Help and FAQ

Can't find your answer here? Email us at support@vintagetomodernknits.com and we'll help. You'll hear back from a real knitter, not a bot.

About the patterns

Are these the original vintage patterns?

They're the original designs, rewritten. Each one started as a real pattern from the 1940s to the 1980s. We rebuilt the garment from its written instructions and then wrote it again for your size, your yarn and your gauge, with the detail modern patterns give. The look, the fit and the construction are the designer's. The numbers are yours.

Who makes them?

Every design is chosen by a knitter and checked against its original pattern before it goes in the shop. Your own copy is calculated for your numbers when you order, and checked so the pieces fit together. Read more on our about page.

What do I get?

A complete PDF pattern, ready the moment you've paid. You can read it on screen, print it or save it, and we email you a link to come back to it. Inside: materials, every piece written out for your size, row counts with lengths to check against, stitch counts after each step, measured drawings and full making-up instructions.

How hard are they?

Every pattern has a skill level, shown on its page with a line saying why:

• Beginner: simple shapes and stitches, ideal for a first garment.
• Easy: plain or simply textured knitting with straightforward shaping and making up.
• Intermediate: cables, lace, colourwork or more involved shaping, all written out step by step.
• Experienced: detailed charts, intarsia, or tricky shaping worked at the same time as other steps.

Whatever the level, every pattern is written out in full, step by step, with row counts and stitch counts along the way. If you can knit, purl, increase and decrease, you can follow the Beginner and Easy ones, and anything special is explained in the pattern.

Why are some patterns knitted flat?

Because that's how the designer built them, and it matters. Many patterns from the 1940s and 1950s rely on their seams. The seams hold the fitted shapes in place: the neat waist, the sharp shoulders, the sleeve that sits just so. Knit the same pieces in the round and you lose that structure. We keep each garment's original construction, so if the original was knitted flat and sewn up, so is ours.

Where knitting in the round doesn't change the garment, we give you the choice. A few patterns can have the body knitted in the round, up to the underarms (or the yoke, for the smock), so there are no side seams to sew. Everything above that is the same as the flat version. You'll see the choice when you make your pattern, and they're all listed on our patterns to knit in the round page.

Can I send you my own vintage pattern to convert?

Not at the moment, sorry. Getting a pattern right takes a long time. It isn't a case of multiplying everything by 2.4: each design has to be rebuilt from its instructions, graded size by size and checked before we'd put our name to it. We'd rather do fewer patterns properly.

If you'd like to have a go yourself, these will help:

• How to resize a vintage knitting pattern
• Will it fit? to check the ease of the original
• Gauge to yarn weight to find a modern yarn
• Vintage yarn calculator to turn ounces into balls
• Old knitting needle sizes

Are the patterns in US or UK terms?

At the moment the patterns use UK knitting terms (cast off, stocking stitch, tension) and measurements in centimetres, with every abbreviation listed. If a word is unfamiliar, our abbreviations guide has the US equivalents. And if anything isn't clear, just ask.

Gauge, yarn and size

Why do you need my gauge?

Everyone knits a little differently. Using your own stitches and rows means the pieces come out the right size, without you having to match someone else's gauge. Our guide shows how to measure your gauge.

Do I really have to knit a swatch?

Honestly? For most patterns, no. Most knitters don't, and you can simply enter the gauge printed on your yarn's label. It's a good starting point, and the pattern tells you what each piece should measure as you go, so you can check early.

If you want it to fit perfectly, knit a swatch. Everyone's tension is a little different from the label's, and washing can change it too. A swatch knitted, washed and measured in your own yarn is the only way to be sure.

A few patterns do need one: those with cables, colourwork or a textured stitch, where the gauge is measured over the pattern itself. A yarn label's gauge is for plain stockinette, so it won't give the right size. Those pattern pages say so clearly.

My gauge is between two numbers. What do I enter?

Enter exactly what you measured. Half stitches are fine, so 22.5 is a perfectly good answer. Please don't round to a "nicer" number: the pattern is worked out from what you type.

Why can't I choose bulky yarn for some patterns?

Some designs only look right in a particular weight of yarn. A fine 1940s blouse-sweater in bulky yarn stops looking like itself. So we only offer the yarns that keep each garment true to the original, and you'll know before you pay if your numbers won't work. To see every pattern we can write for your yarn, try which of our patterns suit my yarn?

How much yarn will I need?

Your pattern gives an estimate for your size and yarn, in metres (divide by the metres on your ball band, or multiply by 1.09 for yards). We suggest buying one extra ball, especially if you can't get more from the same dye lot.

Which size should I choose?

Choose the size nearest your actual bust measurement. Each pattern adds the ease its original design had, so a fitted 1940s cardigan stays fitted and a roomy 1980s sweater stays roomy.

I have a fuller bust. Will the pattern fit me?

Vintage patterns were written for one shape of bust, usually with a 1950s bra or corset underneath. Our patterns are graded by bust measurement, so the width is right for your size. If you're a larger cup size, though, the front can ride up a little, because it needs more length over the bust than the back does. The fix is a few short rows across the front to add that length. Our guide to short-row bust darts shows how, step by step, with a worked example. If you're not sure, email us with your pattern and measurements and we'll help you work it out.

Can I get a different size or yarn later?

Each pattern is written for one size, yarn and gauge. For another, make a new one from the pattern page.

Ordering and downloads

How do I pay?

On Stripe's secure checkout page, by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Link. Stripe sells the pattern on our behalf, handles VAT and sales tax, and sends your receipt. Your card details never reach us.

I've lost my pattern

The link in your order email takes you back to it. No account or password needed.

Something's wrong with my pattern

Please email us. If there's a mistake, we'll fix it and send you a corrected pattern, or refund you if we can't. See our refund policy.

Getting help

I'm stuck on a step

That's what we're here for. Email us at support@vintagetomodernknits.com and we'll help. Tell us which pattern, which piece and which row, and a real knitter will help you through it.