tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28055806310579573402024-03-19T00:52:43.261+00:00Knitting Now and ThenMostly about knitting history. Sometimes about what I'm knitting. Sometimes about other things too.Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.comBlogger636125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-76669255844972417892023-10-27T12:38:00.005+01:002023-10-27T21:13:14.501+01:00An (Almost) A to Z of Knitting Needle Brands<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Back in 2014, the volunteers working on the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection had a week of concentrated work trying to sort out the hundreds (or thousands) of knitting needles that had been given to the collection but weren't at that point organised in any way. We called it Hook and Needle Week, but in fact we didn't get beyond the straight, single-pointed needles until much later. The photo gives you an idea of the task we were faced with. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_ljBSIaQgq_K3SW5ur7P-do1IEnWdKf3yDnaIir1O0FCp6m_g7XExRoXIzgZtuo3N_ysr31JV4ffSefr5GX6jRqal8n0eeNvHAbZk3qYNA-GmpUICczElMhwo8-tWi0UVxczPxUrzZIL9XS6WtFqwWn9zc4h2Q7mOjpRvOQT9C8cUii_2ouhoHBC0OE/s1600/Random%20knitting%20needles.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1290" data-original-width="1600" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_ljBSIaQgq_K3SW5ur7P-do1IEnWdKf3yDnaIir1O0FCp6m_g7XExRoXIzgZtuo3N_ysr31JV4ffSefr5GX6jRqal8n0eeNvHAbZk3qYNA-GmpUICczElMhwo8-tWi0UVxczPxUrzZIL9XS6WtFqwWn9zc4h2Q7mOjpRvOQT9C8cUii_2ouhoHBC0OE/w400-h323/Random%20knitting%20needles.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">During the week, one of the other volunteers decided to try to put together a set of needle brands for every letter from A to Z. It wasn't quite possible, but almost. This September, I gave a talk on the collection at the Guild Convention weekend, and showed an A to Z set of needles as part of the talk. I have decided to similar needle alphabet here. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A is for.... Actually, lots of needle brands, the most obvious being Aero - still the most common brand if you look at the knitting needles on sale in charity shops, although new Aero needles have not been on sale for many years. But here A is for a much rarer brand, <b>Anlaby</b>. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUewCa_Q4rLUchNsUDqjm7IR4JDLZDrquQOQqhCQGWgL4q27GX-QGZ8bZ44eGMyJESIWh6EYxkkfbMmaif7NTGnk_tO-hCrb7EjlWfZmkJ0VNAQCmDJYe0icG5jki-t5ttsJAX_0dCA7v6a86sNCd8u7HCYBkUQseITwgHn0v1kyA8WmqhZgAwB5VJ9Q/s1600/Anlaby%20needles,%20size%204,%2010%20inch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1600" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUewCa_Q4rLUchNsUDqjm7IR4JDLZDrquQOQqhCQGWgL4q27GX-QGZ8bZ44eGMyJESIWh6EYxkkfbMmaif7NTGnk_tO-hCrb7EjlWfZmkJ0VNAQCmDJYe0icG5jki-t5ttsJAX_0dCA7v6a86sNCd8u7HCYBkUQseITwgHn0v1kyA8WmqhZgAwB5VJ9Q/w400-h199/Anlaby%20needles,%20size%204,%2010%20inch.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Anlaby needles, size 4, 10 inch </span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Although it is almost invisible, the needles have ANLABY REGD. 4 engraved or stamped into the plastic, and then filled with some sort of ink or paint that has almost worn off. It is white on pink, anyway, so can't have been very obvious even when new. Anlaby was a brand of knitting wool in the 1930s - I only know that because we have two Anlaby pattern leaflets (not in very good condition), one shown below. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDhw8ENrQ8pxBsQq5hf_HUnmJ_ICOc1K-vvoTJRQPWpWlkShomqzhjYs7294cfLn5Q5YpwbD3yLo7mQ5NRS56mPgUSxLUp3HRwRXsuxIGlRaM_izMIbBJaGHw3pcTrX1iNUMdHIJLpRAX9MhN7eHm8muemplUnMSd3VhDJvifZoHdIx7up4zHck0rXrk/s1447/Anlaby%20315%20a%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1447" data-original-width="1061" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDhw8ENrQ8pxBsQq5hf_HUnmJ_ICOc1K-vvoTJRQPWpWlkShomqzhjYs7294cfLn5Q5YpwbD3yLo7mQ5NRS56mPgUSxLUp3HRwRXsuxIGlRaM_izMIbBJaGHw3pcTrX1iNUMdHIJLpRAX9MhN7eHm8muemplUnMSd3VhDJvifZoHdIx7up4zHck0rXrk/w294-h400/Anlaby%20315%20a%20(1).jpg" width="294" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The company making Anlaby wools would not have made the needles themselves - I imagine that they were commissioned from a knitting needle manufacturer, for sale in shops that sold the wool, as a way of promoting the brand. </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">B is for <b>Bonette</b> - full marks for making the brand and size easily visible on the needle. Bonette needles were advertised in 1957, though they may have been made much earlier. They were made by a London company, and I think only made plastic needles - whereas the traditional needle manufacturers around Redditch were originally metal workers. The name may have been intended to suggest that the needles were similar to bone (only better, presumably). Bone was a common material for knitting needles and crochet hooks until the 1920s, when it was replaced by the early plastics. (See <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2017/06/making-bone-knitting-needles.html">here</a> for an account of how bone needles were made). The cream colour of this pair may be intended to reinforce that, but Bonette needles were made in other colours too, though perhaps later, when bone needles were no longer made. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOxnpXJERdinh25UDX1Hf9a_nPRsClmoFxIsbHTSkM4jEQQbP-z_luVCbkR_S0z1dZG0YC0oNkUTl9Dw7amfsGmiM33jTFFjm8c2DzeRZfKsRD1fQC0F2m39KuObUeMatnNRDoo_Ub39O0Np7tIynMZeTsMEtU2lhuMZcPsoHjCtXmt2ty7Ntfhb1Gag/s1600/Bonette%20needles,%20size%202,%2012%20inch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOxnpXJERdinh25UDX1Hf9a_nPRsClmoFxIsbHTSkM4jEQQbP-z_luVCbkR_S0z1dZG0YC0oNkUTl9Dw7amfsGmiM33jTFFjm8c2DzeRZfKsRD1fQC0F2m39KuObUeMatnNRDoo_Ub39O0Np7tIynMZeTsMEtU2lhuMZcPsoHjCtXmt2ty7Ntfhb1Gag/w400-h200/Bonette%20needles,%20size%202,%2012%20inch.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bonette needles, size 2, 12 inch<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /></span><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Cronit </b>was a brand of rayon for crochet and knitting (hence the name) in the 1940s and 50s. Like the Anlaby needles, the Cronit needles would have been made for the Cronit company, to promote the brand. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVajZGKmf0N7N8eHTcl-v9MYoy5dcXUDlbYvKOzXg01wPlmRZ0wqFugwzS63NXIJo7FBsbPHiSwoh1_oH5-XEtFH2_fQaUkeNmkQkIRnEkkXyY3EFmnkCETEfgAyvle9AFb6jkVhaGHjGWFo_RfbfMTR25shFVkelkgkOcNQqyNa0CPaewn84XjNY3oVs/s1600/Cronit%20needles,%20size%208,%2010%20inch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="1600" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVajZGKmf0N7N8eHTcl-v9MYoy5dcXUDlbYvKOzXg01wPlmRZ0wqFugwzS63NXIJo7FBsbPHiSwoh1_oH5-XEtFH2_fQaUkeNmkQkIRnEkkXyY3EFmnkCETEfgAyvle9AFb6jkVhaGHjGWFo_RfbfMTR25shFVkelkgkOcNQqyNa0CPaewn84XjNY3oVs/w400-h122/Cronit%20needles,%20size%208,%2010%20inch.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Cronit needles, size 8, 10 inch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">These needles <i>may</i> have the brand name and size marked on the needles, but if so, the marking is completely invisible. They are only identifiable because of the paper label. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NBCdPKHKJY0cFTBP4c83hLpA9alJSEREBXqufhj7M8rtDGw5ARc4j_tqDrR7SWFmoZRv0LpP4j5jyuIrLg4dfe42iX5wbzRQJkUkDwpFSD8hl5cd2whW_ToqzOOxrpUnPxki-R92o892UfgCZutsCG27AACqlmUVZSEJU_P_DLeFM3M4KDm8bVqva0A/s1259/Cronit%20443.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="780" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NBCdPKHKJY0cFTBP4c83hLpA9alJSEREBXqufhj7M8rtDGw5ARc4j_tqDrR7SWFmoZRv0LpP4j5jyuIrLg4dfe42iX5wbzRQJkUkDwpFSD8hl5cd2whW_ToqzOOxrpUnPxki-R92o892UfgCZutsCG27AACqlmUVZSEJU_P_DLeFM3M4KDm8bVqva0A/w248-h400/Cronit%20443.jpg" width="248" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">D is for <b>Duralite</b>. The paper label reads Shrimpton's Duralite, so this was a brand name of Alfred Shrimpton & Son, a long-established needle manufacturing company in Redditch. The needles are coated aluminium. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzvetJiBENZyWSsVv45vhbBx6WpShyphenhyphenLgQW4j7PHmn6Fp23mhkvDRdhxIVcROqpeCs5XklGCSgPKSwHDtMrJGBD46jmh8KkBcWDnECA_RXIMBPVljRGLfxEn39JZE9FMyTl4RtT4rZdqJHkGUiVgD_H8jr1HEJb6TCrSXoixZDfNDJnA6L6wIDgluY-ps/s1600/Duralite%20needles,%20size%2013,%2010%20inch%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="1600" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzvetJiBENZyWSsVv45vhbBx6WpShyphenhyphenLgQW4j7PHmn6Fp23mhkvDRdhxIVcROqpeCs5XklGCSgPKSwHDtMrJGBD46jmh8KkBcWDnECA_RXIMBPVljRGLfxEn39JZE9FMyTl4RtT4rZdqJHkGUiVgD_H8jr1HEJb6TCrSXoixZDfNDJnA6L6wIDgluY-ps/w400-h113/Duralite%20needles,%20size%2013,%2010%20inch%20(1).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Duralite needles, size 13, 10 inch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">They have a flattened area towards the head, embossed with Duralite on one side and the size on the other. There are Duralite crochet hooks in the collection, too, which are marked in the same way. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9FM5jhY170JypsLc1y5Pfl_pGT9T57SNIBwF0MkAd_DK_J8B1yLN8M-BiOgegbUYdFsDCbXRLhX6QRjxgRmw0SSLSZoAIDEEN2ExS_8JmoKTeyGtFtTsnZKUvV4bzHlPfTEQscSoGnwEEYOBZFwWUgOjkdPcr2i13GPuY69w95CtDyp1S2F8fPJb18k/s1600/Duralite%20needles,%20size%2013,%2010%20inch%20(1)-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1600" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9FM5jhY170JypsLc1y5Pfl_pGT9T57SNIBwF0MkAd_DK_J8B1yLN8M-BiOgegbUYdFsDCbXRLhX6QRjxgRmw0SSLSZoAIDEEN2ExS_8JmoKTeyGtFtTsnZKUvV4bzHlPfTEQscSoGnwEEYOBZFwWUgOjkdPcr2i13GPuY69w95CtDyp1S2F8fPJb18k/s320/Duralite%20needles,%20size%2013,%2010%20inch%20(1)-001.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I know nothing about <b>Ezeenit</b> needles. We have a single needle in the collection, along with a very discoloured pair - the photo shows both ends of the single needle. It is rather soft plastic, which makes it very bendy, though in its favour, it is clearly marked. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQms40aGeTdvcR4eHfO6j4j_yqUzl6NMOnvxOXzVSL6MWoAYyDfWgh1SMbgAwWUR4Zgl2B8f7V_tssLTusFcZBwID0qsGtVDdEud2kJKEXm-q9AhJyoNGd994YSS_b9fdn-BDdt1M_J-pVnfc_BXfKtImU_htIHUOSRYDtTWNDpj55zbbYY2rhZdq43f8/s1600/Eezinit%20needle,%20size%209,%2012%20inch%20(1)-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1600" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQms40aGeTdvcR4eHfO6j4j_yqUzl6NMOnvxOXzVSL6MWoAYyDfWgh1SMbgAwWUR4Zgl2B8f7V_tssLTusFcZBwID0qsGtVDdEud2kJKEXm-q9AhJyoNGd994YSS_b9fdn-BDdt1M_J-pVnfc_BXfKtImU_htIHUOSRYDtTWNDpj55zbbYY2rhZdq43f8/w400-h243/Eezinit%20needle,%20size%209,%2012%20inch%20(1)-001.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ezeenit needle, size 9, 12 inch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><br />Flora MacDonald </b>was a brand name of Abel Morrall Ltd., needle manufacturers in Redditch. The name was originally used only for sewing needles, but then applied also to these unusual knitting needles. </span></div><div><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNmpLM116FLyyBhnKmi0KJOOQbLQX31r-Gqkqi5GcOqlFLwuPBP4JcV7AbMtKBYyxvovRemuaclrqHyPouU0N0mkuiU5blaJamxCwXl7HvVGsVKl5ZQxicGLjbTXIPmg74HJMjnyAGx2NIlvvYRW1Blj9kWLUXh6Q3gTnf0zTNvjXAK6otzuwbbYlFYg/s1600/Flora%20Macdonald%20needles,%20size%207,%2012%20inch%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="1600" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNmpLM116FLyyBhnKmi0KJOOQbLQX31r-Gqkqi5GcOqlFLwuPBP4JcV7AbMtKBYyxvovRemuaclrqHyPouU0N0mkuiU5blaJamxCwXl7HvVGsVKl5ZQxicGLjbTXIPmg74HJMjnyAGx2NIlvvYRW1Blj9kWLUXh6Q3gTnf0zTNvjXAK6otzuwbbYlFYg/w400-h131/Flora%20Macdonald%20needles,%20size%207,%2012%20inch%20(1).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Flora MacDonald needles, size 7, 12 inch</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>The needle is only the stated size (7, i.e. 4.5 mm.) for a short length (about 4 inches) at the pointed end, the rest is much thinner. Oddly, the narrow part of the needle is steel, while the thicker part (and the head) are some other (non-magnetic) metal. Possibly it is an aluminium alloy, since knitting needle ads sometimes claimed that pure, uncoated aluminium could discolour knitting wool. A size 7 needle entirely in steel would be heavy, as well as liable to rust, but I don't know why the Flora MacDonald needles were not made in the aluminium alloy throughout - as <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2017/03/stratnoid-knitting-pins.html">Stratnoid needles</a> were, for instance. It seems a bit of a gimmick - and I don't think that Flora MacDonald knitting needles were current for very long. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The name Flora MacDonald name is stamped into the head of each needle. The thicker part of the needles is stamped with the size, and a registered design number, 703016, which dates it to 1924. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTis9LJSkJF_RmNbfCrkNJkcN6iBVn4_cbAc7RSXwviRBH1FKnvHIsWy5Q4NSck8-q2DF9B-QTxCbEwnO0OqgZBpwP-dKdSDDsVfo4UX3grELfKmyemp2Bu7YH_EWaZGIK-o7qtPxIv1Q0ooMxjtaZZS-uOL02CLlujuu43cl7Vlh5BOFNZIDFglylgLU/s1600/Flora%20Macdonald%20reg%20number.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="1600" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTis9LJSkJF_RmNbfCrkNJkcN6iBVn4_cbAc7RSXwviRBH1FKnvHIsWy5Q4NSck8-q2DF9B-QTxCbEwnO0OqgZBpwP-dKdSDDsVfo4UX3grELfKmyemp2Bu7YH_EWaZGIK-o7qtPxIv1Q0ooMxjtaZZS-uOL02CLlujuu43cl7Vlh5BOFNZIDFglylgLU/w400-h165/Flora%20Macdonald%20reg%20number.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Registered design no. 703016</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The only pair of <b>Golden Spinning Wheel</b> needles in the Guild collection are a slightly translucent yellow (or gold) - I assume in reference to the name. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsVOMWKqqZiQa0RQk9fiwK_Yn_30bW76yLCGmxKZ5nROObIOhnRW9axfZm3lWERPYgcKylb8EpO8X6gC6_j1j6FSmxppLHkEY5b2XzzlL68kpex3AzCG65yLZwtrxqi09fZsucKhvpJixyrCY-3btA4-VfmUj2_CPxiTg9cZ-rKhDiAV6bclWhIKXahI/s1600/Golden%20Spinning%20Wheel%20needles,%20size%205,%2015%20inch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsVOMWKqqZiQa0RQk9fiwK_Yn_30bW76yLCGmxKZ5nROObIOhnRW9axfZm3lWERPYgcKylb8EpO8X6gC6_j1j6FSmxppLHkEY5b2XzzlL68kpex3AzCG65yLZwtrxqi09fZsucKhvpJixyrCY-3btA4-VfmUj2_CPxiTg9cZ-rKhDiAV6bclWhIKXahI/w400-h180/Golden%20Spinning%20Wheel%20needles,%20size%205,%2015%20inch.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Golden Spinning Wheel needles, size 5, 15 inch</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I searched for "Golden Spinning Wheel" in the newspapers in FindMyPast, and found a few ads for the shops of John Smith & Co. (Wools) Ltd. from the 1920s and later. Further searching found <a href="https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19389944.story-glasgow-sauchiehall-street-shop-famous-golden-spinning-wheel/">this article</a> on the company. The main shop was evidently in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, though later there were shops all over Scotland, and in England too. The Sauchiehall shop had a golden spinning wheel as its shop sign. The shops sold knitting wools, as well as ready-made clothing, and many other things as well. I don't know for certain that these Golden Spinning Wheel needles were made for sale in the John Smith shops, but I think it's very likely. </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">H is for <b>Hella</b>. (You would think that it would be fairly easy to find knitting needles brands beginning with H, but this is the only pair in the Guild collection.) The needles are metal - not steel, so I guess an aluminium alloy. I don't know anything else about them. </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrio7070lYsg5pswNLtNoqhWkoaFlFTMKx8GsUaVesOT1P4iIDIstXt8LMyDOIvMq6_6nx9-dvJ_EilaZb6YHgHKppr_lhSw0QRyy9ZHZhnXI-ZUzWIKu24UBw4_WquVVvBA-tYPBKOTH-JnRwyTeqmPnEKvnN_GArw__nLBXXFr94ZN_z0ihAP9fqiIk/s1600/Hella%20needles,%20size%2010,%2012%20inch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrio7070lYsg5pswNLtNoqhWkoaFlFTMKx8GsUaVesOT1P4iIDIstXt8LMyDOIvMq6_6nx9-dvJ_EilaZb6YHgHKppr_lhSw0QRyy9ZHZhnXI-ZUzWIKu24UBw4_WquVVvBA-tYPBKOTH-JnRwyTeqmPnEKvnN_GArw__nLBXXFr94ZN_z0ihAP9fqiIk/w400-h183/Hella%20needles,%20size%2010,%2012%20inch.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Hella needles, size 10, 12 inch<span><br style="text-align: left;" /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I is for <b>Ivoree</b>. (I guess now it would be spelt Ivori - equally annoying.) We only have one Ivoree needle in the collection. It is cream plastic, presumably to imitate ivory, but it is not as smooth as ivory, or bone either. </span><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-KbKfsf1A2OFnhiBXhElj9ldraraCY-YePuS53AATB3Ws66nn16lYCYNNN1yg_FqT3udU2dPtdcoeyjumQnoWzmv9me4_ZEP_sAx5zLXPyuMT4gXmMb6ukQceAH_NyKoZ9rZKAz17nz2N2COGF4-rCI17U5Vmk5nVhQ8ivT00VsoIt7lhcnQcrKpzT4/s1600/Ivoree%20needle,%20size%207,%2012%20inch%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="1600" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-KbKfsf1A2OFnhiBXhElj9ldraraCY-YePuS53AATB3Ws66nn16lYCYNNN1yg_FqT3udU2dPtdcoeyjumQnoWzmv9me4_ZEP_sAx5zLXPyuMT4gXmMb6ukQceAH_NyKoZ9rZKAz17nz2N2COGF4-rCI17U5Vmk5nVhQ8ivT00VsoIt7lhcnQcrKpzT4/w400-h139/Ivoree%20needle,%20size%207,%2012%20inch%20(1).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ivoree needle, size 7, 12 inch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">To represent J, I have chosen<b> Jaeger </b>needles. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr_xTCXOEuEslF-DG-ndHhsLyRo9IPogzSphyphenhyphenI9ZXVXfpJ9dmebxwYbOW0f2Oxvmvga51rqNrWfeZwilCXogLo-vOGUbCDxLDJxzRJ07xpi1k8_s6oVYYUjKaXAkQQ5ysaI77Jq_i0gD0CRZbq1oYuDdUEB1xOiFdQxt8_w-MNczksoeQ5R27ChDTOCo/s1600/Jaeger%20knitting%20needles,%20size%207.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbr_xTCXOEuEslF-DG-ndHhsLyRo9IPogzSphyphenhyphenI9ZXVXfpJ9dmebxwYbOW0f2Oxvmvga51rqNrWfeZwilCXogLo-vOGUbCDxLDJxzRJ07xpi1k8_s6oVYYUjKaXAkQQ5ysaI77Jq_i0gD0CRZbq1oYuDdUEB1xOiFdQxt8_w-MNczksoeQ5R27ChDTOCo/w400-h200/Jaeger%20knitting%20needles,%20size%207.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Jaeger needles, size 7</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Jaeger company started selling knitting wools in the 1930s, along with pattern booklets produced in association with Leach's, who published many needlecraft booklets at that time. I wrote about one of the Jaeger pattern booklets in the collection <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2020/02/jumpers-and-sports-wear-in-1931.html">here</a>. The lettering on the needles dates them to the 1930s as well. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">K is for <b>Kirven</b>. No idea about these. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnyh_JKRDyo7kSfGzj8x6MbilQHbklp-uIwrWU19WF0mA-ZfdklC7V4meiSIBlTMroxavgeRkyvslZGCEm3UU4ZEjfBaZFfefhkQUf7Uc_tRIOnBAePrAoGCMMI9wZRLVwvfsLpNUabMmXKauhDVp3wi3YGoN7FJLcYJ-CE3euyzKCAY6ylNYAQXUp-g/s1600/Kirven%20needles,%20size%208,%2012%20inch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1600" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnyh_JKRDyo7kSfGzj8x6MbilQHbklp-uIwrWU19WF0mA-ZfdklC7V4meiSIBlTMroxavgeRkyvslZGCEm3UU4ZEjfBaZFfefhkQUf7Uc_tRIOnBAePrAoGCMMI9wZRLVwvfsLpNUabMmXKauhDVp3wi3YGoN7FJLcYJ-CE3euyzKCAY6ylNYAQXUp-g/w400-h203/Kirven%20needles,%20size%208,%2012%20inch.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Kirven needles, size 8, 12 inch</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Ladybird</b> needles are white plastic, like several of the other plastic needles shown here. We only have one pair of Ladybird needles, so I don't know if they were made in other colours too. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohzaBtTBNdHLrUPyjLpo_3VZvDBtzwhMETWySGGmajRiwzLDrlPlUsnvIi0ftTO3rLOTkwyE6lKDsChSp32tsfXmMEycu5KqVzBvwSlnJTnCX4Zz_ZRMiGZxqKUuC1lnKOt52UcsPJXLxvHNQz2JHGSpeUl143nrt9KVFYYKJoK3D_9LxhmNeTrpjsQc/s1600/Ladybird%20needles,%20size%205,%2012%20inch%20(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="1600" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiohzaBtTBNdHLrUPyjLpo_3VZvDBtzwhMETWySGGmajRiwzLDrlPlUsnvIi0ftTO3rLOTkwyE6lKDsChSp32tsfXmMEycu5KqVzBvwSlnJTnCX4Zz_ZRMiGZxqKUuC1lnKOt52UcsPJXLxvHNQz2JHGSpeUl143nrt9KVFYYKJoK3D_9LxhmNeTrpjsQc/w400-h120/Ladybird%20needles,%20size%205,%2012%20inch%20(1).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ladybird needles, size 5, 12 inch </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As well as the paper label, the needles themselves are marked, not very clearly. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvEyDBMpTz6obJDnJhqSCjYQCJvL9yQHQy8Kk4RDekUKeNbM8bxLkTSHsxFnI_nSHbyzvrp59qcOOsTnaS265pwGGNgi0Enw55EYEXOOY-3tMzXRhJiqwfnVa7tWxIKXWF5DHD-JaGgU427bx9DiTsU_c5gSLsiMLxhBenFJMn4CGH92Zd8_FcpnUZ_o/s1600/Ladybird%20needles,%20size%205,%2012%20inch%20(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvEyDBMpTz6obJDnJhqSCjYQCJvL9yQHQy8Kk4RDekUKeNbM8bxLkTSHsxFnI_nSHbyzvrp59qcOOsTnaS265pwGGNgi0Enw55EYEXOOY-3tMzXRhJiqwfnVa7tWxIKXWF5DHD-JaGgU427bx9DiTsU_c5gSLsiMLxhBenFJMn4CGH92Zd8_FcpnUZ_o/w400-h185/Ladybird%20needles,%20size%205,%2012%20inch%20(2).JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I searched (as usual) in the newspapers in FindMyPast, and found a couple of ads from 1935 mentioning Ladybird needles. The ads were for Anchor Tricoton knitting & crochet cotton, but had a footnote in small print reading<i> 'Always use Milward's "Ladybird" Knitting Pins and "Archerite" Crochet Hooks.' </i> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I think that our Ladybird knitting needles are the ones mentioned in the ads, though Milward's was one of the big needle manufacturers based in Redditch - making plastic needles would have been a significant departure for Milward's at that time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the 1960s and later, there was a Ladybird brand of knitting wool associated with the Ladybird children's clothing made by the Pasold company, but I'm sure our needles are not from that time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I've just mentioned Milward's and we next have <b>Milward Disc</b> needles for the letter M. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_y4IgDD_FtnF2UsQ9RdAbzhavzZGqAcVo6SNGqZW9qtR8XSf0RqXQ-IaWvcf-7DgFCjmTspp8kJONz2t0S8ccfIGioO3pUkvtaIrLyjc_aP_u7DH8gNm-BB-wvX3TZjpxK55W6YT6yieTZMNjeYV8PiGTos41hAsUW9kVZdBaLGp4GDwbObIBiUT0kI/s1600/Milward%20Disc%20needles,%20size%2014,%2012%20inch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_y4IgDD_FtnF2UsQ9RdAbzhavzZGqAcVo6SNGqZW9qtR8XSf0RqXQ-IaWvcf-7DgFCjmTspp8kJONz2t0S8ccfIGioO3pUkvtaIrLyjc_aP_u7DH8gNm-BB-wvX3TZjpxK55W6YT6yieTZMNjeYV8PiGTos41hAsUW9kVZdBaLGp4GDwbObIBiUT0kI/w400-h100/Milward%20Disc%20needles,%20size%2014,%2012%20inch.