I will be perfectly honest with you. The only reason I’ve put off writing about this book despite loving Joan McGowan-Michael’s designs is because….the lady on the cover isn’t wearing pants. I know that makes me Queen Square of Squareland, but it’s one of my many failings.
I can’t go on and on about my Ruby cardigan without acknowledging the designer’s first book. I’ve linked to McGowan-Michael’s website, if you order from there (I’m not affiliated) you get an autographed copy! I got my non-autographed copy off Amazon (also not affiliated. Yet.)
“I came of age in the 1970s, a time when feminists threw away their bras to express their freedom and the style for underthings was basic, functional, and — as far as I was concerned — boring. However, I couldn’t help but notice that my mother and grandmother and the older lady who lived next door had some intriguing pieces in their drawers and hanging on their clotheslines: girdles, and circular-stitched nose-cone bras, slippery satin bed jackets, seamed stockings, and strange flat pieces with hooks, grips, and rubber. Some of these items had boning and wires and such interesting construction I couldn’t imagine what they were supposed to do. Some had lovely embroidery and lace, and I wondered why anyone would go to such trouble to decorate an item that would ultimately be covered up. But most of all, in my mind, these items were the essence of femininity, something I thought I’d never get a chance to share in, since the fashion for it seemed to have passed me by.” -Knitting Lingerie Style
The chapters in this book start off with a basic garment, give a little background to the item, then present several patterns based off that garment. The first chapter is on the bra, and she starts with a pattern for a fully-functional Basic Bra. I really can’t see myself knitting my own bras, but if the time ever comes, I know which way I’ll turn. She follows that up with tops based off bras and corsets, such as a ribbed twinset, and a top based off 1940s “playwear” fashion. There are patterns for slips, both basic (as far as any of her designs can be considered ‘basic’, to more intricate riffs on the concept.
The design on the cover is what she calls the One-Piece Wonder, which is essentially knit shapewear, but she references an item of 1920s lingerie. The chapter that I’ve knit the most from so far is the camisole, and she gives us several light, lacy tops that are suitable for every season depending on how you layer them. There are also multiple patterns for stockings and socks, leggings, bed jackets, and others.
To me this book is exceptional, a perfectly condensed collection of McGowan-Michael’s personal style and design themes, sprinkled with her extensive research into historical fashion, and how to translate it for the modern-day knitter. If McGowan-Michael were to ever put out another book, I would snap it up in a second. For now Ii’ll have to make due with this one and the vast selection of patterns and kits available through her website.