote that inspired it and each pattern’s name is taken from its quote. (For those of you wondering, the title of the book is also drawn from a particularly amusing line in one of the books.) And, while the inspiration for the patterns may have come from vintage sources, the pieces themselves are perfectly suited to the today’s knitter. There’s not a petticoat, corset, or lace handkerchief in the bunch. Instead you’ll find socks, shawls, mitts, and hats that fit perfectly in a modern wardrobe.