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Milward Disc needles, size 14, 12 inch</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">These are grey coated aluminium needles, introduced in the late 1950s, and in production for many years. A 1961 ad explained their advantages: 'Size recognition is easy and immediate, with the bold, clear, permanent numbers on "DISC" Knitting Pins. And with the plastic "KEEP", provided free with every pair, pairs of a size are kept together with no trouble at all.' Milward Disc needles were produced in the same design for a long time, and were still current when metric sizes were introduced in the 1970s. The larger sizes were made in plastic, also grey. Milward Disc needles are still very common in charity shops. </span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">With M, we have finished the first half of the alphabet. That's enough for one post - I'll finish the A-Z in the next. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p></div><br /></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-51304640319783634692023-09-06T13:13:00.002+01:002023-10-27T12:40:24.396+01:00The P&B Family Album<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Patons & Baldwins became very good at advertising their wares by the 1930s. They were publishing about 100 'Helps to Knitters' pattern leaflets every year, intended of course to sell their wools, and advertised the patterns widely. They also published a series of free booklets, each showing many of the patterns currently available. An imaginative example of these booklets is the Family Album, published in 1936. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSFUciKLrYzqhwdV7vHdS49RlHU96kJNragoVySBOviZQLrCzbV7ulizEuIEze2A3fN8HgPkunTNzDkvkOPnrtna6xFixg4JNvziQOr6yR6Ai0Knf9dzSh_9e4Z4ypzi9EeOt3D76Yt-KAtNsJF5v0AwV-haN_kLmHOuGNCAHTp8lUsPpWncv-PVnIt4/s1432/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="1078" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSFUciKLrYzqhwdV7vHdS49RlHU96kJNragoVySBOviZQLrCzbV7ulizEuIEze2A3fN8HgPkunTNzDkvkOPnrtna6xFixg4JNvziQOr6yR6Ai0Knf9dzSh_9e4Z4ypzi9EeOt3D76Yt-KAtNsJF5v0AwV-haN_kLmHOuGNCAHTp8lUsPpWncv-PVnIt4/w301-h400/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p01.jpg" width="301" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>It shows a fictional family of Mother, Father and four children. The eldest, Priscilla, is engaged to be married; another girl, Sue, is old enough to drive a car. Then Timothy, aged about 11, and Bill, who is a toddler. They all wear woollies made, naturally, in Patons & Baldwins wools. Priscilla and Sue knit their own, while Mother knits for the others. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>The six characters, plus the fianc</span><span>é (David), are shown in scenes of everyday life, wearing their woollies. Here are Sue and two of her friends at the country club. </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvogDqN7zJZz_Mj3n5VvBaAU92qNtFbz8mF1oGSkvAZtLcd3CezL5CJuOo5CXSPlpDfyPTeckBIWBtotV2vH2y1ZWyA_Aq3scCrlg6NXyz1V7o7KTmPvXDERZHaQ_u7wvnA70X9ywl-1zBLTjuFIFe3AVnshmFndF64m2v4hQe9eEWRrG_dWfXvt12W4/s1680/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p04a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1642" data-original-width="1680" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvogDqN7zJZz_Mj3n5VvBaAU92qNtFbz8mF1oGSkvAZtLcd3CezL5CJuOo5CXSPlpDfyPTeckBIWBtotV2vH2y1ZWyA_Aq3scCrlg6NXyz1V7o7KTmPvXDERZHaQ_u7wvnA70X9ywl-1zBLTjuFIFe3AVnshmFndF64m2v4hQe9eEWRrG_dWfXvt12W4/w400-h391/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p04a.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>Jumpers with collars seem to have been in fashion for women in 1936. Here is the pattern for one of the jumpers. </span></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3681P0Rm8I3IdFOkQxqGfCu3e7YdFjFVcmHM6YgXgsqudG4VFX3NHr91SIlu9SbPUgrfiVNeGQZMeeWOrNFb0TVOnqnfdRNtWPFs-fz6gNu6vythcxMkGLTPgU7o5REh40BzCdjb3rJ5TajZxotcW5kqNNSQoT4ucK44JOWUX9IHS4LVNY6uRHGRQutI/s1448/Patons%20A%20998%202998%202d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1092" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3681P0Rm8I3IdFOkQxqGfCu3e7YdFjFVcmHM6YgXgsqudG4VFX3NHr91SIlu9SbPUgrfiVNeGQZMeeWOrNFb0TVOnqnfdRNtWPFs-fz6gNu6vythcxMkGLTPgU7o5REh40BzCdjb3rJ5TajZxotcW5kqNNSQoT4ucK44JOWUX9IHS4LVNY6uRHGRQutI/w301-h400/Patons%20A%20998%202998%202d.jpg" width="301" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">P&B 2998</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>E</span><span>lsewhere in the album, Sue is wearing another jumper in Beehive Wool Cord:</span></span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZrSTkd6pT23Nzt7Dpi3Fuu2G1xAD-JWcSLwWjEi7Jcn3hxF5Lvcv4LM7nG53Ps9-uYBiJ3a64rQsQrk-tvdXCjPp4wkCK_Qk-9GgnRm0IvVobyIWkjpWG6a3kmZTeezdNkGtTT_hydtUWmHGgK3mPt1-cbNhikctJqNHhVsNbLMXo3xA6WiKCCxSIhc/s1448/Patons%20B%20104%202104%202d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1096" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZrSTkd6pT23Nzt7Dpi3Fuu2G1xAD-JWcSLwWjEi7Jcn3hxF5Lvcv4LM7nG53Ps9-uYBiJ3a64rQsQrk-tvdXCjPp4wkCK_Qk-9GgnRm0IvVobyIWkjpWG6a3kmZTeezdNkGtTT_hydtUWmHGgK3mPt1-cbNhikctJqNHhVsNbLMXo3xA6WiKCCxSIhc/w303-h400/Patons%20B%20104%202104%202d.jpg" width="303" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">P&B 2104</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><p>Wool cord was a thicker version of Beehive Wool String, described as 'pure wool looking just like string' - perhaps very tightly spun? In the two jumper patterns here for Wool Cord, it's knitted on size 6 (5mm.) needles, so probably at least as thick as modern double knitting. </p></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Priscilla and David</span><span> don't go out much, because they are saving to get married, so instead they stay at home and make a rug together. </span><span>Patons & Baldwins sold rug wool, as well as rug patterns, and many of their brochures feature rugs as well as knitwear. </span><span> </span></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR1bAMQ6q9GvY5Cm8Ak1gNC9G6FDnYZ9TOIa80PxczCxf0ANvdFu2t5wo5sYKaQps4KKI9jhDi-cNVuXLujPIOTJl8eBH8gcj9nl0UL3FyRCXHpygvnbcMjAQFOoLqMCQA0Oz_UlDT7BVl4QMoa0_rWfD0JHxB9Lu6NaBrJjJ1zjN3bO4nCFtwZW5dIs/s1687/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p10a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1687" data-original-width="1680" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibR1bAMQ6q9GvY5Cm8Ak1gNC9G6FDnYZ9TOIa80PxczCxf0ANvdFu2t5wo5sYKaQps4KKI9jhDi-cNVuXLujPIOTJl8eBH8gcj9nl0UL3FyRCXHpygvnbcMjAQFOoLqMCQA0Oz_UlDT7BVl4QMoa0_rWfD0JHxB9Lu6NaBrJjJ1zjN3bO4nCFtwZW5dIs/w399-h400/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p10a.jpg" width="399" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>Like the other men (and Timothy) in the Album, David's knitwear isn't very interesting - they all wear V-neck sleeveless pullovers, though Timothy in one scene is shown wearing a V-neck jumper with long sleeves. (The V neck is to show the tie, which was apparently compulsory, even for casual wear.) </span></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7gn6gzmIWjQoJmPBx0Rcsk35XbZmpritavNHKzfIzxWx2B6FmNeoC1Xo7JBz7Ka-UkxQB60ppOd3kMaGbXoQCqoK3eYzFxDdCEmsnLbJIxv99UHIH3UWPQZ_4LVEBuVP6HdPteG0NH3Oz4EOXkf43hhm9vijPsrymhfSimoBvyJm-l7mv5SwtKdmy0Q/s1666/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p14a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1661" data-original-width="1666" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7gn6gzmIWjQoJmPBx0Rcsk35XbZmpritavNHKzfIzxWx2B6FmNeoC1Xo7JBz7Ka-UkxQB60ppOd3kMaGbXoQCqoK3eYzFxDdCEmsnLbJIxv99UHIH3UWPQZ_4LVEBuVP6HdPteG0NH3Oz4EOXkf43hhm9vijPsrymhfSimoBvyJm-l7mv5SwtKdmy0Q/w400-h399/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p14a.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>Meanwhile, Mother is shown having a morning cup of tea in bed.</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TMnir_4KqILcis0i9Wb8_r4TO17XoU3lAfKiPjbMFqrFwck-Gb519_mUSIelsxBt-aNmzyrgM0jjjw6X5QW6hhMYkpdw8KF8e8jRV8iqXxGlVxpIPGLFib1llWk84K6pXlUpoXmZmPNVnXCyCVLU2sfAtjtj1iiyJ_fBrOHj9IwLPkl4WVVPGOk0zAc/s1683/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p12a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1683" data-original-width="1680" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TMnir_4KqILcis0i9Wb8_r4TO17XoU3lAfKiPjbMFqrFwck-Gb519_mUSIelsxBt-aNmzyrgM0jjjw6X5QW6hhMYkpdw8KF8e8jRV8iqXxGlVxpIPGLFib1llWk84K6pXlUpoXmZmPNVnXCyCVLU2sfAtjtj1iiyJ_fBrOHj9IwLPkl4WVVPGOk0zAc/w399-h400/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p12a.jpg" width="399" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">How does she manage that - there's a toddler in the house! And I imagine that Father has gone off to manage his bank - he might possibly have made the cup of tea first, but I can't imagine that he is looking after 'Bill the Baby' while Mother relaxes in bed. But my reading of Agatha Christie and other 1930s fiction tells me that a bank manager was a well-respected member of the community, and could probably afford a maid, and possibly a nursemaid for Bill, too. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Mother is wearing a Dressing Jacket that she (of course) made herself. </span><span>It's crocheted, with flowers embroidered around the bottom edge of each sleeve. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDtg8wD-ExuLtGar7PdF3-nhpFqkhPdoFb2KPQRfg1XTobPPd0MgZnXJJLH-OTQca0FTIEn2YE2vw4R7XfbADmr3fe1TEqnsF2efkkSUt7JVyV5IN9_ITMNUln_k1xB_OeFMnkxTg1c819QUUHTGmivUrmmmOzmFKevwnODM8EU0dZ_P62dfpM8YDqns/s1448/Patons%20A%20991%202991%202d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="1092" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDtg8wD-ExuLtGar7PdF3-nhpFqkhPdoFb2KPQRfg1XTobPPd0MgZnXJJLH-OTQca0FTIEn2YE2vw4R7XfbADmr3fe1TEqnsF2efkkSUt7JVyV5IN9_ITMNUln_k1xB_OeFMnkxTg1c819QUUHTGmivUrmmmOzmFKevwnODM8EU0dZ_P62dfpM8YDqns/w301-h400/Patons%20A%20991%202991%202d.jpg" width="301" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">P&B 2991</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Here's Bill in his nursery (they obviously live in a spacious 1930s villa.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U5siBEHiBWwHmI-AyIyB3eA5hyXEz24wXoXApdEz4A7WbzkecZpKPN3L5haiJ06i4sAJFBye9cu4hVON6Hahi-mHb-7jsXnBQqPTZGHTUiCc4pcCei5d4uPZoGzoqkFg8O3Dkunhom6ypZisA27vz5VMILIwBrTnxvuiNU2ksSmKA5PCJnJoWDVThmg/s1728/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p08a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1680" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U5siBEHiBWwHmI-AyIyB3eA5hyXEz24wXoXApdEz4A7WbzkecZpKPN3L5haiJ06i4sAJFBye9cu4hVON6Hahi-mHb-7jsXnBQqPTZGHTUiCc4pcCei5d4uPZoGzoqkFg8O3Dkunhom6ypZisA27vz5VMILIwBrTnxvuiNU2ksSmKA5PCJnJoWDVThmg/w389-h400/1936%20The%20P&B%20Family%20Album%20p08a.jpg" width="389" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>As well as the photos of the 1930s family, there are little sketches of the imagined ancestral knitters (in the maternal line, I assume), going back to Great-great-grandmother, born in 1785, "the year James Baldwin set up in Halifax". Great-great-grandmother used Baldwin's wools, and her descendants used 'best wools' - implicitly, the precursors of P&B 1930s wools, though in fact John Paton & Son of Alloa and J. & J. Baldwin of Halifax were separate companies until 1920. </span><br /><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>The main point of the Album is to show some of the P&B Helps to Knitters pattern leaflets current in 1936, and about 65 of them are illustrated, including those that various members of the family are wearing. Members of the </span><span>Knitting & Crochet Guild </span><span>can download the Album from the Guild website </span><a href="https://kcguild.org.uk/pattern/patons-leaflet-catalogue/1936-the-pb-family-album/">here</a>. Nearly all<span> the leaflets are in the Guild collection and members can request copies from collections@kcguild.org.uk</span></span></div></div></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-3103347701131866832023-09-04T13:12:00.001+01:002023-10-27T12:51:34.436+01:00A Novel Wool Winder<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiYQvQsJy2dFfgqE4qI36cY3CIlXzungqsprQ0ReXT9kxc39L14-KwVXhDMFa0oboCg-XC34KoN8MA3vqespcZGjyNZAUj6P9NbMjYd_4kvC8vFq1WtHt7qHDr39v5I3Ukh-0vAxaiDSBjTzOzX36xixFw8kDoEKMuk9-xmbDRRB0L9M-AJVkqmriKCE/s2895/Hobbies%20Weekly%20018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2895" data-original-width="2175" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiYQvQsJy2dFfgqE4qI36cY3CIlXzungqsprQ0ReXT9kxc39L14-KwVXhDMFa0oboCg-XC34KoN8MA3vqespcZGjyNZAUj6P9NbMjYd_4kvC8vFq1WtHt7qHDr39v5I3Ukh-0vAxaiDSBjTzOzX36xixFw8kDoEKMuk9-xmbDRRB0L9M-AJVkqmriKCE/w300-h400/Hobbies%20Weekly%20018.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">John saw this issue of <i>Hobbies Weekly</i> from September 1940 at a collectors' fleamarket, and bought it for me because of the illustration of a Novel Wool Winder on the front cover (he is not, I'm glad to say, a keen fretworker). It's now in the collection of the Knitting & Crochet Guild. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I wouldn't call it a wool winder, in fact <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">—</span> in the photo, it's the woman who is doing the winding. We would now call it a swift, though perhaps that wasn't a term then in use, or maybe a skein holder. Never mind. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The magazine explains to its readers why this is a useful thing to make: "Every knitter <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">—</span> and this, of course, relates more to ladies <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">—</span> knows the trouble of getting somebody to hold the skein whilst it is turned off into a ball suitable for their own use. The more independent knitters who use the back of a chair for the same purpose also have cause to complain." (Not sure why <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">—</span> I use the back of a chair, and it works.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The arms of the holder can be closed up to save space, fortunately. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uogiT9vR4-J7quOX-AGM3Ad-FupqGVpYzwR0xxeTT-SHroqWF_fvfQ8iBBwbuEZU0RTZTgUZO4zKcMwo_KHFzPVG-4nkihju7uNstXYLQV1J5Fn2PVYuDsDnpZ8OtBb2YjYUCmGr99HWEMgFeEpHX74xkUAZYqGhRsDadaWUn6wGYaSzk0yEkZxxbuk/s1733/Hobbies%20Weekly%20029.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1733" data-original-width="684" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uogiT9vR4-J7quOX-AGM3Ad-FupqGVpYzwR0xxeTT-SHroqWF_fvfQ8iBBwbuEZU0RTZTgUZO4zKcMwo_KHFzPVG-4nkihju7uNstXYLQV1J5Fn2PVYuDsDnpZ8OtBb2YjYUCmGr99HWEMgFeEpHX74xkUAZYqGhRsDadaWUn6wGYaSzk0yEkZxxbuk/w158-h400/Hobbies%20Weekly%20029.jpg" width="158" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The magazine says: "When complete and nicely finished with stain, polish or paint, the article is worth a great deal more than it costs to make, and will be most acceptable to any ardent knitter. Or, of course, it is just the thing to complete for a Sale of Work, or for private sale to those who are or are likely to be busy knitting comforts for the Services." </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm not sure how well it would work in practice. The skein of wool has to be put on the holder when it is at least partly closed, so that the skein will fit on, and then moving the arms so that they are at right angles </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">— a</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">s far as I can tell from the instructions, the design relies on friction between the two arms to keep them in position, which doesn't seem a very robust approach. But it seems that whoever bought this magazine in 1940 did make the wool winder, because </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">the promised paper pattern sheet to make it is no longer in the magazine. The pattern would need to be cut up and glued onto the wood, before cutting the pieces to shape with the fretsaw, and I assume that's what happened. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The reference to knitting comforts for the Services is a reminder that Britain had been at war with Germany for a year by September 1940. Elsewhere in the magazine there are instructions for making a "safe and simple shelter lantern", i.e. a lantern for the Anderson Shelter in your garden. "A light of some kind is very essential in an air-raid shelter as it is no joke sitting in such places in the pitch darkness. The most suitable and safe form of light seems to be the humble candle. For this reason, a candle lantern, suitable for shelter use, has been designed". </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtnONXwBNRtCXlQKp00BFd6Rm9h5oT18Heg6oFat0mGUmF08lISDdsLAexViYjuh8-EhHXyK2qwMsBBJPQsmTGG3znN9jJTcNLfOKSBy5ch3C1oaVkjZ3JE_8CcMz5ra9D8UQn6BNoGPuaNy-d2oWYMQ6VIaij4kmVB4NAud_zqhhyNPtPkLCYy9cCCk/s1139/Hobbies%20Weekly%20030.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtnONXwBNRtCXlQKp00BFd6Rm9h5oT18Heg6oFat0mGUmF08lISDdsLAexViYjuh8-EhHXyK2qwMsBBJPQsmTGG3znN9jJTcNLfOKSBy5ch3C1oaVkjZ3JE_8CcMz5ra9D8UQn6BNoGPuaNy-d2oWYMQ6VIaij4kmVB4NAud_zqhhyNPtPkLCYy9cCCk/s320/Hobbies%20Weekly%20030.jpg" width="174" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It's made of wood, of course, with glass panels in the side, and a candle holder made from a piece of tin. Maybe safer than an uncovered candlestick, but not much, I think. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There are also instructions for making an ash tray, decorated with a fretwork elk, from one of the small glass jars used for meat paste. Misplaced ingenuity, it seems to me, but then if you have to find several new ideas for fretwork <i>every week</i>, it isn't surprising that some of the designs are a bit daft. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dOZFsMkcIoeJvA5Xmjaz78eOp9TQhC-woGHfK1RhNU3YmoYT0yQZP79pX1gOpoFGiKRt9OkRhqCjaMwr-hs4fCEjKaCRj50cAPV9Y3HNA16McYpRXDCeL8WR5y56Y_joXgwTvXHMpk-XJKD4MwyocfibjD9u7WWd6prMu3kAxy8fF9lpwSlOvtRr8cc/s1038/Hobbies%20Weekly%20031.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="827" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dOZFsMkcIoeJvA5Xmjaz78eOp9TQhC-woGHfK1RhNU3YmoYT0yQZP79pX1gOpoFGiKRt9OkRhqCjaMwr-hs4fCEjKaCRj50cAPV9Y3HNA16McYpRXDCeL8WR5y56Y_joXgwTvXHMpk-XJKD4MwyocfibjD9u7WWd6prMu3kAxy8fF9lpwSlOvtRr8cc/s320/Hobbies%20Weekly%20031.jpg" width="255" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: medium;"> </span></p>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-35444994077310653252023-08-31T16:55:00.001+01:002023-10-27T13:00:45.890+01:00Queen Mary's Petticoat<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG2zHTWPIGj06oYsS3yJrJJpdsWHNqtDpRsIXvbCVFYqRIehdBVBE1sYGecy0MRIm8MsodLGy6Ld6zD0p8V7kGafSlzVutsH7fDV87hc5Q9wcZKoKyH5cWtg836a9K_8H0hiLmNp4Aa7-JU2yQpvTDcpZQTYylzt2OCVwC2CK24NF6bVJRh3Sx_l4uo4/s3584/Petticoat-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3584" data-original-width="3248" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAG2zHTWPIGj06oYsS3yJrJJpdsWHNqtDpRsIXvbCVFYqRIehdBVBE1sYGecy0MRIm8MsodLGy6Ld6zD0p8V7kGafSlzVutsH7fDV87hc5Q9wcZKoKyH5cWtg836a9K_8H0hiLmNp4Aa7-JU2yQpvTDcpZQTYylzt2OCVwC2CK24NF6bVJRh3Sx_l4uo4/w363-h400/Petticoat-001.JPG" width="363" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Child's Crochet Petticoat</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This crocheted petticoat for a little girl was given to the Knitting & Crochet Guild in 2016. The donor had bought a chest of drawers in an Exeter antique centre, and found inside it several pieces of lace and the petticoat. Rather than throwing them out, she looked for suitable homes for both the lace and the crochet - the lace was offered to the Lace Guild, I believe. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The petticoat doesn't look very exciting: it is 15 inches (38 cm.) long, and simply constructed in thick wool, with an opening at the top and a ribbon threaded through the top edge as a drawstring. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNm_AvfV9iWQtfLpLN07l8wUMuFWdx7aOtj4SGihmG5Ni6WHGW3i3geRkRykzzC938Ch14s20ft8epclK8wVtjw2pVMgiFGpWpmr18Wm7jyZx_vcHbJ6Q1j2o0EA9oku-8UHh9o2iCUBHeD8A3Q5nOwrAYbXMOKftdH8GoHvII4tkXHVXlBmPvp7juSdY/s4896/DSCN0463-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNm_AvfV9iWQtfLpLN07l8wUMuFWdx7aOtj4SGihmG5Ni6WHGW3i3geRkRykzzC938Ch14s20ft8epclK8wVtjw2pVMgiFGpWpmr18Wm7jyZx_vcHbJ6Q1j2o0EA9oku-8UHh9o2iCUBHeD8A3Q5nOwrAYbXMOKftdH8GoHvII4tkXHVXlBmPvp7juSdY/w400-h300/DSCN0463-001.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Detail of Petticoat</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">But it has a paper label sewn to it, saying that it was worked in 1910 by H.M. the Queen of England. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gAceATC5eHZYu6Ct14Cb4MDuvGp6ia-ueQwsRkt_gCQyS9XsKrVHt2xlfdhdkSJsV4wVBmh7eox2XR0oXcP1Bnrjuscs0HVg7LuyiYBEQUPS9s4RVogYMx9XdbnBUQqyo1dAvqeVJ9J2z6F4RBnVs8zAnablMulzjYyfe-rvmzqlFACLeLpbZONJHEI/s1919/Label-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="1919" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1gAceATC5eHZYu6Ct14Cb4MDuvGp6ia-ueQwsRkt_gCQyS9XsKrVHt2xlfdhdkSJsV4wVBmh7eox2XR0oXcP1Bnrjuscs0HVg7LuyiYBEQUPS9s4RVogYMx9XdbnBUQqyo1dAvqeVJ9J2z6F4RBnVs8zAnablMulzjYyfe-rvmzqlFACLeLpbZONJHEI/w400-h268/Label-001.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Petticoat label</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In May 1910 Edward VII died, George V came to the throne and his wife became Queen Mary. They had been living in Marlborough House (the address on the label) and stayed there until the end of the year - Queen Alexandra (Edward VII's widow) did not move from Buckingham Palace to Marlborough House until 1911. So I am confident the the Queen of England referred to on the label is Queen Mary. Besides which, the KCG collection already had an almost identical petticoat made by Queen Mary in 1921. (That one has been kept in a glass case, but is unfortunately badly discoloured). The 1921 petticoat was, according to its label, sold for charity, and we can guess that the 1910 petticoat was also made for charity. </span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There are newspaper records of Queen Mary making garments for charity in that year (1910). She was Patron of the London Needlework Guild, founded in 1882 to provide clothing for an orphanage, and later 'useful garments for the poor', distributed through hospitals and other institutions. