Vintage 1962 Soviet Book: From a Ball of Yarn – Olga Wasserdam | Tsar to Soviet Books

Vintage 1962 Soviet Knitting Guide: "From a Ball of Yarn" by Olga Wasserdam

For fiber art collectors, knitwear designers, and enthusiasts of vintage 1960s fashion, this 1962 original Soviet hardcover manual is an indispensable technical resource. Published in Moscow by Gostorgizdat (Государственное издательство торговой литературы), From a Ball of Yarn (Из клубка ниток) was authored by master knitter Olga Lvovna Wasserdam.

Illustrated by B. Fridkin with instructional photography by G. Petrenko, this 300-page volume provides thorough instruction across garment drafting, stitch mechanics, and early-1960s Soviet silhouette design.

1960s Fashion Design, Technique Photography & Garment Schematics Wasserdam's manual covers foundational and advanced hand-knitting skills:

• Step-by-Step Photography: Detailed photographic close-ups of hand and needle positions for increasing stitches (несколько петель из одной), grafting seams, picking up stitches, and decorative scalloped edges (зубчатый край).

• Garment Pattern Drafting: Complete flat-pattern drafting blocks with sizing calculations for women's jackets with stand-up collars (воротник-стойка), set-in sleeves, raglan tailoring, top-down seamless yokes, dresses, and men's sweaters.

• Children's & Domestic Knitwear: Patterns and sizing charts for infants, toddlers, school-aged children, and small accessories.

• Period Ephemera: Retains period institutional stamps from a military unit library and authentic handwritten knitter's calculations on the rear flyleaf.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Из клубка ниток (From a Ball of Yarn)

• Author: Olga Lvovna Wasserdam (Ольга Львовна Вассердам)

• Illustrator: B. Fridkin (Б. Фридкин) | Photographer: G. Petrenko (Г. Петренко)

• Publisher: "Gostorgizdat" Publishing House (Москва)

• Publication Date: 1962 (Moscow, USSR)

• Language: Russian

• Binding: Original publisher's cloth-backed hardcover

• Page Count: 300 pages, illustrated

• Classification: Soviet Craft Literature / Hand Knitting / 1960s Soviet Fashion & Fiber Arts

Condition & Preservation Report

• Exterior Condition: Original cloth-backed boards are clean, flat, and rigid with light shelf rubbing along extremities.

• Provenance: Authentic vintage institutional ex-library copy from a military library (Библиотека в/ч), marked with clean ink stamps on the title page.

• Binding Integrity: Firm, square, and tight text block with intact hinges.

• Page Quality: Interior pages, photographic plates, and pattern drafting schematics are clean and fully legible with uniform light cream age-toning. Rear endpaper features neat period handwritten knitting calculations. Free from modern pen markings or loose leaves.

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