Mid-60s Knits
December 13, 2025
As I’ve been decluttering so we can list our condo for sale, I’ve come across plenty of things I’d forgotten about. Case in point, the Bernat Opalette pattern book from 1966 that had ended up in my bedroom closet in a bag next to the backpack where I’d shoved all the paperwork related to my mom’s estate (no, that’s not where things should be filed, but that’s not the point for today’s entry). There are no photographs of any of the projects (though a few do have pictures of swatches to show the stitch detail). Instead, there’s art. Done by hand, by humans. I love it.
Most of the looks in this book have a skirt (either a separate piece or as part of a dress), which I don’t think is a popular thing to knit these days, much less knitted skirts with zippers, as the ones in this booklet are. (I searched Ravelry for skirt patterns, and the most popular one as of now has a mere 276 projects—and no zipper— compared to the 41 thousand plus for the hat I wrote about the other day.) I certainly don’t want to knit a skirt. I do like looking at them in these drawings, though.
There are a few looks for men, too, like this dude in a cardigan next to the lady in another suit:
And this guy in a v-neck that I’d wear today:
A classic man’s pullover sweater here, along with a cardigan (with front pockets) and a diamond patterned pullover for her:
And finally, a sweater vest for him, and two cardigans for her:
If I ever get back to knitting big projects, I might make one of the cardigans. I’d have to size the pattern up myself. The largest size is an 18, which is about the equivalent of a size 10 today, so smaller than the average woman in the U.S., and I’m above average.
On this date in 2024: No journal entry
2023: Win Some, Lose Some
2022: Getting a Bit Festive
2021: Disney Dishing
2020: So Many Words
2019: Huckleberry Crisp
2018: Fortunate
2017: Government Overreach is in the Eye of the Beholder
2016: Pizzas I Have Known and Loved
2015: End of the Road
2014: Social Butterfly I Am Not and Irrevocable
2013: No entry
2012: Cranky
2011: Emerging from Dormancy
2010: Without Mountains, What’s the Point?
2009: An Apology to My Government
2008: S.O.G. with P.I.P.
2007: WDW Episode IV: A New Hope
2006: What a Difference a Day Makes
2005: 10 Things
2004: Will My Skis Fit in the Overhead Bin?
2003: No entry
2002: Weight Wait