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In April 1910, <i>The Gentlewoman</i> paper advertised for ladies willing to become Associates of its own Group of the London Needlework Guild, and said:</span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The object of the Guild is to distribute clothing, household linen, or any articles suitable for the sick and poor among the Hospitals, Nursing Institutions, Missions, Refuges, and Parishes in London. The only obligation undertaken by an Associate is to supply at least two useful articles every year, but they may send as many more as they choose.</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Queen Mary's mother was the original Patron of the Guild, and she became Patron in turn after her mother's death in 1897. It was renamed Queen Mary's Needlework Guild (QMNG) on the outbreak of war in 1914. The Guild still exists, now as the <a href="https://www.qmcg.org.uk/">Queen Mother's Clothing Guild</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Queen Mary was an active member, not just a figurehead, for many years. There was an exhibition each November of items collected during the year, usually reported in the newspapers. The 1910 exhibition was reported on by <i>The Times </i>newspaper: </span></p><blockquote><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">“The work done during the last twelve months by the members of the London Needlework Guild, which has the Queen for its patroness, will be on view at the Imperial Institute, South Kensington, to-day. …. Neatly stacked in carefully classified piles ….are 54,050 garments - the largest number sent in for many years. Of this total the Queen, who spent two days at the Imperial Institute supervising the classification and arrangement of the garments, is responsible for the collection of 15,333 garments, this being more than 2,000 in excess of her contribution last year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Among the contributors to the Queen's group were the King, who presented 1,000 garments, Princess Mary, who gave 700, the Prince of Wales and his younger brothers, the Princes Albert, Henry, and George. Many of the garments included in the group has been made by the donors. The Queen had knitted several little woollen petticoats. Princess Mary had made three woollen baby's hoods, and the young Princes, with the aid of knitting frames, had made a number of warm woollen scarves and comforters." </span></p></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">However, the <i>Sheffield Telegraph</i>, reporting on the same exhibition, describes “some very pretty crochet wool petticoats, Her Majesty’s own work.” Probably <i>The Times</i> reporter did not know the difference between knitting and crochet. (I imagine that the garments provided by the King were bought in. A report on the Guild exhibition in another year says that his contribution was men’s flannel shirts, which he would not have made himself.) </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">We don't know for certain if our petticoat is one of the garments made for the Guild, but it was almost certainly made to the same pattern. If it was indeed made for the LNG, how it came to be kept, unworn, is a puzzle. It should have been distributed with the other garments in the exhibition, and given to some child who needed a warm petticoat. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Perhaps someone decided that it was more valuable as a piece of Royal handiwork than as a useful garment? Or perhaps it was made to be sold for some other charity, like the 1921 petticoat? But in either case, it has been kept in good condition because of its label. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Apart from its royal origin, it is a very ordinary garment that would not normally have survived. If it had been given to a poor child as probably intended by the Queen, it would have been worn every day and passed on to a succession of other children until it wore out. It makes a striking contrast with the Irish crochet from the same period which has survived because it was expensive, and so was carefully looked after. And it is ironic that it is valuable today as a rare example of a very mundane garment, as much as for the fact that it was made by Queen Mary. </span></p>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-36634542282662495192023-07-27T17:38:00.001+01:002023-10-27T13:02:23.832+01:001920s Woolly Jumpers<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> In the last post, I wrote about outfits in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection that were knitted in the early 1950s from 1920s patterns. Here's another, based on the same set of Beehive Recipe Cards. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKuLutC_z0BK38zKfyYGG6oNqJgi_GsKHzn2ZIAaJkHFgP1ly771ZhVl71y26bfOLttV0xr7vZN88iDPiVDG21PuAmceZSIrZmjDDs23oFkEUwyFLktUeSY9jkx_dHWN90iQPyD1VUWSDIQjzpO_F4AUwUkYy80-ZZWTFtIXIi2tKIsh0yBoqp1-GzLw/s1000/5eda0d42198cd014e303bc88aa3d6932.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKuLutC_z0BK38zKfyYGG6oNqJgi_GsKHzn2ZIAaJkHFgP1ly771ZhVl71y26bfOLttV0xr7vZN88iDPiVDG21PuAmceZSIrZmjDDs23oFkEUwyFLktUeSY9jkx_dHWN90iQPyD1VUWSDIQjzpO_F4AUwUkYy80-ZZWTFtIXIi2tKIsh0yBoqp1-GzLw/w400-h225/5eda0d42198cd014e303bc88aa3d6932.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And here is the photo from the card.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv8pJWf-fPM3UilJrtOtCc0j0qr4Dx2nd7u_JmE97AKxk3HD4XlcQWeVPgg9cRdJRDKO0X8UUwoLjMQvjZHaqZLc7aLVWLj0MWG-Lfjn7hSUjG9fNie88parvTBPNZiFGaYR3YAK-WlYy9VY2dy7sR7Xg7PKIQbHQXGgXM7OYT5maxRHMZqL2oc32X18/s2803/Card%2051%20(1)%20photo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2116" data-original-width="2803" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMv8pJWf-fPM3UilJrtOtCc0j0qr4Dx2nd7u_JmE97AKxk3HD4XlcQWeVPgg9cRdJRDKO0X8UUwoLjMQvjZHaqZLc7aLVWLj0MWG-Lfjn7hSUjG9fNie88parvTBPNZiFGaYR3YAK-WlYy9VY2dy7sR7Xg7PKIQbHQXGgXM7OYT5maxRHMZqL2oc32X18/w400-h303/Card%2051%20(1)%20photo.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From Beehive Card No. 51 (1923)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The jumper is partly knitted and partly filet crochet. The knitted parts (the front and back) are stocking stitch, with evenly spaced columns of pairs of eyelets (i.e. knit two together, yarn over, knit 1, yarn over, knit two together). The photos make the construction fairly clear, I think. The front is straight up to the armholes, then you increase each side for the sleeves. The neck opening is made simply by dividing the stitches into two halves and knitting each half separately. There are five pieces of filet crochet as well, one for each shoulder, one for each sleeve, and one for the waistband. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">To put the jumper together, 'sew the pieces of insertion to the front shoulders, then join to the back, leaving a space for the back of the neck.' The shoulder insertions are made to to the same length as the front shoulders, and the back is wider than the front, so that there will be a space at the back of the neck. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">And finally, 'make a twisted cord of the wool, thread it through the spaces at the waist, attach pom-poms (when threaded) at each end.' The spaces are in the knitted part of the jumper, using the eyelets. As with the dress in the last post, there are no instructions for making the cord, or the pom-poms. (And that's not what I'd call a pom-pom - it's a crocheted ovoid, stuffed with something.) Cord belts on jumpers, with tassels, pom-poms, etc. were very common in the early 1920s, and some patterns do give instructions for making stuffed crochet balls to go on the end of the belt, so perhaps the person who made the replica in the early 1950s had access to one of those patterns - or else just worked out how to match the photo on the recipe card. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I don't like the fact that the back is wider than the front - that's not a good way to create a V neck. And the jumper is very short - the belt appears to be higher than the model's natural waist, though that is easily modified. I like the use of filet crochet combined with knitting, and I'm sure that a modern design could be based on this one. But not one that I would like to tackle - my crochet isn't good enough. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">We think of 1920s knitwear as long and straight - worn by women with ideally no curves anywhere. But that wasn't always the case especially in the early 20s - as the photo of the recipe card shows, jumpers sometimes were loose and wide, with a well-defined waist (even if not in the right place). Another replica in the Coats-Patons donation is more typical of our view of 20s knitwear. It is similar to the Eunice design above - it is a T shape, with a draw-string cord belt with pompoms. But it is much longer, and I think the belt would sit at hip level, so would be pulled in very little.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfivZoXEpyZmyC7Z0gji_QWx6eBRzIyCL42lesj42ZQlaMDL2vC-7vc3JkeMBkNF70nVwLIAUst4kLueQn2f4t52d02OZCgZyfv5trxSrEyhvKRG__0PbIZ8swAJ3_zU8bw_7evR1Pgg_jrI2SZ-mxef6vcB-U3DBiEEdKqzj8Vrkz4miRFtrCZ0bx1o/s1920/2014.005.0044_View_1A.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfivZoXEpyZmyC7Z0gji_QWx6eBRzIyCL42lesj42ZQlaMDL2vC-7vc3JkeMBkNF70nVwLIAUst4kLueQn2f4t52d02OZCgZyfv5trxSrEyhvKRG__0PbIZ8swAJ3_zU8bw_7evR1Pgg_jrI2SZ-mxef6vcB-U3DBiEEdKqzj8Vrkz4miRFtrCZ0bx1o/s320/2014.005.0044_View_1A.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I have not yet found the pattern for this jumper. It is not one of the Beehive recipe cards, though some of the designs have a similar look, like those below. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPaQCi814OZoikZKs3rPky-CrZD_QlM3gpuY2QGgkXqHq5aJp6HvynKd3gfqGa1pz8ScohiUXWJulJNlGfIiAPvN7FjEiBWPSoqYH1XznXey0v9zVeBGGpauI-vWgdNy_nwaIkyoAzpXrGbHV_aA3asIyv7EbN-YkhtPToEXcM4Px2-7BxX1KllUCeXI/s2866/Card%2067%20(1)-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2866" data-original-width="1388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPaQCi814OZoikZKs3rPky-CrZD_QlM3gpuY2QGgkXqHq5aJp6HvynKd3gfqGa1pz8ScohiUXWJulJNlGfIiAPvN7FjEiBWPSoqYH1XznXey0v9zVeBGGpauI-vWgdNy_nwaIkyoAzpXrGbHV_aA3asIyv7EbN-YkhtPToEXcM4Px2-7BxX1KllUCeXI/s320/Card%2067%20(1)-001.JPG" width="155" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From Beehive Card No. 67 (1923)<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwUXtNdOyqMj3afJQHxqZ_X2xg8CyOMfFzNCbNDCD9L_rBg6O57jEwPp8dw5P3Yg0Jmy7t39VHL2CB-pMsyPK5gz_LBintVTIohCcr5XdJXQE9xqqBdO_mIzSW6ocTcHvvR9S6_9hV7I8yY6qE5vDGfIb2dhLgRL44LYbGoe179lwYTRznujbnS2_oGU/s2663/Card%2084%20(1)-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2663" data-original-width="1357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwUXtNdOyqMj3afJQHxqZ_X2xg8CyOMfFzNCbNDCD9L_rBg6O57jEwPp8dw5P3Yg0Jmy7t39VHL2CB-pMsyPK5gz_LBintVTIohCcr5XdJXQE9xqqBdO_mIzSW6ocTcHvvR9S6_9hV7I8yY6qE5vDGfIb2dhLgRL44LYbGoe179lwYTRznujbnS2_oGU/s320/Card%2084%20(1)-001.JPG" width="163" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From Beehive Card No. 84 (1924)<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The pattern may have been one of the 'Helps to Knitters' leaflets (originally published by John Paton, Son & Co., and later by Patons & Baldwins). But we have very few of the 1920s 'Helps to Knitters' leaflets in the Guild collection, so looking for the original of the jumper will have to wait - I'll report here if I find it. </span>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-38572586962214866152023-07-03T13:26:00.003+01:002023-10-27T13:05:38.920+01:00A 1920s Costume <p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I wrote about the Coats-Patons donation in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection in my last post, and said there that some of them are knitted from vintage Patons & Baldwins patterns. I have identified some of the replica garments as knitted from Beehive Recipe Cards, which I wrote about <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2019/08/beehive-recipe-cards.html">here</a>. Although we only have a few of the cards in the collection, the British Library has a complete set of 86, and four of the replica garments given to the collection can be matched to the cards. Here's the first: </span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_M1Lpm5b8O_YlCtB9HLgdlZy8d8K1bVm1XUWxzlC45CuHe_QPWQSsT54aEvy8EZa8pOKbvuF_8qjxDsHfBI7Er9HrumOf7mJ5VVVrBulwfcnBE5yMexmc1PT12vHVLU6qF89rYaUhtwiEAhe9Xvtj51lA_RU_SuTUg6RS49LwHhGwgLjjDo-XIzGxW1o/s1000/d9b16e47ae6e3ddfc248ca25741f4dca.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="678" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_M1Lpm5b8O_YlCtB9HLgdlZy8d8K1bVm1XUWxzlC45CuHe_QPWQSsT54aEvy8EZa8pOKbvuF_8qjxDsHfBI7Er9HrumOf7mJ5VVVrBulwfcnBE5yMexmc1PT12vHVLU6qF89rYaUhtwiEAhe9Xvtj51lA_RU_SuTUg6RS49LwHhGwgLjjDo-XIzGxW1o/w271-h400/d9b16e47ae6e3ddfc248ca25741f4dca.jpg" width="271" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />And here is the illustration on the card:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfPt3q1Sy-ilwYwnPO9WQSyXT8KdDoeGih-HtD2YvsjiF0Vx2zaP4W1yotCCM2Lze0YBbVDM9aSJb_sTEk5DUvZOJ5r9if13wDgrWzRMVnEK1H8PoH7KbCInnv2tPNw5WzALnpui9SwM4fGu23PWA2tI-gO6eT2NMPKgpd53S-lVru6DqwGrckUklaYQ/s874/Card%2031%20(3).JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="389" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfPt3q1Sy-ilwYwnPO9WQSyXT8KdDoeGih-HtD2YvsjiF0Vx2zaP4W1yotCCM2Lze0YBbVDM9aSJb_sTEk5DUvZOJ5r9if13wDgrWzRMVnEK1H8PoH7KbCInnv2tPNw5WzALnpui9SwM4fGu23PWA2tI-gO6eT2NMPKgpd53S-lVru6DqwGrckUklaYQ/w178-h400/Card%2031%20(3).JPG" width="178" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Illustration from <br />Beehive Recipe Card No. 31</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br />The description on the card is: 'The "Pauline" Costume, being made in TEAZLE Wool, is suitable for sports wear, it is knitted in two colours which, if tastefully chosen, will make a very distinctive one. The skirt is worked in one piece and knitted so as to give a pleated effect. The coat is worked in plain knitting, with a vest <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">—</span> knitted in the same manner as the skirt <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">—</span> fastened into the front of the coat.' </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">So although the top looks like two separate garments, it is just one: the 'vest' is actually just a piece to join together the two sides of the coat. It is not easy to see in the photo, but there is a deep band of fabric showing above the top of the vest <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">—</span> the model is wearing something like a camisole, and the outfit is more modest than it looks at first glance. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Teazle wool was so called because you could create a furry effect on the finished knitting by brushing with a wire brush, though in this case the finished outfit is not intended to be brushed. A few years ago, I recreated a tam pattern originally intended for Teazle wool, as I described <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-teazle-tam.html">here</a>, and used Rowan Felted Tweed as a substitute, though without seeing the original Teazle wool it's impossible to know how similar they are. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The back of the jacket is knitted first, and then continued into the two separate fronts (so there are no shoulder seams). The broad collar, forming a full-length lapel, is knitted as a separate piece. The skirt and vest are knitted sideways and the pleating is done by working alternate bands of garter stitch and stocking stitch, alternating the two colours. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The suggested colours are Light Saxe (blue) and Pearl Green. There is very little contrast between the colours in the black and white photo on the card, and I think that in colour the stripes would have given a subtle green-blue effect. The colours chosen for the replica are not subtle at all, and even in black and white it looks very obviously striped, but again if it was intended for showing on TV, the colours might have been chosen deliberately to show the stripes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Beehive Recipe cards in the British Library have British Museum date stamps (because the British Library used to be housed in the British Museum) showing the accession date. The dates are December 1921 for cards 1 to 37, November 1923 for cards 38 to 74, and June or July 1924 for the rest. Yarn shops advertised the cards from January 1921, and I think that the Pauline Costume can be dated to 1921. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Another of the replicas is based on Card no. 26 for a Lady's Knitted Dress.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHh6bw_-2OHNXTNxRaG2zBV4aI6_cxwfvDjAHpVSDEZviQQCVEomcT7hXmRbEwbazDHgXuIoG9FNgSM5YzXglqFwe-GjteXKOc4qbJAjIHw2-os9-qCk1VnlYaSDodp_KSqVIxrvgs4QujZQI3ZeAD9G7RzCXURGKbLZKN6hKIl3ihQ3jKU4XeHy2YZ_A/s1000/7b936b180786c30f4fc12d2c800ef1ab.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="579" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHh6bw_-2OHNXTNxRaG2zBV4aI6_cxwfvDjAHpVSDEZviQQCVEomcT7hXmRbEwbazDHgXuIoG9FNgSM5YzXglqFwe-GjteXKOc4qbJAjIHw2-os9-qCk1VnlYaSDodp_KSqVIxrvgs4QujZQI3ZeAD9G7RzCXURGKbLZKN6hKIl3ihQ3jKU4XeHy2YZ_A/w231-h400/7b936b180786c30f4fc12d2c800ef1ab.jpg" width="231" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Here's the image from the card:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRv05YWVrbAfPJqCcrsVy492mz1GwCt2PzPBGmTK2GLGkifEVOiWTJznyVxHWsZ8ZSAPeFFv7bR5e7Wkjt23TOBn_sC0L4lVohpLwrq-eTwD-7NKGR34w1iFFTcIDM7Z_Pre9bRYqLJKjg88rx5kOBxBMbNnbiI2pV39AFLKK6qnTNDGEdpsIdNjoF1RE/s2904/Card%2026%20(1)%20photo.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2904" data-original-width="1430" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRv05YWVrbAfPJqCcrsVy492mz1GwCt2PzPBGmTK2GLGkifEVOiWTJznyVxHWsZ8ZSAPeFFv7bR5e7Wkjt23TOBn_sC0L4lVohpLwrq-eTwD-7NKGR34w1iFFTcIDM7Z_Pre9bRYqLJKjg88rx5kOBxBMbNnbiI2pV39AFLKK6qnTNDGEdpsIdNjoF1RE/w198-h400/Card%2026%20(1)%20photo.JPG" width="198" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Illustration from <br />Beehive Recipe Card No. 26</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The description from the card is "The 'Alicia' Knitted Dress being light in weight is suitable for indoor or outdoor wear. The skirt is worked in a rib which gives a pleated effect, the remainder of the dress is knitted in a plain smooth fabric, with a simple pattern introduced at the neck and cuffs, whilst a thick twisted cord is used for the sash. The garment being knitted in one piece <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">— </span>with the exception of the sleeves <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">—</span> is easily made and can be worked by any average knitter." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Here's another photo showing the "simple pattern" at the neck. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrgwj0qHdjLiQtl_SUjKc3gYD0zho1yUlQT8aF2J8tV17UbgnjBj-jC8xcSAlQT0oL3azi5nPM8WLdntLV1ZjtAiEtIfftQGwTQvFNJCJIzND0F-AvprUwDaaC633emSsXIqI0GammnscVzHxRrr8oNQr1zsg5t5ezgJb4rTpYQVttudSh21nqotcf-I/s1000/000e03db06d64b756b4af331d706f8db.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="711" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrgwj0qHdjLiQtl_SUjKc3gYD0zho1yUlQT8aF2J8tV17UbgnjBj-jC8xcSAlQT0oL3azi5nPM8WLdntLV1ZjtAiEtIfftQGwTQvFNJCJIzND0F-AvprUwDaaC633emSsXIqI0GammnscVzHxRrr8oNQr1zsg5t5ezgJb4rTpYQVttudSh21nqotcf-I/w285-h400/000e03db06d64b756b4af331d706f8db.jpg" width="285" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">As the description says, the body of the dress is knitted in one piece, starting at the lower edge of the front, continuing up to the shoulders, casting on stitches in the centre to replace those cast off for the front neck opening, and then knitting the back of the dress downwards. The sleeves are knitted from the cuff upwards, finishing with a straight edge. This kind of construction was common in 1920s jumpers, though often the sleeves were also knitted in one piece with the body. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There are no instructions for making the cord belt. The card just says "make a cord <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">—</span> with tassels attached at each end", of the same wool used for the rest of the dress. Evidently in the 1920s knitters were expected to know how to make cords, tassels, pompoms and the like, without further direction. Personally, if I were making the dress I would like some indication of how many strands of wool to use and how long they should be, because a thick cord with tassels, like that shown on the card, would use a lot of wool, and mistakes could be expensive. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I think it's an unexciting design, but it must have been so much more comfortable to wear than the fashions of 10 or 15 years previously (let alone Victorian fashions) that I can understand women wanting to wear a dress like that. Pleated skirts (or rather skirts with a pleated effect) seem to have been popular in 1921, at least according to the Beehive cards. Here are two more designs from the same 1921 tranche. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxf-jp6lYJFaSYgY_K9nwZSSmb3FIP9zY6MmutciskbFtOz52zBRhGRx_g4XuL25zV7--mSiWmiIKCo6OOXYeoriNcQw5mj17iRYq4q8O3NA9Li42vwg3eQbZeRp6lYuYeNutA0O6ZPQRiTGZAPASTRwvDX7O3joSVyGXLVuQpXoe4TRtqN6uDmh__t4/s3317/Card%2030%20(1)-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3317" data-original-width="1545" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxf-jp6lYJFaSYgY_K9nwZSSmb3FIP9zY6MmutciskbFtOz52zBRhGRx_g4XuL25zV7--mSiWmiIKCo6OOXYeoriNcQw5mj17iRYq4q8O3NA9Li42vwg3eQbZeRp6lYuYeNutA0O6ZPQRiTGZAPASTRwvDX7O3joSVyGXLVuQpXoe4TRtqN6uDmh__t4/w186-h400/Card%2030%20(1)-001.JPG" width="186" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Illustration from <br />Beehive Recipe Card No.30</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The title of Card No. 30 is 'Lady's Knitted Dress', but actually it's a skirt and jumper. The back and front of the jumper are knitted in one piece, as in Card No. 26, but there are separate ribbed pieces to go either side under the armholes. I don't know why knitting designers of the 1920s were so averse to shoulder seams. