Knitting Advent Calendar 24: Marilyn Monroe

Happy Christmas - here's Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn herself was a knitter, as seen in the film "Let's make Love". She's not wearing a very interesting sweater here, but she's wearing the hell out of it.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Knitting Advent Calendar 23: V-back sweater.

Another 80's Bomb before we get to the glamorous final. I don't even know where to begin here. The baggy elephantine sleeves, the huge back cleavage which will surely cause the shoulders to slide off all the time, the nasty oversize lace, or the "skirt" made from a plastic table cloth. Oh 80's, we don't miss you.

Knitting Advent Calendar 22: Dorothy Lamour

This is by far my most favourite sweater of the book. Boatnecked and beaded, now this is how you do glam knitwear.

Bill Gibb thinks that she looks "not dissimilar to today's pop star Madonna". I don't see it.

Knitting Advent Calendar 21: Greta Garbo

What the book calls "Le Style Garbo" is maybe a bit more rustic on the average lady, but I do like the honeycomb pattern here.

Knitting Advent Calendar 20: Peggy Cummins

Mr Gibb describes this as "one of the more sensual sweaters of the book". I think it's just the prominent boobs, not so much the sweater!

Knitting Advent Calendar 19: Jennifer Jones

This oversize sweater looks strangely modern! Also very cosy.

Couldn't find any fascinating facts about her but she seemed to be cast as "asian" quite frequently. Sounds like a few of the ladies in this book fell into that "exotic" category purely because they had dark hair. Hum.

Knitting Advent Calendar 18: Chevron Boy

This guy is a wonderful example of the non-gender-normative upbringing of children in the 80's. I'm still not convinced whether it's a boy. The bravery of mixing Tartan with this herringbone pattern, as well as playing on a space hopper in weather that requires gloves - admirable!

Knitting Advent Calendar 17: Virginia Mayo

There's something rather "Sound of Music" about this one, probably the German style hat and jacket - but the jumper is also rather folky. Cute!

Knitting Advent Calendar 16: Lana Turner

Well, she's a feisty one! I'm slightly scared.

Today's favourite Wikipedia fact is that she accidentally had an affair with a real life gangster in her 30's, and once had such a violent argument with him that her teenage daughter intervened and stabbed him to death! So - best not to mess with her.

Knitting Advent Calendar 15: Jean Harlow

The original Blonde Bombshell wearing a supremely itchy-looking polo shirt.

Knitting Advent Calendar 14: Robert Taylor

This needs no comment other than to state this man's birth name: Spangler Arlington Brough. Considering this together with the case of Archibald Leach, it seems like a lot of playground bullying is a good prerequisite for becoming a hollywood heartthrob.

Knitting Advent Calendar 13: Jane Greer

According to the description in the book, Jane Greer was often cast as a "villainess". Based on this picture, I imagine her to play a department manager at John Lewis who won't give you a refund on this scarf you bought for your wife just because she didn't like the pattern ("too much like a 7up advert").

Knitting Advent Calendar 12: Chinese Sweater

A wonderful bit of 80's baggy ninja chinoiserie! I'm not sure if the balaclava is part of the pattern.

Knitting Advent Calendar 11: Adele Jergens

I love this thing! Crazy belly baring fuzzy sweater! Sexy scandi lady!

Knitting Advent Calendar 10: Cary Grant

Cary Grant! A local boy. Born Archibald Leach in Bristol, and went to the same primary school as my boyfriend (although not at the same time)! Sporting a classic cricket sweater here. I really find it hard to take a sport seriously that has its own knitwear.

Knitting Advent Calendar 9: Jane Wyman

This is one of my favourites - see those three lines on her chest? Those are cigarettes! With shiny red thread for the glowing ends. The epitome of glamour.

I love her charm belt too, with her initials in it (Jane Wyman Reagan I guess - she was married to Ronald R once).

Knitting Advent Calendar 8: Loretta Young

Loretta Young, actress and TV personality - too classy to be amusing.

Knitting Advent Calendar 7: Judy Garland

Ah, Judy Garland! Gay icons have changed a lot since. Don't think Lady Gaga would be seen dead in this.

So if you look very closely, you can see that the fluffy bit is not a stole, but in fact the sleeves of this cardigan! Very cute.

Knitting Advent Calendar 6: Errol Flynn

Hm. They say Errol Flynn was "extremely handsome and virile". I'm not sure how this smarmy grin fits into that. And in my book, a gentleman does not wear his trousers held up by a piece of string.



Slightly boring jumper too... but I thought I'd give you some male eye candy if this kind of thing floats your boat.

Knitting Advent Calendar 5: Claudette Colbert

The blurb for this pattern describes Mme Colbert as a "superb clothes horse" with a "strangely feline face", somewhat unflatteringly.

I really love the strong shoulders on this cardigan, no wonder they were keen on it in the 80s (and now, probably!).

Knitting Advent Calendar 4: Sailor Suit

Today, in honour of the Bristol Harbour Harlot's Roller Derby bout against South West Angels of Terror, a "smart" 80's Sailor Suit!



I swear there is a nipple in this picture. And would it have killed her to dry her hair?

Knitting Advent Calendar 3: Vilma Banky

A lesser known starlet this week! But with an interesting jumper. This has an embroidered Union Jack and some sort of colonial flag? A weird choice considering she was Hungarian and worked in Hollywood. She was one of the actresses whose careers were ended by the "talkies" as apparently Hungarian accents weren't considered sexy, like French, or German (right?).

Knitting Advent Calendar 2: Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper today! Nice Christmas jumper, too. According to the blurb he "exuded from a screen a powerful sexuality". Can't disagree, really.

Knitting Advent Calendar 1: Joan Crawford

It's December again which can only mean one thing - I find pictures of celebrities wearing knitwear and post them here for your delectation.

This year is going to be less mocking and more admiring in tone, as I managed to get my hand on a book called Hollywood Knits. It was published in the 80s, but all the photos are from much earlier in the century. The author Bill Gibb dug out photos of "Old Hollywood" film stars posing in glamorous jumpers and then reverse engineered the patterns from the photos. Amazing!

Kicking things off is the beautiful Joan Crawford:



I especially like the sequinned braces. I would completely wear this entire outfit (maybe minus the unflattering gathered skirt waist).