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KaNUGSkYRX5BJCXuc4H3-0z2gaCQPYyQDPh5bvnv_7Azs5C4ST--4Oe1MURTz8gzRM0qfcsElmo0evaPjwkzxKdhw6FWhUOD6b6FginBfrfJxU_vvn1YLhTyBoujFertdaS42Z3Mk5lweCzEGvdtaQ26z5NRJ4MZ695ZLzS6oMPD2P8LRxX4K-rQr88/s3298/Card%2041%20(1)-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3298" data-original-width="1541" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KaNUGSkYRX5BJCXuc4H3-0z2gaCQPYyQDPh5bvnv_7Azs5C4ST--4Oe1MURTz8gzRM0qfcsElmo0evaPjwkzxKdhw6FWhUOD6b6FginBfrfJxU_vvn1YLhTyBoujFertdaS42Z3Mk5lweCzEGvdtaQ26z5NRJ4MZ695ZLzS6oMPD2P8LRxX4K-rQr88/w188-h400/Card%2041%20(1)-001.JPG" width="188" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Illustration from <br />Beehive Recipe Card No. 41</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Card No. 41 is another Knitted Costume ("Doreen" design), but unlike the Pauline design, above, the jacket is a proper jacket, without the awkward 'vest' piece. It has some similarities to the jacket of the Pauline costume - the broad striped collar forming full-length lapels, and the belt going under the lapels at the front. And the back and fronts are knitted in one piece, as before. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">(What's wrong with shoulder seams? I avoid unnecessary seams where I can, and often choose to knit jumpers top-down, in the round, in one piece so that there are no seams at all, but these designs have seams elsewhere, just not shoulder seams.) </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">If I were choosing a knitted costume to represent early 1920s knitting, I would choose the 'Doreen' design rather than the 'Pauline' design. And I wouldn't choose the 'Alicia' design because it's not very interesting and doesn't seem characteristically 1920s. But when the replicas in the Coats-Patons donation were made in the early 1950s, I have no idea what the purpose was, or why particular designs were chosen, so I can't judge. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In my next post, I'll write about another replica garment that was knitted from a Beehive Recipe Card, and is much more attractive, in my view. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-45424590020693572062023-06-21T12:51:00.001+01:002023-10-27T13:07:09.664+01:00Spats Revisited<p><span style="font-size: medium;">In 2014, the Knitting & Crochet Guild received a donation from Coats plc of an archive of about 60 garments. Coats plc at that time owned the Patons brand, previously Patons & Baldwins. There was not much documentation with the archive, but we think that it was put together in the early 1950s, probably by James Norbury, who was then the chief designer for Patons & Baldwins. There seem to be several different reasons for pieces to be in the archive, but some of them were evidently knitted from much earlier Patons & Baldwins patterns. James Norbury appeared as a knitting expert on BBC TV programmes in the early 1950s, and I think it's possible that these reproductions were made for TV. For instance, in 1951, he presented a series of six programmes on knitting, in one of which (according to <i>Radio Times</i>) he "shows some examples from his collection of historic knitted garments" - possibly some of those were reproductions. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In this and the next posts, I shall be writing about the reproductions for which I have found matching patterns in the British Library. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">First, a pair of spats. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzt9S4KN8GIQUWTfzzltqk_dVZ1bCjT9rAikjfIc8arbExwVaobvEtcF6CbvRaOGp43pdvKLgkfdmfJogiUN3ZvQ9w-MzUjXFDu1H6wPnPAWjqSgz2F_lRWyXtOOfCuegx8mHjA4Qyqb1dPOOMZdL0iVrb-u1sqnNwTGzgvJNuiEgc-OKS_CZpcZK/s1920/72706c44ac18b728e6fb385de8fc8fa9.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="1920" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzt9S4KN8GIQUWTfzzltqk_dVZ1bCjT9rAikjfIc8arbExwVaobvEtcF6CbvRaOGp43pdvKLgkfdmfJogiUN3ZvQ9w-MzUjXFDu1H6wPnPAWjqSgz2F_lRWyXtOOfCuegx8mHjA4Qyqb1dPOOMZdL0iVrb-u1sqnNwTGzgvJNuiEgc-OKS_CZpcZK/w400-h280/72706c44ac18b728e6fb385de8fc8fa9.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Spats, from the Coats-Patons donation</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">(They came into the KCG collection with an attached label 'Gaiters', but no, they are spats.) </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I wrote previously <a href="http://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2021/12/helps-to-knitters-101.html">here</a> about an intriguing pattern leaflet for spats which I knew of but hadn't seen, Patons & Baldwins' Helps To Knitters No. 101. The British Library, I discovered, has many of the early Helps to Knitters leaflets, and I have looked at the leaflet there. (It is unfortunately hard to photograph well, because numbers 101 to 130 are bound together in one volume.) The leaflet is titled "Hand-Knitted Spats from Various Wools". Here is the illustration taken from the front cover. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHumWOgFvPHdZWUdYcRVqKbBlbuJGvPSEAa0yiYe-fRWax65yNqKjRGYKAy4LAw2uG1kdX0XH7aNWUveU3fw3RaY7HvGNch1Q8wrholJ7KFd2z3LDW1pIKsClJ5WlwkmVJkJpS-DpIGaS7ul36QdtLywAZmxipUPjr_VWljGHoJ2EWXmLTy2qx-nuD/s2378/DSC09335-001.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2378" data-original-width="1810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHumWOgFvPHdZWUdYcRVqKbBlbuJGvPSEAa0yiYe-fRWax65yNqKjRGYKAy4LAw2uG1kdX0XH7aNWUveU3fw3RaY7HvGNch1Q8wrholJ7KFd2z3LDW1pIKsClJ5WlwkmVJkJpS-DpIGaS7ul36QdtLywAZmxipUPjr_VWljGHoJ2EWXmLTy2qx-nuD/w305-h400/DSC09335-001.JPG" width="305" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Lady wearing knitted spats, <br />from Helps to Knitters 101</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />And here is a rather poor photo of an illustration in the leaflet, to confirm that this is the original of our reproduced spats. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHrsl4X3qBwEgQXmkUPU5wNRbCTrq2Zdz9QAXstB8VuGyow5uJ2KuCXsrT9_QL7SSG9TOCqXXnVGghpMhwu8uoQOzEgLnF-zF1ehWo4NrL79VVGqlnz1fPkeGDd0FlXJ49MbJGENWd0Za2Lu92MghckSNm0uhuTYmcsgv8Ia-LqvdsvTFCrEgPMlS/s3341/DSC09340a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3341" data-original-width="2260" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHrsl4X3qBwEgQXmkUPU5wNRbCTrq2Zdz9QAXstB8VuGyow5uJ2KuCXsrT9_QL7SSG9TOCqXXnVGghpMhwu8uoQOzEgLnF-zF1ehWo4NrL79VVGqlnz1fPkeGDd0FlXJ49MbJGENWd0Za2Lu92MghckSNm0uhuTYmcsgv8Ia-LqvdsvTFCrEgPMlS/w270-h400/DSC09340a.jpg" width="270" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The leaflet has four other designs too, all similar but with different tops, and of different varieties of 4-ply (fingering weight) P&B wool. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The colours suggested in the pattern are Light Grey for the main colour, with Dark Grey and Blue, instead of white, red and blue respectively in the reproduction. The Light Grey is a much more practical choice for an article to be worn out of doors over shoes, but if I'm right that the reproduced spats were intended to be shown on TV, perhaps the colours were chosen to give good contrast when shown in black and white. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Another difference is that the reproduced spats were knitted flat, on two needles, with a seam up the back, whereas the original instructions have this design knitted in the round, on four needles. (The other four designs in the leaflet are knitted flat.) I don't know why the change was made - perhaps the knitter really didn't like knitting in the round, or didn't know how, though that would be odd for a presumably professional knitter. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">As I said in the earlier post on spats, the fashion was launched in 1926, apparently at a party given by Lady Strathspey, who called them "Highland spattees". I thought that the fashion might have been very short-lived, but Lady Strathspey was still promoting spattees in October 1928, when a letter from her appeared in several local newspapers across the country: </span></div><div><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;">"Last year and also in 1926 [your newspaper] was kind enough to be interested in the highland spattee which I was then privileged to sponsor. Women do not often reserve a permanent place in their wardrobes for a novelty such as this, and it may be that they are becoming less conservative (a point, I understand, upon which all the party managers are at the moment sorely exercised). Certain it is that the overknee gaiter, into which the original spattee evolved last season, appears to be quite firmly established, from Caithness in the North to Cornwall in the South; and also, as I can personally say, throughout Australia and New Zealand overseas. Possibly the explanation is that there was a definite demand for a warm woollen covering, easy to put on, which fits the leg and is waterproof." </span></blockquote></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">(I like the sly reference to the possible political leanings of women - 1928 was the year that women in the UK achieved electoral equality with men, so that all women over the age of 21 could vote.)</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Ads for commercially knitted ladies' spattees persisted into the 1930s. (Generally, it seems that 'spats' was used for men's wear and 'spattees' for women's wear, but spattees, Highland spattees, spats and gaiters are all used, apparently interchangeably, for the women's garments.) On the other hand, I found an article in the Sunderland local newspaper from September 1929 reporting that the weather had turned cold overnight and women had had to change from their summer outfits into something much warmer, including in "isolated cases", "old and the now out-of-date spattees" - so fashion had by then moved on, at least in Sunderland. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The question remains of why someone in the early 1950s (say James Norbury) should have chosen this design to reproduce. I don't think that there was any suggestion of reviving spats/spattees in the 1950s, though they do have similarities to the leg warmers of the 1970s. And if you wanted to choose a few designs that are representative of 1920s knitwear, I don't think you would choose this one. I don't know. </span></div></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-88468315677885301752022-05-11T16:59:00.000+01:002022-05-11T16:59:39.169+01:00Disneyland Wools<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjNpSArmU0M0ivYbK3Ro8WNq6agwksmn3uFtj0HgIjA7gAq0DLAWe2oe-_oLrWXaY2gJjOeQCwOBLMeB6YTw6qwP5iZlUpx9UrnDlXsV5ezhmGOe9s3DjB992fWtjUuHNtfWeytJH5c5lUHkNV0bier5vghks2h6ZcrMrj-Yvh7wxXtgC6UM02_Ej/s3268/Disneyland%20Angora%20%20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3268" data-original-width="3266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjNpSArmU0M0ivYbK3Ro8WNq6agwksmn3uFtj0HgIjA7gAq0DLAWe2oe-_oLrWXaY2gJjOeQCwOBLMeB6YTw6qwP5iZlUpx9UrnDlXsV5ezhmGOe9s3DjB992fWtjUuHNtfWeytJH5c5lUHkNV0bier5vghks2h6ZcrMrj-Yvh7wxXtgC6UM02_Ej/w400-h400/Disneyland%20Angora%20%20.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">These six balls of angora knitting wool were added to the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection this week. They were found in a charity shop by one of the volunteers working on the collection. The brand is Disneyland, and each ball band has a Disney cartoon character on it - Sleepy (one of the Seven Dwarves), Pluto the dog, Elmer the elephant, the three little pigs, Hiawatha, and Cupid. The ball bands say that there were 26 Disney characters in all, and that it is Hand Knitting Wool, though oddly they don't give the weight. They are in fact quarter ounce balls (7 gm.), which is remarkably small. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I had heard of Disneyland Wools before, because we have a few of the knitting patterns. Most of the designs are straightforward and have no cartoon connection, apart from a child's Mickey Mouse twin set (below), although most of the leaflets do have a group of Disney characters on the back, including Snow White and all seven dwarves. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRk1CRYSIHC-UzUHz0FYPInxrCcf5u1flbRQh9i0uUja9t_Pdrl7q8dAVoCSddoigFoEZBW_2yEuroStWgzFFpKO38mcj4gUecYe55JukQm0tznKOGuSjRgMgwVVE8cl8XgoVi0EFDZkEeeb1GRRNdXwDyKY3TuCmMHbjn5H6TLhOEIp4buB5MP-wK/s1857/Disneyland%20120%206d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1422" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRk1CRYSIHC-UzUHz0FYPInxrCcf5u1flbRQh9i0uUja9t_Pdrl7q8dAVoCSddoigFoEZBW_2yEuroStWgzFFpKO38mcj4gUecYe55JukQm0tznKOGuSjRgMgwVVE8cl8XgoVi0EFDZkEeeb1GRRNdXwDyKY3TuCmMHbjn5H6TLhOEIp4buB5MP-wK/w306-h400/Disneyland%20120%206d.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disneyland Wools No. 120</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Several of the designs are multi-coloured, and shown on the leaflets in very bright colours. </span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlezOj7FkxlZQELiTcKLbs-ACEI8Q70DBfvxPz0lljOCbcSaAqPVrPeIBQAnMOvnj8P07H06fOMtu09rBUrJ3xaMrTr3ngg4RCbKm53TZxhux0j5bHPwFoJ9HqwAljiScQ_vGZ3AI_6FHYv6SM_R3j39BLvUOtFpN9R4vHiDHMtaeq3Rf1RhYFlb6/s1857/Disneyland%20108%20%206d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1422" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlezOj7FkxlZQELiTcKLbs-ACEI8Q70DBfvxPz0lljOCbcSaAqPVrPeIBQAnMOvnj8P07H06fOMtu09rBUrJ3xaMrTr3ngg4RCbKm53TZxhux0j5bHPwFoJ9HqwAljiScQ_vGZ3AI_6FHYv6SM_R3j39BLvUOtFpN9R4vHiDHMtaeq3Rf1RhYFlb6/w306-h400/Disneyland%20108%20%206d.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disneyland Wools No. 108</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD95afWM0wLxnpkpsiDdFeUf6bZFdLovyNnP6FGyKnMdWnRefRE22f4ynIxIsjO1Ot7O67K2_PZuOTC3-M6r_H7K_qKF0plmNCfhFNGfm7IcdF7OlUu5M0DVCybY7THEmbR9PnHFrRMnhkfuNh_I_YfPGrVWkjLk63j5qypmY8R7XEXg3uzuulSRoB/s1857/Disneyland%20109%206d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1422" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD95afWM0wLxnpkpsiDdFeUf6bZFdLovyNnP6FGyKnMdWnRefRE22f4ynIxIsjO1Ot7O67K2_PZuOTC3-M6r_H7K_qKF0plmNCfhFNGfm7IcdF7OlUu5M0DVCybY7THEmbR9PnHFrRMnhkfuNh_I_YfPGrVWkjLk63j5qypmY8R7XEXg3uzuulSRoB/w306-h400/Disneyland%20109%206d.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disneyland Wools No. 109</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">But there are also simpler designs in single colours. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVunE8cxzZI3LBfB_gzZC6AEPEULWKWqZ2wHcNk-c2B2T8sd2TVNeHRQOCWV2z8H9f2Muz8EkI_2llzKPEyUmxjGwIN6rlt0Kd34VP9K035L4r4NCBbf0_w4-dTX-5toTL7ouVIQ0wC2Jh_QH57Vfifw0uOiV0-odx4zAUPRRNan-FWnZtCXHD6hj/s1857/Disneyland%20104%20%206d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="1422" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVunE8cxzZI3LBfB_gzZC6AEPEULWKWqZ2wHcNk-c2B2T8sd2TVNeHRQOCWV2z8H9f2Muz8EkI_2llzKPEyUmxjGwIN6rlt0Kd34VP9K035L4r4NCBbf0_w4-dTX-5toTL7ouVIQ0wC2Jh_QH57Vfifw0uOiV0-odx4zAUPRRNan-FWnZtCXHD6hj/w306-h400/Disneyland%20104%20%206d.jpg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disneyland Wools No. 104<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;">None of the pattern leaflets that we have are for angora - they all specify 3-ply Botany Wool (merino). So I can't tell what garments were to be knitted with ¼ oz. balls of angora. Or perhaps they were intended for trimming on garments mainly knitted in botany wool.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">From the style of the designs, the leaflets appear to date from the late 1940s or early 1950s. The leaflets give the name of the producers of the yarn - the British Wool Company, of Wembley. (Rather a presumptuous name, I think, given all the <i>other</i> British wool companies in existence at the time.) <a href="https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/British_Wool_Co">Grace's Guide</a> gives a little information about the company, and shows some very nice ads for Disneyland Nursery Wools (the botany wool) and Disneyland Angora, dating from 1947, when the company exhibited at the British Industries Fair, to 1953. It's interesting that the botany wool is referred to as nursery wool, i.e. for babies and very small children, when the pattern leaflets are obviously aimed at a much wider age range. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I have not seen any ads for Disneyland Wools in the needlecraft and knitting magazines where the bigger spinners advertised. But I have searched the newspapers available in <a href="https://www.findmypast.co.uk/">FindMyPast</a> for Disneyland Wools. There are mentions of the brand from late 1948 to 1954 (though most are in 1949 and 1950), mainly in ads for yarn shops in local newspapers. One intriguing piece appeared in the <i>Dundee Courier</i> in 1949:</span></div><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"> CARTOON CHARACTERS FOR COLOURS </div><div>Children familiar with fairy and animal characters on the screen will be able to tell their mothers the colour of wool they would like in their clothes. They will not name the colour, but the character which stands for that shade, provided a particular brand of wool is purchased. The 26 choices include:—Mickey Mouse— scarlet; Pinocchio—blue; Donald Duck—navy; Dopey—yellow; and Bambi—brick. Menzies have a window display in their Princes Street (Dundee) shop of this "Disneyland" nursery wool which is 1s 10½d an ounce. Each ball has a character-stamped paper band, and boxes containing 1 lb. [i.e. 16 balls] of a particular shade are available, though the balls may be had singly. </div><div></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">(</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">I am a bit disappointed that Bambi isn't fawn, though I suppose that brick might be approximately the colour of a deer.) </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">This must have been the original way that the company used the cartoon characters, i.e. on botany wool, with a character for each colour. From a couple of ads I have found for the angora, it was only sold in about 8 pastel colours, so it made more sense to use all the characters on each colour. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">More colour-character combinations appear in the instructions for the Mickey Mouse twin set. Snow White is, of course, white, and sky blue is represented by the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio. Figaro the black-and-white cat, also in Pinocchio, is black. The colour names are not used in the patterns for adults or older children: the company perhaps felt that referring to colours by cartoon characters might deter older customers. And perhaps they were, in the end, right — even though the cartoon characters on the ball-bands are charming, the brand doesn't seem to have lasted very long. </span></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-54171187262041225572021-12-31T18:25:00.005+00:002022-01-08T14:47:12.499+00:00Helps to Knitters 101<p>The spinners J. & J. Baldwin & Partners of Halifax and John Paton, Son & Co. Ltd. of Alloa merged in 1920 to form Patons & Baldwins, probably the largest manufacturer of knitting wool in the country. Before the merger, both companies had published knitting patterns: Baldwin's Beehive Booklets and Paton's Helps to Knitters series. In spite of the merger, the component companies continued to operate more or less independently for several years, with the two separate series of pattern leaflets. But eventually, they were merged into a single Helps to Knitters series. </p><p>Some of the (very few) 1920s Helps to Knitters leaflets in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection list the current leaflets on the back. This is the beginning of one such list:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRK9VAaPVL6p24CJ4iENfnzWCaE84vZrTfIu8_kjLq5rUf0Roxee6EcSbdY5lFNWT9Qs2zPll6_DTcrDseFzliqjIxGFVXjmpgF6ne1qDTz28a4ZSXxL4GhtwlHfaBG5zIAh-yMh4MsVFC_qOuW724yL-mc1SNNU2xZvGddKCZybBknErHHP2UQBqV=s910" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="910" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRK9VAaPVL6p24CJ4iENfnzWCaE84vZrTfIu8_kjLq5rUf0Roxee6EcSbdY5lFNWT9Qs2zPll6_DTcrDseFzliqjIxGFVXjmpgF6ne1qDTz28a4ZSXxL4GhtwlHfaBG5zIAh-yMh4MsVFC_qOuW724yL-mc1SNNU2xZvGddKCZybBknErHHP2UQBqV=w400-h165" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>(Click on the image to enlarge it.) The jump in numbering after 84P marks the start of the new series, which began with Helps to Knitters No.101. </p><p>(Geeky note: The earlier leaflets had been numbered from 1, but it seems that neither series had reached more than 90 leaflets by 1927, so 101 was a good starting point. A few of the earlier leaflets remained in print for several more years, but were re-issued as Patons & Baldwins' Helps to Knitters, with their original number. A 'P' was appended if the leaflets had originally been a Paton's Helps to Knitters leaflet; so for instance, there were two different leaflets numbered 69 (formerly a Beehive Booklet) and 69P (formerly a Paton's Helps to Knitters leaflet.))</p><p>We know that the new Helps to Knitters launched in 1927, because Beehive Booklets were still being advertised in January of that year, but then in April Helps to Knitters No. 102 was advertised: </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLHPqDKclCUMTTAJG3kApbQ9xOmAXLOAg2fZPSaHUpvxq-Q5aP0uViHkZVCEqqHkBJGQ4D62Rs29zaFyWXJXAlVW0HQwNn4Z1g6W21aIBuxPpXyBnM3ttoA7H2Y8kM34PSkGt4UuB65sgILL9yW3Njy_H-Jm9YJZzEj5bH-jsFDsp4tpUGQytsnO2_=s787" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="578" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLHPqDKclCUMTTAJG3kApbQ9xOmAXLOAg2fZPSaHUpvxq-Q5aP0uViHkZVCEqqHkBJGQ4D62Rs29zaFyWXJXAlVW0HQwNn4Z1g6W21aIBuxPpXyBnM3ttoA7H2Y8kM34PSkGt4UuB65sgILL9yW3Njy_H-Jm9YJZzEj5bH-jsFDsp4tpUGQytsnO2_=w470-h640" width="470" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ad for Helps to Knitters 102, April 1927<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />But the most intriguing leaflet in the list is No. 101: Hand-knitted spats, in various wools. Whenever I have seen that entry, I have regretted that we don't have the leaflet. In the 1920s, men wore spats over shoes, to cover the ankles and top of the shoe, but they were quite formal, city wear - worn for instance by Bertie Wooster and his ilk in the P G Wodehouse stories, and were definitely not knitted. So what were the Hand-knitted Spats like, and were they for men or women? <div><br /><div>Then, a little while ago I was looking in the excellent <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/">Trove</a> archive of Australian newspapers (for something else entirely, of course) when I found the pattern! It appeared on the women's page of <i>The Examiner</i> (Launceston, Tasmania) in April 1927, under the headline "Hand-Knitted Spattees". I have transcribed the pattern below. </div><blockquote><div>Paton and Baldwin's Helps to Knitters, No. 101M.</div><div>Materials. — 5oz. Patons' super Scotch fingering, 4-ply, or Beehive fingering, 4-ply. Two No. 14 steel knitting needles, 9in. wide elastic.</div><div>Measurements. — Length from top to heel (with top turned over), 14in.</div><div>Work at a tension to produce 10 stitches to the inch.</div><div>Cast on 96 stitches.</div><div>Work in rib of (K. 2, P. 2) for 4in.</div><div>Proceed as follows: —</div><div>1st row. — K. 7, P. 2, * K. 6, P. 2. repeat from to the last 7 stitches, K. 7.</div><div>2nd row. — K. 1, purl to the last stitch, K. 1.</div><div>Repeat these two rows for 3½in., ending with the 2nd row.</div><div>Decrease once at each end of the needle in the next and every following 8th row, until 82 stitches remain.</div><div>Work 7 rows without shaping.</div><div>In the next row; K. 1, K. 2 tog., work in pattern on the next 35 stitches, K. 2 tog., P. 2, K. 2 tog., work in pattern to the last 3 stitches, K. 2 tog., K. 1.</div><div>Continue decreasing in this manner in every 8th row until 74 stitches remain.</div><div>Decrease once at each end of the needle in every 8th row, until 70 stitches remain. In the next row work on the first 35 stitches, turn.</div><div>Work in pattern on these 35 stitches for half an inch, ending with a purl row.</div><div>Increase once at the beginning of the needle in the next and every following second row, whilst at the same time increasing once at the end of the needle in the next and every following 6th row, until there are 61 stitches on the needle. </div><div>Purl the following row. Proceed as follows: —</div><div>1st row. — K. 1, increase once in the next stitch, work in pattern to the last 24 stitches, turn.</div><div>2nd and alternate rows. — Purl to the end of row.</div><div>3rd row. — K. 1, increase once in the next stitch, work in pattern to the last 27 stitches, turn. </div><div>5th row. — K. 1, increase once in the next stitch, work in pattern to the last 30 stitches, turn.</div><div>7th row. — K-. 1, increase once in the next stitch, work in pattern to the last 33 stitches, turn.</div><div>9th row. — K. 1,. increase once in the next stitch, work in pattern to the last 36 stitches, turn.</div><div>11th row. — K. 1, increase once in the next stitch, work in pattern to the last 39 stitches, turn.</div><div>13th row. — K. 1. increase once in the next stitch, Work in pattern to the last 42 stitches, turn.</div><div>14th row. — Purl to the last 2 stitches, turn.</div><div>15th row: — Work in pattern to the last 45 stitches, turn.</div><div>16th row. — Purl to the last 3 stitches, turn.</div><div>17th row. — Work in pattern to the end of the row. Work 4 rows in plain knitting.</div><div>Cast off.</div><div>Work on the remaining 35 stitches to correspond. </div><div>Work another spat in exactly the same manner.</div><div>With a damp cloth and hot iron press carefully.</div><div>Sew up the front seams of the foot. Sew up the back seams. Sew elastic at the instep.</div><div></div></blockquote><div>I think there's no doubt that this is copied from the Helps to Knitters leaflet 101, even though it calls them spattees and not spats. It's clear from the instructions that the spattees start off like knee-length socks, with a turn over, but the foot part is not like a sock, and there's something complicated happening, involving short rows. I did some digging, and found this 1927 ad showing a woman wearing a knitted 'sports coat', a knitted 'stocking cap' (a cap and muffler combined), and 'knitted woollen spattees in a jacqard design'. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJqC_9kjkSdp36uvOLU5CqrNTEw_2UxjgLHlJGtUONbVL3fs1ZLQdsBAJkd3syKfS05p_GeS9-12sauHP2cVSAFoGxpjSci7zPXecujFOdj-NFjWvieZ4OEBIUgeFdDJVwKPvvJfXy3Qlfz3Bkmz9h5Mxu0DJ21uhtKe3PH9MjnIrbz0uTg8st_MGc=s562" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="192" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJqC_9kjkSdp36uvOLU5CqrNTEw_2UxjgLHlJGtUONbVL3fs1ZLQdsBAJkd3syKfS05p_GeS9-12sauHP2cVSAFoGxpjSci7zPXecujFOdj-NFjWvieZ4OEBIUgeFdDJVwKPvvJfXy3Qlfz3Bkmz9h5Mxu0DJ21uhtKe3PH9MjnIrbz0uTg8st_MGc=w218-h640" width="218" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From an ad for Debenham <br />& Freebody, November 1927,<br />showing knitted woollen spattees</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>I think that's what the spats/spattees in Helps to Knitters 101 would look like. But I was intrigued by the last part of the instructions (labelled as 1st to 17th rows) which use short rows. After knitting the part which eventually goes round the calf, with a turnover just below the knee, you split the stitches into two lots of 35, and that's where the short rows come in. I didn't want to knit a pair of spats, or even just one, but I wanted to find out what the short rows are doing, so I decided to start from the point where you start working on half the stitches. </div><div><br /></div><div>The fabric is supposed to be a sort of broken rib, and you are supposed to "work in pattern" as you increase and decrease, but I thought that would be confusing (it would confuse me, anyway) so I used stocking stitch instead. And to make the shaping given by the short rows clearer, I knitted in stripes of two colours, changing after every two rows. Here's the result:</div><div><br /></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik3W_0YjWEYxFH3S6YITPlydz8C4gAgNXGbiVLD0i_5TvtTKE9oFzCOxnqeEJSnB6sLkBuK4Liw8pGiePzYK8iz0j277K_1SjDh7XiMtzCpZIaD5iTo1UnZBbesLmoUYApJHoc35jMr2oOvHWLRwEblUjpa_P7-LHIXu-bQ5w7ykndn9vb4bUl7yub=s6119" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4902" data-original-width="6119" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik3W_0YjWEYxFH3S6YITPlydz8C4gAgNXGbiVLD0i_5TvtTKE9oFzCOxnqeEJSnB6sLkBuK4Liw8pGiePzYK8iz0j277K_1SjDh7XiMtzCpZIaD5iTo1UnZBbesLmoUYApJHoc35jMr2oOvHWLRwEblUjpa_P7-LHIXu-bQ5w7ykndn9vb4bUl7yub=w400-h320" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div>It's clear from this piece how the spat fits the foot, over a shoe. The short rows shape the bottom edge of the spat, The instructions are just to turn at the end of each short row, so there is a row of little holes just above the garter stitch edging - techniques like 'wrap and turn' which prevent the holes weren't in use then. But in that position, the holes are not very noticeable. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLg8QwY-BGQG5IbuldmTG4TMSeC1LACcqCebgTMPN9I87iGuTZvhK6lBx9M-xphJEB4Trq4wwwAeVPmVVMab1AB0tQtCJfhWVKkxxdRLkjLeKuovZUVJyzH-Ra0Y4F0aS4bhCSknSujQTOgFJKkfRD0X-UAiv7hAKGbkL7u73xuBg7iQKb2zfd1-JS=s3617" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1916" data-original-width="3617" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLg8QwY-BGQG5IbuldmTG4TMSeC1LACcqCebgTMPN9I87iGuTZvhK6lBx9M-xphJEB4Trq4wwwAeVPmVVMab1AB0tQtCJfhWVKkxxdRLkjLeKuovZUVJyzH-Ra0Y4F0aS4bhCSknSujQTOgFJKkfRD0X-UAiv7hAKGbkL7u73xuBg7iQKb2zfd1-JS=w400-h213" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>There seems to have been a brief fashion for wearing wool spattees for country wear, and I found a newspaper article which pinpointed their introduction, in <i>The Scotsman</i> in August 1926: </div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>Despite the heat and the fact that August has drawn the majority of society folk from London to the moors or Continental holiday resorts, there was quite a number of people who responded to Lady Strathspey's invitation to her "At Home" at the Savoy Hotel on Wednesday. .....</div><div><br /></div><div>Tea and many delectable dainties for a hot afternoon were particularly acceptable in that cool, shaded room, but Lady Strathspey had arranged a novel interlude for her "At Home" which took the form of a mannequin parade to display the new Highland "spattees" which are to be such a chic adjunct for the sportswoman's wear. They are intended to replace Russian boots, the ugliness of which made them unpopular with most women. The new "spattees" are of shower-proofed wool or tweed and shaped to fit the leg, spat fashion, extending to the knee, with a fancy turnover top. Naturally, the guests were immensely interested in the novelty, and one or two caused no small amusement by trying on the "spattees" then and there. </div></blockquote><p>Another report of the same "At Home", in the <i>Leeds Mercury</i>, suggests that spattees were not just intended for country wear, but for wet weather in town, too. The rising hemlines of skirts and dresses in the 1920s had revealed the silk stockings of ladies who had the money to buy such things, and also exposed the stockings to splashes of rain and mud - and the ankles to cold and wet. </p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>New Ankle Wear.</b> Many people have complained of the free display of the modern ankle, but even more have complained of its encasement in the unbecoming Russian boot. A cure for both ills was introduced at a reception given by Lady Strathspey in the Savoy Hotel this afternoon. </p><p>This new fashion for protecting silken ankles in wet weather is called the Highland Spattee, and is made of showerproof wool, or wool and cotton, with a fancy top. Being made spat fashion it is easily slipped over the shoe and stockings, and it fits without the heavy creases which make the Russian boots so ungraceful. </p></blockquote><p></p><div>I think that spattees for town wear may have been a very short-lived fashion - the despised Russian boots (knee-length leather boots, I think) would have been much more practical in wet weather. Suppose you went out for afternoon tea wearing your spattees in the rain, and took them off while you had tea. Imagine how horrible it would be to put the wet, muddy spattees back on to go home again. But for country wear the fashion might have lasted longer. And if you wanted a pair of knitted spattees, making your own would have been easy and economical. The pair shown in the Debenham & Freebody ad, for instance, cost 19 shillings and 6 pence - almost £1. Taking inflation into account, that would now be worth more than £60. If they were hand-knitted (it doesn't say), that might be justifiable, but making your own would be much, much cheaper. </div><div><br /></div><div>It would still be good to have Helps to Knitters No. 101 as it was published in the U.K., if only to have an illustration, but failing that, the Trove pattern is nearly as good. And it's fascinating to see that designers in the 1920s were quite able to use short rows to make complicated shapes like these spats. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. Since writing this post, I've done some more digging in Trove, and found an ad for Helps to Knitters 101M, from June 1927. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYU8KN5q33cV2L5NYJaF2zZynr0cDcpdzGMc56WjBSXcrmQNJKxpoD67B0vISimb6n0vOkIPQ3iyBQ6Vip_mTwQS73vEdIU0TqB2U3iIlq_gZj5mKhf9GzdCMbE2jg1g23oWmNH4kunb1721Ha4AIRRZj7GqghX3vvqiACPdNHllP33Sv9ko6TJWaQ=s671" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="671" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYU8KN5q33cV2L5NYJaF2zZynr0cDcpdzGMc56WjBSXcrmQNJKxpoD67B0vISimb6n0vOkIPQ3iyBQ6Vip_mTwQS73vEdIU0TqB2U3iIlq_gZj5mKhf9GzdCMbE2jg1g23oWmNH4kunb1721Ha4AIRRZj7GqghX3vvqiACPdNHllP33Sv9ko6TJWaQ=w400-h278" width="400" /></a></div><br /> This confirms what the spattees looked like as part of a complete outfit (though it shows them with a coloured stripe on the turnover, which doesn't exist in the instructions given earlier in the post). It also again gives the number as 101M, and not 101. I now think that this was an Australian version of the leaflet (M for Melbourne, perhaps, where P&B's Australian base was) and a separate printing might have been necessary to allow the leaflet to be free in Australia, whereas the British version cost 3d. </div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-88451385368478211882021-03-16T18:21:00.002+00:002021-03-16T18:22:05.055+00:00Stitchcraft Number 2<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Stitchcraft </i>magazine was published every month for 50 years, from 1932 to 1982, except for a few years during the Second World War when paper shortages meant that it was published less often. The Knitting & Crochet Guild has copies of most issues, and I have put a pdf version of the 2nd issue, from November 1932, on the Guild website. (The first issue, from October 1932, is there already.) Members who are interested can download it, and maybe knit something from it. Here I'm outlining what's in this issue. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFFRgjeph_KfHLZV3tI2u2R-qRtpWArsrCcMJ7RLtmb71NScRPZBuMAa9srrz2QuKo2Hv2WihP1nA6yXWxP6O24vIaEq8qAvAlKgIQ4kNRTCFrL2wslXFNdYqW8ms2l57-2SWjSNNPX8/s1024/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p00-004.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="753" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFFRgjeph_KfHLZV3tI2u2R-qRtpWArsrCcMJ7RLtmb71NScRPZBuMAa9srrz2QuKo2Hv2WihP1nA6yXWxP6O24vIaEq8qAvAlKgIQ4kNRTCFrL2wslXFNdYqW8ms2l57-2SWjSNNPX8/w294-h400/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p00-004.jpg" width="294" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Stitchcraft</i>, November 1932</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The cover shows that it was "for the modern woman and her home", and covered Knitting, Crochet, Embroidery and Rugwork. Stitchcraft was owned by Patons & Baldwins, and the main purpose of the magazine was to sell the company's wools. All the garments shown on the cover are made with P&B wools. The company at that time also sold embroidery wool (used for the stool top) and rug wool, used for the nursery rug, embroidered in cross-stitch. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOqfIZgCumM9QAC5sjNavri8STdMLs-22NmW5TdtbmrT68A7HhNDkJATHL41q9FYjLT3t4dMMcGSKfZOZMYeVQbmZsANWSC_vMK6giko56MpoWsTVkWD1VmXSwrQHpEBWUY9bRqWquk8/s1220/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p04+ig.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="976" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOqfIZgCumM9QAC5sjNavri8STdMLs-22NmW5TdtbmrT68A7HhNDkJATHL41q9FYjLT3t4dMMcGSKfZOZMYeVQbmZsANWSC_vMK6giko56MpoWsTVkWD1VmXSwrQHpEBWUY9bRqWquk8/w320-h400/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p04+ig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The main image on the cover is the jumper with red and white diamonds - 'a gay colour scheme for grey November days'. For me, it's the most attractive of the designs in the magazine, and the stranded knitting would make it very warm. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyI_J1k3shVqbfNj_PxXY0WVqTg6AOkwmEvGZnI8TdhwsyE9OzJNbOEa82FWJf0KFlxHSJ8Hq_EruWfjI7HOQ9MsSJpsbURIYvZu995qh2rpaT43F9cV9-qAJCHFwmFOi0SqkedaGG_Ck/s913/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p15.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="668" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyI_J1k3shVqbfNj_PxXY0WVqTg6AOkwmEvGZnI8TdhwsyE9OzJNbOEa82FWJf0KFlxHSJ8Hq_EruWfjI7HOQ9MsSJpsbURIYvZu995qh2rpaT43F9cV9-qAJCHFwmFOi0SqkedaGG_Ck/w293-h400/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p15.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Another of the cover designs is shown there as striped. A note with the photo inside the magazine says: "it is a pity that, owing to the fact that blue and grey photograph alike, the striped pattern of this charming little jumper does not show up in this illustration of it." Sounds like someone made a mistake there. It certainly looks much more interesting on the cover, where the stripes are clear. Although the photo doesn't show the two colours, it does show that the stitch pattern creates some texture in the fabric too. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYfTqRDcNTfL3V5rOMfUPCxILFv_id72b4xMk4R75mi6LjtEhgMkRr577tuClm3cKVRb3aykzKnIv2-Zt8Tj8CcnjL3j83YlgokY_42NtGrxZHyt0JyXvUyZZi60D9GmGLxu2yno3Xhw/s963/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="963" data-original-width="753" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYfTqRDcNTfL3V5rOMfUPCxILFv_id72b4xMk4R75mi6LjtEhgMkRr577tuClm3cKVRb3aykzKnIv2-Zt8Tj8CcnjL3j83YlgokY_42NtGrxZHyt0JyXvUyZZi60D9GmGLxu2yno3Xhw/w313-h400/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p11.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The other striped garment on the cover is crocheted, in three colours. I think I would like it better if the model's pose in the photo didn't look quite so awkward and uncomfortable - though a short jacket, fitted to the waist, is not something I would want to wear anyway.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrRKjdAWnd85MhHYoB8g-TkmnNd1-tv6Ymbynpc2zfqGGnzXvITNBqv9966JwYZORV_ZF7GcYQgfakEm0MBJxrooRaiT88XNelaL8nEI0V70EWa4zHQVUqCZ4dejZ5x9_n2yZ_kOcXvk/s961/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p16+ig.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrRKjdAWnd85MhHYoB8g-TkmnNd1-tv6Ymbynpc2zfqGGnzXvITNBqv9966JwYZORV_ZF7GcYQgfakEm0MBJxrooRaiT88XNelaL8nEI0V70EWa4zHQVUqCZ4dejZ5x9_n2yZ_kOcXvk/w320-h400/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p16+ig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The cover also shows a very charming outfit for a little girl - a dress with yellow ducks around the lower edge, and a pair of knickers to wear with it (though actually they look more like rather baggy shorts). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The top right of the cover shows a V neck pullover and long socks. These are intended as "Christmas presents for men who are critical!" Perhaps it sounded rather different in the early 1930s, but I think that anyone who is critical of a hand-knitted Christmas present doesn't deserve it. (On the other hand, knitting something as a gift for someone without checking first that it's what they want is a bit risky.) <i>Stitchcraft</i>'s suggestions for these undeserving men are, first, a sleeveless pullover. ("A pullover must be conservative in style to make a masculine hit, but a touch of difference in stitch is permissible.") Then, "golfing husbands and brother will appreciate the extremely well-shaped golfing stockings", which are shaped to fit the calves, rather than relying on the stretchiness of the knit. Finally, there's a nice-looking plain cardigan with pockets, in Shetland wool (not shown on the cover). "A rather bright navy blue is the colour that well-dressed men are choosing for their cardigans this winter."</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are several other knitting and crochet patterns inside the magazine. The one below looks quite practical, because it's knitted in thick wool (as long as you don't mind a jacket that finishes at the waist). "Paris sponsors short, snug-fitting jackets for winter walks. This particularly fascinating example is given especial cachet by wide ribbing, gleaming clip fasteners and the casual chic of a large soft collar. To go with it, there is a cap in the turban shape that is so smart and so universally becoming. The thickness of the attractive wool the coat and cap are knitted in make them particularly quick work."</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3PLcDvPdbz_OdiloAn79NKxPpyvJ5Q9u0wFs_FdiUEvjdh-9b9x6vMtumH-YspTxbeIgl4jXKWjW_WfbBU5pipHEAcA04kkZIZx6y8bqb8jRAURvGJmE9sYjF3kPeE2xZZUgEULulCg/s976/Stitchcraft+November+1932+p010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="731" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3PLcDvPdbz_OdiloAn79NKxPpyvJ5Q9u0wFs_FdiUEvjdh-9b9x6vMtumH-YspTxbeIgl4jXKWjW_WfbBU5pipHEAcA04kkZIZx6y8bqb8jRAURvGJmE9sYjF3kPeE2xZZUgEULulCg/w300-h400/Stitchcraft+November+1932+p010.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Elsewhere in the magazine, there is an ad for the clip fasteners used on the jackets, declaring "Buttons are finished". A bit premature, I think. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeb8uqmaVbsjhgWDDu_B0PfQKHMAhHdaGQhBh1h5D-rxLAXjuUKEIlJDC8_Lm3oIjBVMVbjpKP0ihC8rBA7uvEQpUQh8_S4_EQB2bxE2N5Vc52zFuw-jEaVLf2r4o4J2U0X0GDE-eF6uA/s542/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p35.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="398" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeb8uqmaVbsjhgWDDu_B0PfQKHMAhHdaGQhBh1h5D-rxLAXjuUKEIlJDC8_Lm3oIjBVMVbjpKP0ihC8rBA7uvEQpUQh8_S4_EQB2bxE2N5Vc52zFuw-jEaVLf2r4o4J2U0X0GDE-eF6uA/w294-h400/Stirchcraft+November+1932+p35.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The mention of Paris is backed up by a report by <i>Stitchcraft</i>'s Paris correspondent, on the hand-knits shown by the Paris designers. The sketch below shows two designs by Jean Patou, a ribbed cardigan and a zipped pullover, both worn with leather belts. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuO9cImMp7Grb2yC257hM2lPMph57I9684p-urRLthcCzWUzgaWVySkq-OFWhhqwwI4zJqbDnGyRQAwrkISFZMVkAUn0nFoq9tbpGJcjRyu5vvzk4dpo_tZ1Qp02QVhqFD9-dFsFXWYZc/s935/Stitchcraft+November+1932+From+our+Paris+Correspondent.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="676" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuO9cImMp7Grb2yC257hM2lPMph57I9684p-urRLthcCzWUzgaWVySkq-OFWhhqwwI4zJqbDnGyRQAwrkISFZMVkAUn0nFoq9tbpGJcjRyu5vvzk4dpo_tZ1Qp02QVhqFD9-dFsFXWYZc/w289-h400/Stitchcraft+November+1932+From+our+Paris+Correspondent.jpg" width="289" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Although it mainly carried patterns for Patons & Baldwins products, <i>Stitchcraft</i> gave instructions for making things in other manufacturers' (non-wool) products, too. From this issue, you could make a "Sunshine set for morning tea". It's intended for tea in bed: a tray cloth, tea cosy and napkin in yellow linen, with filet crochet trimmings, worked in Ardern's Star Sylko crochet cotton. And there was a cookery page too - " 'Quick to Make' Cakes for November Teas". At a time when Patons & Baldwins leaflets cost 2d if there was only one pattern in the leaflet, and up to 6d if there were several, it was very good value for 6d. </span> </p>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-29829747553402656032021-03-02T17:09:00.001+00:002021-03-03T15:19:41.812+00:00A 1940s Face<div class="separator"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you look at a lot of old knitting patterns and magazines, as I do, some of the models start to become familiar. In a few cases, I can put a name to the face - for instance, <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-face-of-fifties.html">Patricia Squires</a>, who often appeared on the front cover of <i>Woman's Weekly</i> in the 1950s, modelling one of the knitting patterns in the magzine. Some models are famous for other reasons - notably Roger Moore, who was a knitwear model briefly in 1952 before his acting career took off, and I have occasionally seen Joanna Lumley on 1960s knitting patterns. But usually, these familiar faces are anonymous.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><div class="separator"><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the models on 1940s knitting patterns is particularly noticeable because she usually wore her hair in a very distinctive heart-shaped style. It reminds me of a medieval headdress (called I think a hennin, or possibly an escoffin).
</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCV5i6pDvfrk10NnFYMbVcrayMA51WMMwOIRAkd9-hk6ZmSUyOj4aE1QREtkffgT-mA-pLWIqse2QhIVeMH21X0Zpk0OiDn34Qs7CYMxJ36WhMFJpgzjPWEALrYB8QnlGPuwAjB6QMhUI/s1960/Bestway+1480+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1960" data-original-width="1256" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCV5i6pDvfrk10NnFYMbVcrayMA51WMMwOIRAkd9-hk6ZmSUyOj4aE1QREtkffgT-mA-pLWIqse2QhIVeMH21X0Zpk0OiDn34Qs7CYMxJ36WhMFJpgzjPWEALrYB8QnlGPuwAjB6QMhUI/w256-h400/Bestway+1480+%25281%2529.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bestway 1480</span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><span style="font-size: medium;">She appeared on several Bestway leaflets in the late 1940s, and the hairstyle varies slightly, though her hair is always long, and almost always swept up. (How would you get it to stay put without copious amounts of hairspray, which I'm sure didn't exist in the 1940s?)</span><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrBuBOFD4TZ9g1R_rLP-2P-U_DSjf3PtOKQnKrX0vSQ971ggLFhYLLfU7QGSzfniq-38i638V5YG4tC_uuESHt5mHo-mAxmuds3IziC-7PnHeZEI12bBay1nOqXqXYx5XPlK6_9d7z0A/s1036/Bestway+1326+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="679" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrBuBOFD4TZ9g1R_rLP-2P-U_DSjf3PtOKQnKrX0vSQ971ggLFhYLLfU7QGSzfniq-38i638V5YG4tC_uuESHt5mHo-mAxmuds3IziC-7PnHeZEI12bBay1nOqXqXYx5XPlK6_9d7z0A/w263-h400/Bestway+1326+%25281%2529.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bestway 1326</span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIlyUCvuu0UgQjjaY9Z7DzDqcrpzTL-UPUuXgs3pBznDnlYszV4zzhXEvBBJI7gnwl2HGKiqsEr5__EmNBLtdnaMVOtesJdELUSZKZobQnhfsmcFfbu40Uo9UgQGJU_OgY-_lbBMAMM4/s1022/Bestway+1685+011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="676" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIlyUCvuu0UgQjjaY9Z7DzDqcrpzTL-UPUuXgs3pBznDnlYszV4zzhXEvBBJI7gnwl2HGKiqsEr5__EmNBLtdnaMVOtesJdELUSZKZobQnhfsmcFfbu40Uo9UgQGJU_OgY-_lbBMAMM4/w265-h400/Bestway+1685+011.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bestway 1685</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">She sometimes appeared on pattern leaflets for knitting wool brands such as Copley's.... </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32t9gJ8l2VcQsudiFUeTQt5RWfkqU3d8QLfDbtBvBP5EF3JDEHcbafbJe3XSPgUmkFPPeFa6dRBFJhXUsvB8EyuWKPVUHxVTJTs-h0qju2zS99u_Eg1fs6KI82dgTRno4Js4XnWtjExw/s1921/Copley+1579+4d+wm.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="1459" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32t9gJ8l2VcQsudiFUeTQt5RWfkqU3d8QLfDbtBvBP5EF3JDEHcbafbJe3XSPgUmkFPPeFa6dRBFJhXUsvB8EyuWKPVUHxVTJTs-h0qju2zS99u_Eg1fs6KI82dgTRno4Js4XnWtjExw/w304-h400/Copley+1579+4d+wm.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copley's 1579</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">.... La Laine, by Bairns-Wear .....</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VcIAAsAqJSJT6ytDdeAYAQA9CPVnrsg-O9JEcWThwx8c69hAGpGQkryt6fehM-yaQkdkKkEdvDjDkQmFqlC-r3pGvAO5RzLIFbgKS_N96oV7718GiYkukRwbISiLvV4KinHkIEJI-uo/s1237/La+Laine+2178+%25283%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="781" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VcIAAsAqJSJT6ytDdeAYAQA9CPVnrsg-O9JEcWThwx8c69hAGpGQkryt6fehM-yaQkdkKkEdvDjDkQmFqlC-r3pGvAO5RzLIFbgKS_N96oV7718GiYkukRwbISiLvV4KinHkIEJI-uo/w253-h400/La+Laine+2178+%25283%2529.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Laine 2178</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><p>.... <span style="font-size: medium;">and Patons & Baldwins. The leaflet below was advertised in 1943.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRUG6HYZilOYAtFjn9sQXmbrC8YgUSwra7kTAxuZAYyHzC58zglZOV277tFPppPY3qwA1NIDhKFVHACC0S2XBTt-0QPjEKKz3x0jIGxd1XaY5i5rvjn2KdHPGfkwACTH7oO9Q3cP_oug/s1394/B+875+3d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1394" data-original-width="936" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpRUG6HYZilOYAtFjn9sQXmbrC8YgUSwra7kTAxuZAYyHzC58zglZOV277tFPppPY3qwA1NIDhKFVHACC0S2XBTt-0QPjEKKz3x0jIGxd1XaY5i5rvjn2KdHPGfkwACTH7oO9Q3cP_oug/w269-h400/B+875+3d.jpg" width="269" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patons & Baldwins 875</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">She appeared in magazines, such as <i>Woman's Weekly, </i>too. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpbmYNp0TgxHU1P8wdClVP9f1jAbPX7ee3U7zN3T97l9ZMuycR3JrAyS6siK3obOv0N9V4WaLOYWO_KuA0RUO2VvWalzvfnjWUWL0HLRE8f2r-pm79wPBQqM2EOWBzCI7JIdUNo5Ls9k/s2048/Woman%2527s+Weekly+06-02-1943+The+Buttons+Are+In+Threes+%2528front+cover%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1404" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbpbmYNp0TgxHU1P8wdClVP9f1jAbPX7ee3U7zN3T97l9ZMuycR3JrAyS6siK3obOv0N9V4WaLOYWO_KuA0RUO2VvWalzvfnjWUWL0HLRE8f2r-pm79wPBQqM2EOWBzCI7JIdUNo5Ls9k/w274-h400/Woman%2527s+Weekly+06-02-1943+The+Buttons+Are+In+Threes+%2528front+cover%2529.jpg" width="274" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Woman's Weekly</i>, 6th February 1943</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I kept seeing images of this woman, without knowing who she was. But by chance, I found out some time ago, from a magazine in the British Library. (This was of course in the Olden Days, when you could go to London for a few days and stay with friends. And visit museums! And spend a day in the British Library!) I've been collecting together some images of her since then, to show in this post. </span></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIip5MqKgxDFwXbTqF4uhMn9P17VXv4WJ4uRAigl-8c_fOf-BKCQTyRn5sJPVgvP_x9GvKxR30sBCxm0YRWE54bDoQ3tiu0EXB3ZbjtG0AW_0PIHo5yVA3ts2Stv4ib3F2-MMxdyfsZA/s2048/1944+07+Woman+%2526+Home+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1579" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIip5MqKgxDFwXbTqF4uhMn9P17VXv4WJ4uRAigl-8c_fOf-BKCQTyRn5sJPVgvP_x9GvKxR30sBCxm0YRWE54bDoQ3tiu0EXB3ZbjtG0AW_0PIHo5yVA3ts2Stv4ib3F2-MMxdyfsZA/w309-h400/1944+07+Woman+%2526+Home+2.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /> </div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Woman and Home</i> in July 1944 showed a photo of her wedding, with the caption:</span></div><div><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;">"Do you recognise in this lovely bride the Joan Felce whom you have so often admired in our knitting pages? Now you see her photographed with her bridegroom, Lieut. D. C. Nurse, of the Royal Marines - a handsome pair. "</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Joan Felce must have been aware that her hairstyle had a medieval look, because it goes on to say: </span></p><p></p><blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;">"The beautiful, medieval-style gown was designed by the bride herself, and she had it in readiness for three years awaiting the bridegroom's return from Overseas. So this is a story of patience and faith with a very happy ending!"</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We are also told: "Her bridesmaids were two fellow Service women from the W.R.N.S." - the Women's Royal Naval Service, or Wrens. From the end of 1941, single women could be conscripted into war service, and many joined the women's branches of the Army, Navy and Air Force. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I don't know how she managed to carry on with occasional modelling work while being a Wren. I assume that she was based in England - some Wrens would have been doing clerical work at the Admiralty in London. She may even have been able to get leave, if modelling was considered important morale-boosting work, though that seems unlikely. In the summer of 1944, she appeared in a very appropriate feature in <i>Woman</i> magazine, which I found on the same visit to the British Library. It was a double page article "<i>Woman </i>plans a treat for a Service girl", and begins "When a Service girl comes home on leave she looks forward to a very special list of treats, her holiday aims are the little homely things which she can't get in Service life and which she hankers for all the more. She's been doing her part in the fight - let's see that the rest she so much deserves is the kind a Service girl would enjoy most of all." In the rest of the article, Joan Felce is shown enjoying the prescribed treats - meeting her friends on the first evening, breakfast in bed, a picnic tea in the garden, a date with her boyfriend (though that wouldn't be possible if he was serving overseas, as Joan's fiancé had been). </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Most of the pattern leaflets I showed earlier were published after the end of the war. But I have not seen her on any leaflets published after the late 1940s, and I think that she must have then retired from modelling. (Douglas Nurse had, happily, survived the war.) I am pleased to have been able to put a name to one familiar face, though many others remain anonymous. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Copies of all the patterns shown above are free to members of the Knitting & Crochet Guild - email collections@kcguild.org.uk to ask.</span></p></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-65879701024634486752021-02-22T11:31:00.001+00:002021-02-22T11:32:49.445+00:00Leach's Newest Jumpers<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I don't know who Mrs Leach was, or if she actually existed, but a lot of magazine titles were published under her name. A monthly magazine called <i>Mrs Leach's Fancy Work Basket</i> was published from 1886 until (according to the British Library catalogue) 1910. The first issue is headed "Practical Lessons in Art Needlework, Crewel and Crochet Work, Knitting and Embroidery". (The first volume of the <i>Fancy Work Basket </i>is available online from <a href="https://archive.org/details/mrsleachsfancywo00leac/">here</a>, though be warned that it's nearly 500 pages.) </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">By the 1920s, other titles had proliferated, including <i>Leach's Home Needlework</i> (from 1915 to 1929) and <i>Leach's Sixpenny Knitting Series</i> (1920 to 1935). I wrote about two issues of the <i>Sixpenny Knitting Series </i><a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2020/02/a-prize-winning-jumper.html">here</a> and <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2020/02/jumpers-and-sports-wear-in-1931.html">here</a>.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZRSyWu2DQyuzRNI_PRYXJS88AJSE5LYkGvOnDfJJX4oZaLgwxNh1LXXE66aZpB3UC_B6scM5AgIBCGoZLTWxGR3QrX0CY1uV97t-q8jqyZaQtR9IiZUBW3yvUEMelrwRAWGvOIJDxOc/s1200/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers+cover+wm.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="953" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ZRSyWu2DQyuzRNI_PRYXJS88AJSE5LYkGvOnDfJJX4oZaLgwxNh1LXXE66aZpB3UC_B6scM5AgIBCGoZLTWxGR3QrX0CY1uV97t-q8jqyZaQtR9IiZUBW3yvUEMelrwRAWGvOIJDxOc/w318-h400/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers+cover+wm.JPG" width="318" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Leach's Newest Jumpers</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There were also other publications under the Leach's umbrella that weren't issued as part of a series. One of these, <i>Leach's Newest Jumpers</i>, is in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection and I have scanned it to create a pdf version for Guild members. The jumpers in it were 'newest' in the early 1920s; the publication isn't dated, but I think it was published in 1921 or 22. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is always exciting when we can identify the pattern used to create an item in the Guild collection. One of the favourite garments in the collection is a filet crochet jumper with a design of butterflies worked on it, and we realised last year that pattern that was used to make it is one of the cover designs in <i>Leach's Newest Jumpers.</i> The yarn specified in the pattern is a mercerised cotton, though we have assumed that the one in the collection is in rayon. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk299vF0WdFlJxdQl3Wh4LUYUxqvZju79ujF2gFeLHnd8dTzDCus5SMx8jcsAJ0CbNAHp5KSFYtRl6GgLTMAVyyGEfm9be2Ye5gMTlNqrfBSm-hF_LaVRD6b4L5Ro7XkhKl9qSiibrjvg/s2048/C8+E.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk299vF0WdFlJxdQl3Wh4LUYUxqvZju79ujF2gFeLHnd8dTzDCus5SMx8jcsAJ0CbNAHp5KSFYtRl6GgLTMAVyyGEfm9be2Ye5gMTlNqrfBSm-hF_LaVRD6b4L5Ro7XkhKl9qSiibrjvg/w300-h400/C8+E.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly filet crochet jumper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">There are another ten patterns in the magazine - some knitted, some crocheted, some both. The blue jumper on the cover is knitted in wool, though the colours suggested in the pattern are sulphur-yellow, with an edging of smoke-grey rabbit wool (angora) at neck and wrist. The description says that "Shetland shawl patterns are to the fore in the jumper world just now." </span><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9vJrPzFPkYYp59IAwMc5Lev36lYt5IvbrMpNzKDsXbYxoKgVVSqfhBrqQXwjxH4DqXda2cUePY-Scl0tD5oXRez5C5GJigOmZI3jLvBUIPUY_SIl17oDpTnDWmK1tuW-ZQPXTw4dZHE/s801/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i08a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9vJrPzFPkYYp59IAwMc5Lev36lYt5IvbrMpNzKDsXbYxoKgVVSqfhBrqQXwjxH4DqXda2cUePY-Scl0tD5oXRez5C5GJigOmZI3jLvBUIPUY_SIl17oDpTnDWmK1tuW-ZQPXTw4dZHE/w320-h400/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i08a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's not easy to see in the photo, but as well as the lacy basque, there is a panel of feather-and-fan just below the square neck, and the lower parts of the sleeves are done in the same stitch - the Shetland shawl pattern mentioned in the description. It looks very effective, though I'm not sure how easy it would be to get an even tension over both stocking stitch and lace. </span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtvvGG3pnPXj-UMqXZBGRMAwKx8A6T1Zg3GIxVreXOrxIHB2j604lmwv6V8lA0Yddbu66F7kbnZqkBTl3_TGORnojM4p8BGSefhnGpIiJstGMx0RNK8AfGL7Gy-ua5JLfyQItzB60uo4/s891/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i01.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="891" data-original-width="713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtvvGG3pnPXj-UMqXZBGRMAwKx8A6T1Zg3GIxVreXOrxIHB2j604lmwv6V8lA0Yddbu66F7kbnZqkBTl3_TGORnojM4p8BGSefhnGpIiJstGMx0RNK8AfGL7Gy-ua5JLfyQItzB60uo4/w320-h400/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">The green jumper on the cover, with a "ribbed shoulder yoke", is also knitted in wool. The overall style is very unlike the others in the magazine, and unlike our usual impression of 1920s jumpers. The collar, cuffs and bottom edge are finished with a crocheted trimming in gold thread. Although a crochet edging might look well on the collar (which is in single rib), I think on the bottom edge and the cuffs it would interfere with the stretchiness of the rib - and gold thread on a woolly jumper seems out of place. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Of the other patterns, one I particularly noticed is partly knitted and partly crocheted, all in art. silk (artificial silk, or rayon). </span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38KIpCgqg0fBwAu3cSKfYh4D9pkTySHKNbEwTpAjsSnlfUg3C2I5eGv72O5j074eHt90DlFFaqSKNALMNx6dAZkvvB4sm2Zq88R7gOg2SO4-OuYW9F5CB1c5YggrnxuzFs8sWo7AONOM/s803/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="569" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38KIpCgqg0fBwAu3cSKfYh4D9pkTySHKNbEwTpAjsSnlfUg3C2I5eGv72O5j074eHt90DlFFaqSKNALMNx6dAZkvvB4sm2Zq88R7gOg2SO4-OuYW9F5CB1c5YggrnxuzFs8sWo7AONOM/w284-h400/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i05.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I think it's an attractive design, in a very 1920s kind of way, but I would hate to make it. Quite apart from the fact that I am not a crocheter, it requires making a lot of different pieces and sewing them together - I dislike any sewing up in my knitting, and prefer patterns that don't have any seams. For this jumper, you have to knit seven strips of stocking stitch, shown in the diagram below. </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS3dkalrGvthqH2AKcF4rLnS1iDU1Cr1cPxWhkKPvuJMQSlFclVKPYKouQZYpCHNcLxOM3jkSjxQMy4dwStwZ5ZhBg_UpXl14ZewtWropD_s2BhMrVLJY2yHGJMoMVQhXqh38MkWfqDA/s502/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++diagram.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="502" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigS3dkalrGvthqH2AKcF4rLnS1iDU1Cr1cPxWhkKPvuJMQSlFclVKPYKouQZYpCHNcLxOM3jkSjxQMy4dwStwZ5ZhBg_UpXl14ZewtWropD_s2BhMrVLJY2yHGJMoMVQhXqh38MkWfqDA/w400-h338/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++diagram.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Then you make 6 strips of crochet. (That's one fewer than the number of strips of knitting, because the crochet around the waist is only one strip, whereas for some reason the knitted basque is to be made in two pieces.) Then they are all sewn together, and finally the crocheted strip around the bottom edge is added - mercifully this is crocheted directly onto the knitted basque rather than being made separately and then sewn on. <br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">One reason that I took special notice of this design is that it is very like a rayon jumper in the Guild collection, below. </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N63LEgY8Nqt0-u8_SLV3E8UvWInqao5VNCGJ4rQysC83zp7ZEw2Aar4-8QkF_OITW9KWLXMLi8EbbTSpZhXCzmciPG8iyAzX1Wv2Qw1kSCVHD84L_irEKZfucz3igFjIxfU2FfGTc8c/s2048/DSC02880.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N63LEgY8Nqt0-u8_SLV3E8UvWInqao5VNCGJ4rQysC83zp7ZEw2Aar4-8QkF_OITW9KWLXMLi8EbbTSpZhXCzmciPG8iyAzX1Wv2Qw1kSCVHD84L_irEKZfucz3igFjIxfU2FfGTc8c/w400-h300/DSC02880.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The crocheted strips with zigzags of bobbles are very similar indeed, but there are also some obvious differences. The jumper in the collection has two extra pieces of crochet in the centre of the front and the back; an extra strip of knitting, with a narrow crochet edging, on the end of each sleeve; no crocheted edging on the bottom edge of the basque; and a drawstring waist. Perhaps the similarity is just coincidental, and perhaps there was another pattern that is the original of the Guild jumper - there were many different needlecraft magazines being published at the time, and there might have been some overlap, deliberate or otherwise, between patterns in different publications. But another possibility is that the person who made the jumper changed the pattern, perhaps to make it wider, with longer sleeves. And drawstring waists were so common in the 1920s that adding one is something that anyone following the pattern might have done. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The final pattern that I have picked out is also a mixture of knitting and crochet, but much simpler. I think it's an appealing design - it wouldn't look too odd today. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtehUpdBWcujR-cwsqIW9WI1taaSof-8PZo_wLL8xOq1Ru9a83ozQT2Ke-TUiG04PmfYHvLYLX-cyASvu_Fenvx2wRl3qlz53YnVziGMuZjr965SFU5wrMSSEa3PIiKA993rB6w7sREk/s784/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i09a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="625" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtehUpdBWcujR-cwsqIW9WI1taaSof-8PZo_wLL8xOq1Ru9a83ozQT2Ke-TUiG04PmfYHvLYLX-cyASvu_Fenvx2wRl3qlz53YnVziGMuZjr965SFU5wrMSSEa3PIiKA993rB6w7sREk/w319-h400/Leach%2527s+Newest+Jumpers++i09a.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">The description is: "A simple model for the jumper novice who wishes to start upon an easy but none the less effective design. Worked in jumper yarn [i.e. wool] of pale blue or champagne, it is indeed a covetable garment for holiday, home, and office wear. Note the square neck, the long sleeve, and the side opening in the crochet basque." </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">For me, these are the most interesting designs in the magazine. But members of the Guild can download the pdf of the whole magazine from the members' area of the website, and decide for themselves. </span></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-48974353812348772232021-02-08T16:12:00.004+00:002023-10-30T17:52:41.539+00:00Beehives<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">During the past year, while we've been at home doing not very much, I have been adding to my small collection of knitting needle gauges. I now have half a dozen that are in the shape of a beehive, and were made for the spinners Patons & Baldwins. I have known for a long time that the beehive was originally the trademark of the Baldwins part of the company, and this post pulls together some of the history of the trademark. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">J. & J. Baldwin was a spinning company set up in Halifax in the late 18th century - in 1785, according to their later advertising. At some time during the 19th century, the company started to specialise in knitting wool, and began to use the name 'Beehive' for some of their wools. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The first mention of Beehive wools that I have found so far is in an ad in the <i>Liverpool Mercury</i> in 1879. The ad is for a shop, Frisby, Dyke & Co., who had just had their first delivery of J. and J. Baldwin's wools, including "The REGISTERED BEEHIVE SOFT KNITTING WOOL, put up for convenience of purchase in 2 oz. hanks." Towards the end of the 19th century, J. & J. Baldwin started to advertise directly to knitters, in various needlecraft magazines. They began to use Beehive as the brand name for all their wools, and to use a trademark showing a beehive.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzESwdctuiAmKmD9_gwt4tNLQ0LxYED_Szw6SzF6LWayknsnRQMhea10Ob3xlPDl7LpVKxhV3ajv7zx03vmScC4QYqWc00k8QwoKD38CYnhNZPf9rIVXFI9agniF6WG_mfcXf66eKU4So/s1626/1902+Weldon%2527s+Practical+Needlework+174+-+204+current+%25283%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1626" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzESwdctuiAmKmD9_gwt4tNLQ0LxYED_Szw6SzF6LWayknsnRQMhea10Ob3xlPDl7LpVKxhV3ajv7zx03vmScC4QYqWc00k8QwoKD38CYnhNZPf9rIVXFI9agniF6WG_mfcXf66eKU4So/w400-h284/1902+Weldon%2527s+Practical+Needlework+174+-+204+current+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Ad in Weldon's Practical Needlework, 1890s</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Beehive trademark with two bees and two Bs (presumably for Baldwins and Beehive) varies a little. In most versions, there seem to be roses on the left of the beehive, and thistles on the right. But in some versions, like the one shown below, there also seem to be shamrocks below the hive, and some rather blobby flowers to the right which might be intended to be daffodils. The flowers in that case would represent the four countries of the United Kingdom.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxMZlmxCdgWYfHYl-Sxn9IYIdYVnbzpoPurmpFxolY_qHO6WHLow8tACI83FM8rkO0CJgm-su4PPm7ARTUD-5aP-01F5eSG506-2MsvEquoqZmeQUTDvnQQyKHLPKadVjuKLcgM9ZLaU/s187/1910+04+Lady%2527s+World+Fancy+Work+Book+16.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="187" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxMZlmxCdgWYfHYl-Sxn9IYIdYVnbzpoPurmpFxolY_qHO6WHLow8tACI83FM8rkO0CJgm-su4PPm7ARTUD-5aP-01F5eSG506-2MsvEquoqZmeQUTDvnQQyKHLPKadVjuKLcgM9ZLaU/w400-h400/1910+04+Lady%2527s+World+Fancy+Work+Book+16.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From an ad in <i>The Lady's World Fancy Work Book</i>, 1910. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span>In 1920, J. & J. Baldwin and Partners merged with John Paton, Son and Co. of Alloa, to form Patons & Baldwins. (You might feel that there should be some apostrophes in there, and I'd agree with you, but the name of the company was generally written like that.) John Paton and Son was also a long-established company, though not as old as J. & J. Baldwin. Its trademark was a hand grasping a rose, and Patons and Baldwins continued to use both trademarks until World War 2. </span></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiow-ftw8arXgvwV1yAvIeiVVzDuB4MgH9h_vNkpoG2vGkYZD3XvwfocXfGvOW0JFQfOYtlPm9MXivbC5xVlLlpf_k9v9YiE9pUeteev_V3rEMRUwUSQ_n_WkM_vVi45WWt7QQ95dv31kI/s747/From+leaflet+A+309.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="747" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiow-ftw8arXgvwV1yAvIeiVVzDuB4MgH9h_vNkpoG2vGkYZD3XvwfocXfGvOW0JFQfOYtlPm9MXivbC5xVlLlpf_k9v9YiE9pUeteev_V3rEMRUwUSQ_n_WkM_vVi45WWt7QQ95dv31kI/w400-h89/From+leaflet+A+309.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The panel above, showing the Paton's rose and a simplified Baldwin's beehive, is taken from a 1930s pattern leaflet. Both trademarks continued to be used on pattern leaflets until paper shortages during World War 2 resulted in a change of design so that leaflets could be produced in a much smaller size. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Now to needle gauges. Most of my information on needle gauges in general comes from Sheila Williams' excellent book, <i>The History of Knitting Pin Gauges</i>. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzm8O4oMgCQrTkBZsK0YbAuMrbZPkHH5eySg3sBOyU2yGEv1xTEDoxI5W_Ss1s9ZRHpRSizGw-n6ExNEq-mSdc-5GwiJyI-yhpvQiqRxoGV7I2fSmrxjUv7oUHQJ8fdiNvhKVzxLAlnY/s2048/DSCN8519.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2046" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzm8O4oMgCQrTkBZsK0YbAuMrbZPkHH5eySg3sBOyU2yGEv1xTEDoxI5W_Ss1s9ZRHpRSizGw-n6ExNEq-mSdc-5GwiJyI-yhpvQiqRxoGV7I2fSmrxjUv7oUHQJ8fdiNvhKVzxLAlnY/w400-h400/DSCN8519.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I have two metal beehive-shaped gauges, one shown above. Sheila Williams suggests that it might have been made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the merger of the two companies, since it shows both the Patons rose and the Baldwins beehive. But as both trademarks were used together from 1920 until WW2, I think it could have been issued at any time during that period. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It's hard to show the detail of the design of the other metal beehive gauge in a photo, because it is shiny, so I'm showing instead the drawing in a Patons & Baldwins brochure, <i>The Red Book</i>, published in 1935. According to <i>The History of Knitting Pin Gauges</i>, beehive needle gauges were mentioned in an edition of <i>Woolcraft </i>in the 1920s, but I haven't tracked that down yet. This design of gauge may have been in use for a long time in the 1920s and 1930s - it is certainly much more commonly offered on eBay than the other metal beehive gauge. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChdsIYPvHORRGjWLNscvXyBCDFV4w_2DzfeL_2iet2JOuJFYAN9CHAdRneXbBx6WcA4skdAPV6YXSGkCHMnC4fpeuVL0jh2YVUjTu9S8czaV35TvrxvZlX_heyrhdOcEY60F6nBhcdmc/s508/Red+Book+1935++p19+a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="508" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhChdsIYPvHORRGjWLNscvXyBCDFV4w_2DzfeL_2iet2JOuJFYAN9CHAdRneXbBx6WcA4skdAPV6YXSGkCHMnC4fpeuVL0jh2YVUjTu9S8czaV35TvrxvZlX_heyrhdOcEY60F6nBhcdmc/w400-h376/Red+Book+1935++p19+a.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><span>From '<i>The Red Book</i>', 1935.</span> </span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>Patons & Baldwins evidently found the beehive shape appropriate for needle gauges - perhaps inspired by the bell-shaped gauges that were very common. But they were also adopting the beehive as the trademark for the whole company, and Beehive as a brand name for the company's wools, and for other products such as knitting needles. </span> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_XE6gLDOSOfWajvfQGgxJy0saLJ4vgAZyTdzefS_oDR7ZVU-b6yZNmaZyp486b34Mhqz9bwz3xyQQk9R-nppnncsSmDLBYy74QbfenKOgq15b8eWD8EabMuUfK784JIGVToKQdGjzAg/s1129/Beehive+needles+in+1936+Mar+Stitchcraft.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="802" data-original-width="1129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_XE6gLDOSOfWajvfQGgxJy0saLJ4vgAZyTdzefS_oDR7ZVU-b6yZNmaZyp486b34Mhqz9bwz3xyQQk9R-nppnncsSmDLBYy74QbfenKOgq15b8eWD8EabMuUfK784JIGVToKQdGjzAg/s320/Beehive+needles+in+1936+Mar+Stitchcraft.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From <i>Stitchcraft</i>, March 1936</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The other beehive gauges in my little collection were produced after the end of World War 2. A new Patons & Baldwins trademark began to appear in ads during 1946: it has 'P & B' within the outline of a beehive. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtXjjsuD2xLVAS_gE_U0SOKyPFWZEIPTdlCtEWl-D4Z1mh6jtJBJGYuTInU6wgZuk-PqnsIyKMHWRVao0Bh3soo5eZk1UG-F_zKGhq6kMcVxX2FlaR0BszeGBCAOz8To9vts6DHlGmSY/s778/1946+08+23+Home+Notes+028.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="381" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtXjjsuD2xLVAS_gE_U0SOKyPFWZEIPTdlCtEWl-D4Z1mh6jtJBJGYuTInU6wgZuk-PqnsIyKMHWRVao0Bh3soo5eZk1UG-F_zKGhq6kMcVxX2FlaR0BszeGBCAOz8To9vts6DHlGmSY/w196-h400/1946+08+23+Home+Notes+028.jpg" width="196" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">From <i>Home Notes</i>, September 1946. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Here's a clearer version of the trademark, used on a placard to be displayed in a yarn shop. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36TQkWusllCekm-wwfV0rValgcSy0l9ZA4tFuIXOe7VwB-PViXXHGlhDh-EYjKID8ZqdC-pFix42OwTd8C_H25TuGGFIZnVhKmaj6wj_spqzPyHyu5yeGxiiJUJDnoYx4pRxeHcC4JeU/s2048/P%2526B+Beehive+cards+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1552" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36TQkWusllCekm-wwfV0rValgcSy0l9ZA4tFuIXOe7VwB-PViXXHGlhDh-EYjKID8ZqdC-pFix42OwTd8C_H25TuGGFIZnVhKmaj6wj_spqzPyHyu5yeGxiiJUJDnoYx4pRxeHcC4JeU/s320/P%2526B+Beehive+cards+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">There are two different designs of needle gauge in plastic that show this trademark. One, which I think is the earlier form, is the same shape as the pre-war metal gauge, but smaller, and measures the same range of needle sizes. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_-fQaFpU83_WPfY3np7_5NFZq5YZRmKu22UIEnkYv_cv3ZK-tKHiuD655S-GB-gb_9DTVxzYxQJpnu9GSRPyg2o92HlclqXZXkr3F6ra1zUGCdwu7wWjCLU8qqJwb1I6nP0eXtn29hs/s2048/DSCN8522.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit_-fQaFpU83_WPfY3np7_5NFZq5YZRmKu22UIEnkYv_cv3ZK-tKHiuD655S-GB-gb_9DTVxzYxQJpnu9GSRPyg2o92HlclqXZXkr3F6ra1zUGCdwu7wWjCLU8qqJwb1I6nP0eXtn29hs/w300-h400/DSCN8522.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> I think this gauge may date from the late 1940s, when the new trademark was first introduced. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The other plastic gauge is smaller still, and the smallest size of needle that it measures is size 14 (2mm.). This is also the smallest size measured by modern gauges, and is the finest knitting needle size commonly sold. I would guess that this gauge dates from the 1950s. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAI8QzhnejmiKFdITNannWoev9Oplwux5t4np4JSfKFedH7Q7VMvx7fUSJhsRbu6FIvdZ_oxjGQn18TngQqG1fgohaoIYZXEouUlJ5N3TO8osO2VEv6dTmJp-r0W19T43wJNt1AA8Knc/s2048/DSCN8525.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAI8QzhnejmiKFdITNannWoev9Oplwux5t4np4JSfKFedH7Q7VMvx7fUSJhsRbu6FIvdZ_oxjGQn18TngQqG1fgohaoIYZXEouUlJ5N3TO8osO2VEv6dTmJp-r0W19T43wJNt1AA8Knc/w299-h400/DSCN8525.JPG" width="299" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Those are the si<span style="text-align: center;">x beehive needle gauges that I have in my own collection - the two metal ones, and two each of the plastic designs. </span>Another object in the shape of the Patons & Baldwins beehive was introduced in the late 1940s - the Beehive wool holder. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXav2aH-CX6j7WjmmS9pSoco8NqyP4VzIinzh0oEw98nPAj_GJ9BiOOygniwbogj-3XGN9D1jKrOsB__IFBid9nbEMjHrr3jadHdsrBnoBMtAKuEFmCN0eCOtT32UKZqNW6XKYOk1GK4/s1545/Beehive+woolholder.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1545" data-original-width="1471" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXav2aH-CX6j7WjmmS9pSoco8NqyP4VzIinzh0oEw98nPAj_GJ9BiOOygniwbogj-3XGN9D1jKrOsB__IFBid9nbEMjHrr3jadHdsrBnoBMtAKuEFmCN0eCOtT32UKZqNW6XKYOk1GK4/s320/Beehive+woolholder.JPG" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>I wrote a post about the wool holder <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2013/01/wool-holders.html">here</a>. The design was registered in 1948, and was probably in production for many years after that. It has a needle gauge in the base, but I don't have one in my own collection, mainly because I'm only collecting gauges which are principally needle gauges and not something else, like a knitting needle box. (Also, beehive wool holders are quite expensive - they are attractive objects, and evidently a lot of knitters would like to have one.) </span><span> </span><span>The wool holder in the photo is in the collection of the Knitting & Crochet Guild. </span><span> </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In the mid 1960s, Patons & Baldwins changed their image again, and dropped the Baldwins name from their advertising and pattern leaflets. But the beehive continued to be used as the Patons trademark. Below, you can see it on a pattern leaflet with a Mary Quant design, published in 1965. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-OwhTdZPwYZLMz7VrgqqSjWWrDGQ73SlNiQxMTNtYNXFuCqtbTGFti8iLRdf71XkB_n0wAD3MQuMIOcYlWMiMUfe6oI6uFruiWlCCuEWbmYNGdYHlqKVf1KQUNUQCNU1Z3uLibH-4B8/s1931/Patons+D+9531+9d+1965++%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1931" data-original-width="1450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-OwhTdZPwYZLMz7VrgqqSjWWrDGQ73SlNiQxMTNtYNXFuCqtbTGFti8iLRdf71XkB_n0wAD3MQuMIOcYlWMiMUfe6oI6uFruiWlCCuEWbmYNGdYHlqKVf1KQUNUQCNU1Z3uLibH-4B8/w300-h400/Patons+D+9531+9d+1965++%25282%2529.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Patons leaflet 9531</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /> <a href="https://knitpatons.com/en">Patons</a> still uses the beehive as the company trademark today. I think it's remarkable that the beehive symbol on the label of every ball of Patons yarn has been used in its various forms since the 19th century. And it commemorates a company founded more than two hundred years ago. That's a lot of history in my beehive needle gauges. </span><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><i>Added in July 2023:</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I have just been scanning "Knitting from A to Z", a booklet published by Patons & Baldwins in 1952, with information and advice for knitters, as well as illustrations of many of the P&B knitting patterns that were current at that time. Under G for Gauge appears an illustration of a Beehive needle gauge: </span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrOSIaSR3j1f7YPwkjn0LtXZQPIob0hfUFVPt-SX5CxSqRrXZQkkAuDxyPgxH_Yb-A2RRrwkVTKC6I5RULRAIt0xomsKI3kin8srV2U6WuVMEvQYqqbC9O0SSt1mf_t0un1-CgKqAfLF-jpgfrZXY-XXtE3Mr3a1tqwIKYzf-yLXEXStHW7shQ-RW5gw/s780/Knitting%20from%20A%20to%20Z%20p08-001.jpg"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="780" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSrOSIaSR3j1f7YPwkjn0LtXZQPIob0hfUFVPt-SX5CxSqRrXZQkkAuDxyPgxH_Yb-A2RRrwkVTKC6I5RULRAIt0xomsKI3kin8srV2U6WuVMEvQYqqbC9O0SSt1mf_t0un1-CgKqAfLF-jpgfrZXY-XXtE3Mr3a1tqwIKYzf-yLXEXStHW7shQ-RW5gw/w400-h108/Knitting%20from%20A%20to%20Z%20p08-001.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The gauge shown in the booklet must have been the one that was on sale in 1952, and matches the plastic gauge shown above in red and green. The smaller plastic beehive gauge (shown above in pink and pastel green) must have been produced later, though I'd guess still on the 1950s. </span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p></div></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-40968266517754619292021-01-20T23:20:00.003+00:002021-02-07T18:31:59.667+00:00Golden Eagle<span style="font-family: georgia;">Since last March, and the first UK lockdown, I have written very little on this blog. It's not that I don't have anything to say - the problem is summoning up the mental energy to say it. And writing a blog post on some aspect of knitting history often takes quite a lot of work. I'll try to do better this year (though it's already more than halfway through January!) but I shan't make any promises. </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I'll start with a fairly easy post - lots of images, not too many words. Golden Eagle was a brand of knitting wools that was launched in the early 1930s, and I have been putting together an illustrated catalogue of the Golden Eagle knitting wools in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection. The catalogue will go on the Guild's website, so that members who are interested in vintage knitting patterns will be able to ask for copies. Here I have picked out a small selection. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The leaflets issued by Golden Eagle were numbered consecutively, as far as I can see, starting at 1. (You might think that that is the obvious way to number knitting patterns, but actually most spinners did something different, e.g. starting at 101 and restarting when they got to 999.) The first one that we have in the Guild collection is number 16 - a sleeveless V-neck pullover, with cables. </span><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9IMIbHFOllCvAWYglqft2CJQ8mSeswVTIhmGNbwQhMKZYMSlJc8phlaMx-ATgUGqSH6T_15ZRl0VE9lUbXmQelbZz5qKjMPReTPzXU1Q3IXm7gbx2D7sgRqE-Phw8hjNHJykOnY4-vQ/s1427/Golden+Eagle++15++%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1063" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9IMIbHFOllCvAWYglqft2CJQ8mSeswVTIhmGNbwQhMKZYMSlJc8phlaMx-ATgUGqSH6T_15ZRl0VE9lUbXmQelbZz5qKjMPReTPzXU1Q3IXm7gbx2D7sgRqE-Phw8hjNHJykOnY4-vQ/w298-h400/Golden+Eagle++15++%25281%2529.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 15</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Although it's a common type of garment, the construction of this one is unusual - the back and front are knitted in one piece, starting with the front rib and finishing with the back rib, so that there are no shoulder seams. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">From the ads for Golden Eagle wools, there were some very attractive and interesting patterns published in the 1930s, but we have very few of them in the Guild collection. Here's one (below), number 84, for Golden Eagle "Hastenit" wool. It was a thick yarn, knitted at a tension of 18 stitches and 26 rows to 4 inches (10 cm.) on size 5 (5.5mm.) needles - possibly equivalent to a modern Aran weight. The collar effect is actually a yoke, edged with darker wool. </span> </p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxR2OGGmdbxr6g18TOUEXRxJlIpAwI_ooJILG_2bfwYJf6_ncPXFGzNdm44nLUU8F3c40nHA_NVpp8rrMYK0f7e0pwMYY-7riMHvPEhE-GKBMZqDFtt3mt4rxHxASOyL_B_nHErbryPg/s1420/Golden+Eagle++84.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1050" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxR2OGGmdbxr6g18TOUEXRxJlIpAwI_ooJILG_2bfwYJf6_ncPXFGzNdm44nLUU8F3c40nHA_NVpp8rrMYK0f7e0pwMYY-7riMHvPEhE-GKBMZqDFtt3mt4rxHxASOyL_B_nHErbryPg/w296-h400/Golden+Eagle++84.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 84</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWh6Xw-IUE5F4w0Yu7AWvcJuuLeuI0ffxa1yDhYvZaf_jIRk-bETf1m21qGOXFOKmMMK6YQ12diA8I_i5JnsRG6zgC5Yj5sH00oSPGCydn5m6rIX0B3C4kojPMnfDY8_EyggUYpY99tIQ/s1428/Golden+Eagle+483+a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1066" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWh6Xw-IUE5F4w0Yu7AWvcJuuLeuI0ffxa1yDhYvZaf_jIRk-bETf1m21qGOXFOKmMMK6YQ12diA8I_i5JnsRG6zgC5Yj5sH00oSPGCydn5m6rIX0B3C4kojPMnfDY8_EyggUYpY99tIQ/w299-h400/Golden+Eagle+483+a.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 483, c, 1939 <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another favourite pattern of mine is number 483. I like the cables on the front, which I guess have a function in shaping the front as well as being decorative. The collar and cuffs are knitted in a contrast colour, and the pattern gives instructions for long sleeves as well as short. The pattern was published around 1938-9. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GCkJzdd2k7Tv-ZnwTsArRfPuMwfMnndj5t1jbB8C3WsJqFtOdDygx_tgX99OpKXFwck8nBz1l9NQjnqiO1ylgtTa9a8s4UWPJO1ezvtsr0Fx5gTNUmFnG-zRpkl8gtKEr3g5JXaCkS0/s1444/Golden+Eagle+549.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1078" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GCkJzdd2k7Tv-ZnwTsArRfPuMwfMnndj5t1jbB8C3WsJqFtOdDygx_tgX99OpKXFwck8nBz1l9NQjnqiO1ylgtTa9a8s4UWPJO1ezvtsr0Fx5gTNUmFnG-zRpkl8gtKEr3g5JXaCkS0/w299-h400/Golden+Eagle+549.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 549<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The design in leaflet 549 is called "Seawaves". The body and sleeves are knitted sideways - the waist rib is knitted first, and joined on as the rest of the body is knitted. There are little curls ('pinwheels') of wool around the neck and sleeves, to look like waves - they are made by casting on extra stitches and casting off again 3 rows later. I'm not keen on the design personally, but some people who have seen it like it a lot, so I shouldn't judge. </span></div><div><br /></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJIF0Y3jIByr8zIMJwvFnbLAuNLS8wFo2KoAuREFih_cXShL6GKXXOFmEEr_E-Rc3F2LOx6WPdvEsJyWXhNKN-AZTmRIWWZYjLJXaNa8cDaq5nmwqAkm2X0mreK8YNgh9m8bTx9tkYbk/s2048/Golden+Eagle+604.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1529" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJIF0Y3jIByr8zIMJwvFnbLAuNLS8wFo2KoAuREFih_cXShL6GKXXOFmEEr_E-Rc3F2LOx6WPdvEsJyWXhNKN-AZTmRIWWZYjLJXaNa8cDaq5nmwqAkm2X0mreK8YNgh9m8bTx9tkYbk/w299-h400/Golden+Eagle+604.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 604<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>Like most other knitting wool spinners, Golden Eagle produced patterns for garments for service men and women during World War 2. Leaflet 604 has patterns for 'Knitted Comforts' for women - gumboot stockings, mittens, a 'great coat scarf' and a balaclava helmet. I don't think it's possible to look good in a balaclava helmet with ear-flaps, but I'm sure it was very necessary and welcome at the time. </span><div><br /></div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqC08-LrdavaW_g77KpZXD3lsEsnkHMfJyM4wQ_r8W8qSugJZRmhbWmrKNmuuYFVNp2q-4YcifLFNKjmaNXhJJqJzwmGRI_4W3mlrTe51wJq_4j1915glqNgUmwYt0hizr9vs5gejNGc/s1420/Golden+Eagle+691+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="1063" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqC08-LrdavaW_g77KpZXD3lsEsnkHMfJyM4wQ_r8W8qSugJZRmhbWmrKNmuuYFVNp2q-4YcifLFNKjmaNXhJJqJzwmGRI_4W3mlrTe51wJq_4j1915glqNgUmwYt0hizr9vs5gejNGc/w299-h400/Golden+Eagle+691+%25281%2529.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 691</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Leaflet 691 is also a wartime leaflet, for a jumper with a lacy pattern on the body, cleverly integrated with a broad rib, which is used plain on the (long or short) sleeves. The leaflet was published after clothes rationing was introduced in 1941 - it has a headline inside 'Golden Eagle Knitting Wools Economise Coupons And Cash', which was used on their leaflets during the rationing period. I think this one dates from 1943-4. </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXh8MHFk9OY9IbYrNpgfGTpy5RxQnIOvB55JpuqYbMfhSlR-q93vmZD0efFOxuAXj_ZxIppbnzPKEuKu3TmGCsuep02Wvu6piahRn5t366qOvan1G0TtJqA5LwgrO7CCaeHil0KOP7DfA/s1898/Golden+Eagle+910+6d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1898" data-original-width="1368" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXh8MHFk9OY9IbYrNpgfGTpy5RxQnIOvB55JpuqYbMfhSlR-q93vmZD0efFOxuAXj_ZxIppbnzPKEuKu3TmGCsuep02Wvu6piahRn5t366qOvan1G0TtJqA5LwgrO7CCaeHil0KOP7DfA/w289-h400/Golden+Eagle+910+6d.jpg" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 910</td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">After the war, Golden Eagle started to introduce colour leaflets, as many other spinners did - and the designs often incorporate colour work, to take advantage of the colour printing. Leaflet 910 was advertised in Vogue Knitting Book in 1949.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjLGrAiCc_gXfGEvdqZNvJ7Gs3q6G9DRZlyzKWmsWw9ZzGBjEIzkP4v32RuL_cbOEltj2AFV5cO1_1f8IdXFO1GFQZ9GIXzwsqdHaemf6bWwnWQfJVn2ft3jSyV8RcTMYkBEIGORQh-E/s1910/Golden+Eagle+0892.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1910" data-original-width="1358" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjLGrAiCc_gXfGEvdqZNvJ7Gs3q6G9DRZlyzKWmsWw9ZzGBjEIzkP4v32RuL_cbOEltj2AFV5cO1_1f8IdXFO1GFQZ9GIXzwsqdHaemf6bWwnWQfJVn2ft3jSyV8RcTMYkBEIGORQh-E/w285-h400/Golden+Eagle+0892.jpg" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 892<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Leaflet 892 was probably also published in 1949. The design is called a "New Look" Jumper - presumably after Christian Dior's New Look introduced in 1947, though it is not much like the silhouette we usually associate with that, of rounded shoulders, tiny waist and full skirt. I guess that the very full sleeves are the main 'new' feature - they are knitted in stocking stitch, using odd needles, one size 9 (3.75mm.) and the other size 3(6.5mm.). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2RP5AuEI7nM5_ees-6tvsL05ofjwCd87GE4p9GY1o5JmWW3CV1Kg8TZRo9As3vlj-dkAfZE1b1l_3SZOfr-DRjc4xE-xG7ckrLr_1iXGUZx682xasEbAC-1fT5VyK8LD01EV1hClQBk/s1925/Golden+Eagle+0922.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1925" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY2RP5AuEI7nM5_ees-6tvsL05ofjwCd87GE4p9GY1o5JmWW3CV1Kg8TZRo9As3vlj-dkAfZE1b1l_3SZOfr-DRjc4xE-xG7ckrLr_1iXGUZx682xasEbAC-1fT5VyK8LD01EV1hClQBk/w291-h400/Golden+Eagle+0922.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 922</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Meanwhile, the men were not entirely forgotten, though many of the men's patterns are for the ubiquitous V-neck sleeveless pullover, as in leaflet 16 at the top. (I often wonder how many V-neck pullovers one person needs.) But occasionally there are designs for other garments for men - No. 922 shows a rather nice cabled sweater, a re-issue of an earlier design that had appeared in a leaflet for Service Woollies for sailors which was advertised in 1940. </span> </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNqJ7Y2oaSS4Zq_qy0hX_0gACvi-FMF4RearEN7bORvmbDgkAfsteZ73kO6eF0a8YOkJApKx_xExgo9xL6DgRNj4CQeQKCi3smKxOBMai9xjPCaSJiNh28mQn1AWXr2V_mkNuPGd-LTo/s1434/Golden+Eagle+879+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="1019" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNqJ7Y2oaSS4Zq_qy0hX_0gACvi-FMF4RearEN7bORvmbDgkAfsteZ73kO6eF0a8YOkJApKx_xExgo9xL6DgRNj4CQeQKCi3smKxOBMai9xjPCaSJiNh28mQn1AWXr2V_mkNuPGd-LTo/w284-h400/Golden+Eagle+879+%25282%2529.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 879</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Golden Eagle also produced children's patterns, including this very cute coat and bonnet, with a design of blue rabbits - another of the post-war colour leaflets. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGGTj6wZ4w1aXuCrgZILVxd1i9NQe-LsE4qpssMOk06RSzEkhPoiwT1xqsQeZwD_DT7IC8a3dGfVNNQ2JjrjgzFV7DSW3Hb2j-fIQBUK99xaIW-qerCegxgAiDMm6Uw7ir0yhc9JVdgI/s1447/Golden+Eagle+Couturier+Model+No+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1447" data-original-width="1070" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGGTj6wZ4w1aXuCrgZILVxd1i9NQe-LsE4qpssMOk06RSzEkhPoiwT1xqsQeZwD_DT7IC8a3dGfVNNQ2JjrjgzFV7DSW3Hb2j-fIQBUK99xaIW-qerCegxgAiDMm6Uw7ir0yhc9JVdgI/w296-h400/Golden+Eagle+Couturier+Model+No+1.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle Couturier Model No. 1</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1952, there was a batch of four 'Couturier Model' leaflets (though the couturier, if there actually was one, isn't named}. I find this design rather disturbing, because there is <i>so much</i> knitting in it - a full-length, full-skirted dressing gown in <i>2-ply!</i> I wonder if anyone ever knitted it - apart from the sample knitter, who was paid to do it. The model, Patricia Squires, looks as glamourous as ever. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Z8Tzb3mTY3DNZfDIahCHetZDbZvBAk-0D3Ro2jW6jreSwUR9USQr_oSDBLTJnHUHCuCla-QHLgDoO7b-4GNc4nd7kOMorU8ysbidBoY5GqCCPEYveDgXawq2vbFM0brLNKIH_eSbmU/s1444/Golden+Eagle+1130+034.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1056" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Z8Tzb3mTY3DNZfDIahCHetZDbZvBAk-0D3Ro2jW6jreSwUR9USQr_oSDBLTJnHUHCuCla-QHLgDoO7b-4GNc4nd7kOMorU8ysbidBoY5GqCCPEYveDgXawq2vbFM0brLNKIH_eSbmU/w293-h400/Golden+Eagle+1130+034.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 1130<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Other Golden Eagle patterns of the 1950s are less daunting. Above is an elegant twin set from 1954-5. The jumper is beaded, and the matching bolero has a deep beaded band around the lower edge. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs4z3suyMQ474o2SQesJuaGg83R6GHceqi0aki8Wjb4QJ4MbaXUKZvd_dJA2TM8yjvF0EklW8sPZU5M9tkZA_csGuFxK5Kp_9Cz-nEVDv3pb-_FU-bmMZHyut_R8SCToQTonWz_5hHTw/s1346/Golden+Eagle+1240.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1056" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivs4z3suyMQ474o2SQesJuaGg83R6GHceqi0aki8Wjb4QJ4MbaXUKZvd_dJA2TM8yjvF0EklW8sPZU5M9tkZA_csGuFxK5Kp_9Cz-nEVDv3pb-_FU-bmMZHyut_R8SCToQTonWz_5hHTw/w314-h400/Golden+Eagle+1240.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Eagle 1240</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Golden Eagle brand seems to have been discontinued in 1957. The last ad I have seen is for leaflet 1232, which appeared in Vogue Knitting Book in that year, and the latest leaflet in the Guild collection is number 1240 - quite a smart design, in a 1950s kind of way, even if it apparently makes you want to stick a bunch of flowers in your ear.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">It seems that Golden Eagle knitting wool was in production for about 25 years - quite a brief life, compared to some brands such as Patons and Sirdar. I'll perhaps write more about the history of the brand in a future post. Meanwhile, if you are a member of the Knitting & Crochet Guild, and would like a copy of any the leaflets shown here, email requests to collections@kcguild.org.uk. And you will be able to see the catalogue of other Golden Eagle leaflets in the collection in the members' area of the Guild website in a few weeks. </span></div></div></div></div></div>Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-31292906360616842532020-07-13T11:16:00.000+01:002020-07-13T11:16:38.361+01:00Washing Socks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in February, I went to an exhibition, <i>An English Lady's Wardrobe</i>, at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. It showed the clothes collected by a local woman, Mrs Tinne, between about 1910 and the 1930s. It was an astonishing collection - she bought a vast number of outfits which she never wore, sometimes the same dress in different colourways, for instance. She had six children (as well as one who died as a baby) and some of their clothes were on display too.<br />
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Sadly (from my point of view), Mrs Tinne doesn't seem to have been much interested in buying knitwear, but I found it a fascinating exhibition even so. And one exhibit did have a knitting connection: a pair of china feet, described as 'child's sock-dryers'. They are of glazed earthenware, made by Wedgwood, with a factory mark that dates them to some time between 1907 and 1924. <br />
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The catalogue description says 'Damp socks were drawn over them to dry out', so they were a laundry aid. Perhaps they would balance the other way up, to allow the soles of the socks to dry? They were a bit baffling, and I had never heard of anything like them for drying socks. <br />
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But then recently I found a reference to china feet for drying socks in an 1895 article in the magazine <i>The Young Woman</i>. The article, by Mrs Elliott Scrivenor, gives instructions for washing knitted wool garments<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I want to give you a few hints with regard to washing any knitted garments or stockings. First, NEVER let woollen stockings or socks be boiled. Many persist in this, and it shrinks the wool and thickens it. They must not be worn sufficiently soiled to require such treatment. ..... Stockings must have soap, but the soap must be made into a lather with warm water, not hot; then wash them gently in the lather, after that wash in two or three waters, the chill just taken off the water, and block them to dry. A block should be used for everything knitted. You can now procure china feet for small-sized socks and stockings; other blocks are cut out of box or sycamore wood to the shape and size; they are about half an inch thick, with bevelled edges; the stockings are drawn over them, and left upon them to dry, and in the open air if possible."</blockquote>
So there is confirmation that china feet were used for drying children's socks. I was interested too in the mention of blocks of wood for drying larger socks and stockings. Mrs Scrivenor goes on to talk about washing other knitted garments, and says "If you have no block, cover a board with several folds of clean linen, and pin the work out upon it, taking care not to stretch it beyond its right size." We still talk about 'blocking' a newly-knitted garment as part of finishing it, by wetting or dampening it and laying it on flat surface, adjusting it to the right size and shape. But if the origin of the term 'blocking' is that blocks of wood were once used, that has been forgotten, as far as I am aware. You can now buy 'sock-blockers', which are flat sock shapes of plastic or thin plywood, but they are called sock-blockers because they are used for blocking, not because they are blocks of wood.<br />
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Mrs Scrivenor also wrote a 'Collection of Knitting & Crochet Receipts' for Patons, then John Paton, Son & Co. Ltd. of Alloa (Scotland), already one of the largest knitting wool spinners in the country. It was a comprehensive collection of patterns in a book of more than 280 pages, about 9½ by 7<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">¼ </span>inches (24.5cm by 18cm). The 4th edition, which is in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection, is dated 1909. It is well illustrated with photographs, and looking at some of the children's sock patterns, I suspect that Mrs Scrivenor might have used Wedgwood china feet to pose them on, judging by the squared-off toes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNF0CP5zfO9e7ZuzP582xovUYS1UZHDHc02WrhpexQgKICrn7SydTd72IjURWkqyGPTGz59RF44ovpWIs_CiRq6YL6WQhc6PZ6p-hIJzn4zv9m9NjSzUTm9knCTzLPH4qPX-bPPwmFGo/s1600/From+Paton%2527s+Knitting+%2526+Crochet+Book%252C+4th+Edition%252C+1909+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="939" data-original-width="740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYNF0CP5zfO9e7ZuzP582xovUYS1UZHDHc02WrhpexQgKICrn7SydTd72IjURWkqyGPTGz59RF44ovpWIs_CiRq6YL6WQhc6PZ6p-hIJzn4zv9m9NjSzUTm9knCTzLPH4qPX-bPPwmFGo/s320/From+Paton%2527s+Knitting+%2526+Crochet+Book%252C+4th+Edition%252C+1909+%25281%2529.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bootikin</span></td></tr>
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But I wonder how practical they were for laundry. How many pairs would you need for each child? Perhaps not many, even in a wealthy household - Mrs Scrivenor's advice that you shouldn't wear socks until they need boiling suggests that most people didn't change their socks very often. (Poor children probably didn't wear socks at all, and the poorest would have gone barefoot, but Mrs Scrivenor's readers would certainly have been able to provide their children with dainty socks and bootikins like the one illustrated.) The china feet would take up quite a lot of room, especially in use when they would have had to be in an airy place to allow the socks to dry. And they are breakable. A full list of the items in Mrs Tinne's Collection is given in the exhibition catalogue, and there is only one pair of china feet. Perhaps the rest broke, or a single pair was tried as an experiment and not judged worthwhile? I am not really surprised that they don't seem to have been in common use.Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-37953993492364371102020-05-23T17:40:00.000+01:002020-05-23T17:40:35.944+01:00The Viyella Knitting Recorder <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anyone who follows me on Instagram (@barbaraknitsagain) might have seen that earlier this month, I posted about a Viyella Knitting Recorder and Needle Gauge that had just arrived in the post. I bought it on eBay, </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">to add to my small collection of needle gauges. In due course, I will probably give it to the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection, but for now it's mine.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmc6cjPusWkabI-Lqm35Ma8lanYOzi_huy11psrqjzhoghsOHTnDCwDtifst1aG3eWLxDF7cTI-QJZMw1xvJz-2F1d2mvpSWSt4hXk88RE8coykB1AJdxspP5cru0dwR8V0sTl1s9AC4/s1600/IMG_20200505_111557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1279" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmc6cjPusWkabI-Lqm35Ma8lanYOzi_huy11psrqjzhoghsOHTnDCwDtifst1aG3eWLxDF7cTI-QJZMw1xvJz-2F1d2mvpSWSt4hXk88RE8coykB1AJdxspP5cru0dwR8V0sTl1s9AC4/s400/IMG_20200505_111557.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Viyella Knitting Recorder and Needle Gauge</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Viyella was a fabric woven from a blend of 55% merino wool and 45% cotton, introduced in the 1890s by William Hollins & Co., whose headquarters were in Nottingham. In the early days, it was mostly sold as ready-made clothing, and knitted items such as gloves and jumpers were also </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">advertise</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d. By 1922, Viyella knitting yarn was being sold directly to the public. <i>The Queen</i> magazine, in November 1922, said: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All who know the famous "Viyella" flannel <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;">— </span>and who does not? <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;">— </span>ought to know of "Viyella" knitting yarn. This, as the name implies, is exactly the same beautiful yarn as that from which the flannel itself is woven, and is, therefore, unequalled for lightness and dainty softness, combined with durability. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The company started to publish pattern leaflets in the early 1930s, and also developed the "Knitting Recorder and Needle Gauge". Mine says 'Patents Pending' on the drum; the patent was applied for in 1932 and granted in 1934 (Number GB408594). The patent was for 'Improvements in number indicating devices for the use of knitters, or use as a calendar or for scoring points in a game, or for like purposes.' The applicants were the manufacturer, William Hollins and Co., and the man who was presumably the inventor, Horace Josiah Ball of Knowle Park House, Kimberley, Nottinghamshire. In the 1939 register of the British population, Horace Ball is listed as a Typewriter Works Manager; he was named as an applicant on about a dozen other patents, for improvements to typewriters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The photo above shows that, as the patent says 'numbers are engraved or
stamped round the two ends of the cylindrical body in such a position that they
are covered by the rims of the end covers, and each of the latter is formed
with a single opening so disposed, that by turning the covers each will expose
one number on the body at a time.' The patent suggests that: 'The device may be used by
knitters for recording the number of courses [rows?] knitted, and the number of
stitches knitted in the last course, or other information respecting the
progress of the work, when the latter is laid down, so as to obviate the
necessity for counting when the work is taken up again.' In fact, the numbers run from 1 to 24, which is not what you want in a counter: a counter should start at 0, and probably you would want the potential for counting more than 24 rows, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span>
The patent suggests that the gadget could also be a needle gauge: 'For the use of knitters,
the end covers may be formed with a series of holes, which are graduated in
size and are numbered so as to form a knitting pin gauge.' The top of the recorder has holes for British needle sizes 1 to 7 (7.5mm. to 4.5mm.) and the base </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">(below)</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">measures sizes 8 to 17 (4mm. to 1.4mm.). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6jKWJTfWk2_X9y9Ysspn_s9R7UUNdEuBUiyWytAXm85eznV2gyymtVipqsNAYSa-EfrPcOs2Z0zkKRQCXKAc4NEr-mAX1Y3z_3D0yz8TbfD03_WiKxI1U1aoYRfVxo541K19cAK1GMY/s1600/IMG_20200505_111627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1599" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6jKWJTfWk2_X9y9Ysspn_s9R7UUNdEuBUiyWytAXm85eznV2gyymtVipqsNAYSa-EfrPcOs2Z0zkKRQCXKAc4NEr-mAX1Y3z_3D0yz8TbfD03_WiKxI1U1aoYRfVxo541K19cAK1GMY/s400/IMG_20200505_111627.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Base of knitting recorder, showing needle gauge</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The recorder is about 4cm. in diameter and about 4cm. high, and made of steel (I tested it with a fridge magnet), and so is quite hefty, even though the cylinder is hollow. Perhaps it's too large and heavy to want to carry around in your knitting bag, but it does feel very satisfying in the hand, like a worry egg. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A Knitting Recorder exactly like mine was illustrated on the back of a Viyella crochet pattern (for a very smart jumper and matching cap) in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection. The leaflet was advertised in April 1933. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYlgrh6TzurImJN5yxdLFS7fQlO0iFq1PGoPAjBC5WJw20atUqL0LLo7aIWZovZEq9BwgXev0b0Jtd3YFc7-S44ZWS65boRIojy1SICm5EgkjYxXPiN53EIBntInf_AF6bbygxRJR0sg/s1600/Viyella+144+2d+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYlgrh6TzurImJN5yxdLFS7fQlO0iFq1PGoPAjBC5WJw20atUqL0LLo7aIWZovZEq9BwgXev0b0Jtd3YFc7-S44ZWS65boRIojy1SICm5EgkjYxXPiN53EIBntInf_AF6bbygxRJR0sg/s400/Viyella+144+2d+wm.jpg" width="262" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Viyella leaflet 144</span></td></tr>
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The description of the recorder doesn't mention using it for counting rows at all. 'The left-hand figure is set on the number of increasings or decreasings to be made. The right-hand figure begins at one, and is moved up one as each increase or decrease is made, until it reaches the same number.' A novel idea, but I still feel that starting the count at 1 rather than 0 is liable to lead to errors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBz3Y8UHflAn4RkpqMqsX62CXlqr_1BriCFxcGdAbN98didqhJno_iEtVSDe12U7-Dl8bXoIk63dk6MoErnSZ5xZHBah72gXUwuGtqOQ_r5_iDi5_2voHDIS7O9XHdBaSt1Ah0PFIBMw/s1600/Viyella+counter+ad++from+leaflet+144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="852" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBz3Y8UHflAn4RkpqMqsX62CXlqr_1BriCFxcGdAbN98didqhJno_iEtVSDe12U7-Dl8bXoIk63dk6MoErnSZ5xZHBah72gXUwuGtqOQ_r5_iDi5_2voHDIS7O9XHdBaSt1Ah0PFIBMw/s400/Viyella+counter+ad++from+leaflet+144.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Viyella Two-in-One Recorder, illustrated on leaflet 144</span></td></tr>
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There is another version of the Knitting Recorder, with a drawing of two children on the drum. There are two examples in different colours in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQNeGfH9rt9efJ0Z0wdVQaxEXmEbs7Pr4EthOOVYXhG_ssm9hwpFZrqujYTdI_CyLM0_BqXr3ocOOfmUelv9aZa3YSaj_M_WshPyKNwbz5e-ECT-ovF-aB0qpH68wwTfrES16M-GTm5g/s1600/DSCN7251-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQNeGfH9rt9efJ0Z0wdVQaxEXmEbs7Pr4EthOOVYXhG_ssm9hwpFZrqujYTdI_CyLM0_BqXr3ocOOfmUelv9aZa3YSaj_M_WshPyKNwbz5e-ECT-ovF-aB0qpH68wwTfrES16M-GTm5g/s400/DSCN7251-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Viyella Knitting Recorder, with children playing </span></td></tr>
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I think that this version may be slightly later than mine; although some of this type still say 'Patents Pending' on the drum, others give the patent number. <br />
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Viyella Knitting Recorders are offered regularly on eBay, so they must have sold quite well originally. But I suspect that they were only made for a few years in the 1930s - I am sure that production would have stopped during World War 2, when steel was a vital raw material. My needle gauge is a very nice thing to have, even if it is (in my view) not much use as a counter. Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-48617069129834506342020-05-10T18:08:00.000+01:002020-05-10T18:08:41.724+01:00Made in Abyss SocksTime seems to be behaving very strangely under lock-down. It seems to be passing very slowly - nothing much is happening, the days blur into one another. And then I find that it's seven weeks since I last wrote a blog post.<br />
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I said in that post that I had nearly finished a pair of socks, and that I would write about them when they were finished. Well, I finished them a few weeks ago. (I can't remember when. It was in April.) Here's the post I said I would write.<br />
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To go back to the beginning. When the weather turned cold at the end of last year, I got interested in knitting socks again, purely to keep my feet warm. And I saw on Ravelry the 'Made in Abyss' sock pattern by the Finnish designer Tiina Kuu. I liked the look of them - they have a band of little trees (?) in stranded knitting just above the ankle. (The design is named for a Japanese manga series about a girl and a robot exploring a fearsome Abyss, though I don't know whether the trees have anything to do with the manga.) I hadn't knitted socks with stranded knitting before, and I though I'd like to try it, <i>and </i>the heel construction looked really interesting. (You have to be a really serious knitter to choose a sock pattern for its fascinating heel construction, I think.)<br />
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I finished my first pair of Made in Abyss socks in February. They are in Lang Jawoll sock yarn, in Toffee and Light Grey. (Tiina Kuu suggests using five gradient-dyed miniskeins, but I think they look equally good in two solid colours.) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpveFZj9GPYYSCOjlz1R_HfeNIlu1XLPvcCtT4CUZeNk0q7Ljk3n-EgvcYFZ3mvhVXnPHrRok1Eei_VHUXdLOVoN8vXTjGb-E_2x1PRKlqCpKRbDgQhh-4CMyZY-6pZ3O7guzVcCusZ_Q/s1600/Blog+socks+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1598" data-original-width="1600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpveFZj9GPYYSCOjlz1R_HfeNIlu1XLPvcCtT4CUZeNk0q7Ljk3n-EgvcYFZ3mvhVXnPHrRok1Eei_VHUXdLOVoN8vXTjGb-E_2x1PRKlqCpKRbDgQhh-4CMyZY-6pZ3O7guzVcCusZ_Q/s320/Blog+socks+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's a view of the heel:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlx9BS8tQdTz2z1JAIgXU4wRYEpXkNXcEhR6xaLIGFHyVGX74dKOpiKHz2bDAOW2gZtcnfibpF-viDI1H6nkQGEKusZEJKuD2eNp0MtuKdRA7_uDw7wqt_qF069lt95pm-NxIVTJgUyg/s1600/Toffee+sock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1200" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMlx9BS8tQdTz2z1JAIgXU4wRYEpXkNXcEhR6xaLIGFHyVGX74dKOpiKHz2bDAOW2gZtcnfibpF-viDI1H6nkQGEKusZEJKuD2eNp0MtuKdRA7_uDw7wqt_qF069lt95pm-NxIVTJgUyg/s320/Toffee+sock.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The pattern has two options for the heel, one with a gusset at each side of the ankle, and the other with a single gusset at the back. I enjoyed knitting the socks,a nd I liked the end result, so I decided to knit another pair, to try the other heel option.<br />
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I made a few other tweaks for the second pair, too. I did the cuff in double rib, because it's stretchier and I prefer that. I changed the rib section below the band of stranded knitting, so that every round is knit 4, purl 1. In the pattern, alternate rounds are all knit, but I wanted to make that part of the socks slightly more stretchy, too. I changed the foot part, so that the rib pattern is continued all the way to the toe, because I preferred the look of that. And finally, I did a spiral toe instead of a conventional toe with a grafted end because I <i>hate </i>grafting. I did graft the toes on the first pair of socks, but I didn't make a very good job of it. Really, I much prefer knitting socks toe-up, and it's partly to avoid grafting. <br />
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So here's my second pair of Made in Abyss socks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zVh5XP-SoosJYB7c0iEp95UqEyH4WE6BmU9bW6rsrN0Zi1XCn9vrkZ96u_mxKuLo4SnQV6LaPmtWk7vS1e0aPxT8oFVQJYgs0EHLxqYQWcsEL1DLVhvGxMMXIESFY6e0Ia6u1kxtMkc/s1600/Blog+socks+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1200" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zVh5XP-SoosJYB7c0iEp95UqEyH4WE6BmU9bW6rsrN0Zi1XCn9vrkZ96u_mxKuLo4SnQV6LaPmtWk7vS1e0aPxT8oFVQJYgs0EHLxqYQWcsEL1DLVhvGxMMXIESFY6e0Ia6u1kxtMkc/s320/Blog+socks+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtD2k226C68pjom-RBlvRsG_mUxofXymKZw2kWmkkdR8sdcteCSbUhyNWOFxNkn8ZjX3kNAiFUXWEqzp1nxy0FczWxxNAS8goLi1bOu3LjFNZb7UIMczGhvSU3f3LXOWXEHo0ZkhlW5m8/s1600/Grey+sock+heel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1193" data-original-width="1200" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtD2k226C68pjom-RBlvRsG_mUxofXymKZw2kWmkkdR8sdcteCSbUhyNWOFxNkn8ZjX3kNAiFUXWEqzp1nxy0FczWxxNAS8goLi1bOu3LjFNZb7UIMczGhvSU3f3LXOWXEHo0ZkhlW5m8/s320/Grey+sock+heel.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The colours are the same Light Grey as before, with Charcoal. I do prefer these to the first pair, just because of the changes I made to suit me, but I like both pairs a lot.<br />
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The Lang Jawoll is very nice wool - good to knit with, and it comes in a huge range of colours. However, each ball has a spool of matching reinforcing thread in the middle. The idea is that you can knit the heel and toe of your socks using the wool and the reinforcing thread together, so that the socks will last longer. This is supposed to be a bonus. I have tried using the reinforcing thread in an earlier pair of socks, though I decided that it's unnecessary and fiddly. But even if you want to use it, I don't think you need as much as one spool for a pair of socks, and you get two. (A pair of socks takes two balls of Jawoll, and so you get two spools of reinforcing thread.) It's wasteful, and the thread is wound onto a plastic bobbin - even if you have a use for all the thread, you're left with waste plastic. Regretfully, I shan't be buying Jawoll again, for that reason.Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-90676650389727313162020-03-22T20:44:00.000+00:002020-03-24T16:11:27.134+00:00Strange TimesThursday is usually a knitting day for me. In the morning, I meet a group of friends to knit in Cafe Society in Huddersfield. In the evening I meet another group of knitting friends, except that on the 3rd Thursday of the month it is the Huddersfield Knitting & Crochet Guild branch meeting instead, at the Town Hall - and this week was the 3rd Thursday. We couldn't physically meet for either of those events, but we did the best with technology and had virtual meetings.<br />
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Instead of going to Cafe Society, we all sat at home, drinking our own coffee, knitting and chatting via Messenger. It worked surprisingly well, and hopefully next week we shall all have Skype working and we might be able to see each other too. Here's what I was knitting this week. <br />
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The pattern is Made in Abyss by Tiina Kuu. This is the second pair of socks I have knitted to that pattern, and this is the second sock of the second pair, so I have nearly finished, and then I'll write about both pairs.<br />
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In the afternoon, between knitting groups, John and I went for a walk around Blackmoorfoot Reservoir, on the edge of Huddersfield. It was a beautiful afternoon, quiet and peaceful. The bird you might just see in the photo is a grebe - it seemed to be successfully catching something (presumably a small fish) every time it dived. <br />
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For the branch meeting in the evening, we had planned to have a talk from Marie Wright on the March sisters, from <i>Little Women</i>, and another 19th century family, the Ryder sisters. Instead of the scheduled meeting in the Town Hall, Marie and her sister <a href="https://annkingstone.com/">Ann Kingstone</a> live-streamed the talk from Ann's house via the Guild Facebook group.<br />
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Marie talked about what the March sisters knitted in the Louisa M. Alcott books, and also the knitwear in the recent film, especially what the four sisters are wearing in this still:<br />
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In the world of the book, anything knitted that any of them wore would have been made in the family. Beth is wearing a Sontag, a shawl worn crossed over at the front and tied at the back, all four of them are wearing mittens, including some fancy colour-work on Jo's, and Amy has a ruffled collar, apparently on another wrap-around shawl.<br />
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The Ryder sisters, on the other hand, were a real family of four sisters (and two brothers), all born in Ecclesfield in South Yorkshire. Marie pointed out some parallels between the two families. After their father died, the family moved to Richmond in North Yorkshire. Two of the sisters, Henrietta and Elizabeth, published knitting patterns and books, from the 1860s to about 1900 - Marie and Ann have acquired some of the Ryder sisters' works, and Ann showed us a pair of socks that she has knitted, with a colour-work band around the top in a clover leaf design, inspired by a stocking-top pattern of Henrietta Ryder's. (You can see the socks on Ann's blog.) It was a fascinating talk, and I was very grateful to Ann and Marie for setting up live streaming, as well as preparing the talk.<br />
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In spite of having to avoid everyone except the two of us, Thursday was a good day for John and me. And I did go to two knitting groups on Thursday after all - it wasn't as good as meeting in person, but far better than not meeting at all. No doubt this sort of work-around will become normal in the weeks ahead.<br />
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<br />Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-60010539733512565162020-02-27T18:32:00.000+00:002020-02-27T18:32:24.367+00:00Jumpers and Sports Wear in 1931<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZByqaNETdJX4cQhzVLDIKjew8mcwn8mRSkDjyOoGfKjLOAPgkxgb3f5EFp_vJ7sx0fWkznBDdMBHuxxeFTfJI3IQiJJI_PNeEf2bBKSyCBbo-Dfc4EHVDAb3vFD-MBSqpUazX1SjigLk/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1154" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZByqaNETdJX4cQhzVLDIKjew8mcwn8mRSkDjyOoGfKjLOAPgkxgb3f5EFp_vJ7sx0fWkznBDdMBHuxxeFTfJI3IQiJJI_PNeEf2bBKSyCBbo-Dfc4EHVDAb3vFD-MBSqpUazX1SjigLk/s400/cover.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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Leach's Sixpenny Knitting Series was published from 1920 to 1935, according to the British Library catalogue - I wrote about one of the series in my last post. We have a few of the issues in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection, including the 'Jaeger Hand Knit Jumpers and Sports Wear' shown above. It is marked as one of Leach's Sixpenny Knitting Series on the cover, though without a number, and also as 'Jaeger Hand-Knit No. 7' - there was evidently an arrangement that Leach's would publish Jaeger pattern booklets in this way. There is no date explicitly given in the booklet, but a Jaeger knitting competition is advertised with a closing date in January 1932, so it must have been published in 1931. <br />
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The booklet has several patterns for women, all very smart as you would expect from Jaeger. There is the 'Attractive Sports Three-piece with matching beret', illustrated on the cover - a cardigan and skirt in a flecked wool to imitate tweed, and a very nice collared jumper in dark brown with orange spots. Also shown on the cover is a 'smart over-blouse', in camel colour with blue diamonds.<br />
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Of the other patterns, the most interesting technically is a Fair Isle jumper. The pattern is headed '"Fair Isle" Patterns are Still in Favour' - the fashion for Fair Isle sports jumpers had started in the early 1920s, so perhaps it was noteworthy that they were still in vogue in 1931. <br />
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I was surprised to see that the knitter is advised to knit the body, up to the armholes, on a circular needle, 'which makes the knitting very simple'. I knew that circular needles were available in the 1920s, but had not previously seen them specified in a pattern. Here's an ad from 1923 for Flexiknit needles:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8s0gOKphnh7E9pHh-6SKGP0nRZkeRtbOhOhI_RtfLrUEHTH0aoWf5l4XVRjJtwBAxR7ZpBUbG1CscWg9e_ffBEKwHGZ1DZxoVO9f7GRH6PvOo9TJcy8ZHRy8viXuw-CYyoBfu8seMHI/s1600/1923+Leach%2527s+6d+Series-001+b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1323" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin8s0gOKphnh7E9pHh-6SKGP0nRZkeRtbOhOhI_RtfLrUEHTH0aoWf5l4XVRjJtwBAxR7ZpBUbG1CscWg9e_ffBEKwHGZ1DZxoVO9f7GRH6PvOo9TJcy8ZHRy8viXuw-CYyoBfu8seMHI/s320/1923+Leach%2527s+6d+Series-001+b.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The sleeves of the Fair Isle jumper are also to be knitted in the round, from the cuff up, but on double pointed needles, I think because small diameter circulars were not available, and the cables were wire, so not flexible enough for magic loop or any similar technique.<br />
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Another novel feature of the Fair Isle jumper is that there is a band of stranded knitting sandwiched between two bands of corrugated rib in the cuffs and the lower edge. I don't think I have ever seen that before - an interesting idea. The suggested colours of the jumper are camel for the background, with orange, dark green, dark red, navy blue, Saxe blue, peach, brown and green. <br />
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Another garment in the booklet looks surprisingly modern - 'A Jumper-Coat in Two Colours - a fastens smartly with a zip fastener as many of the newest models do'. <br />
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According to Wikipedia, although zips had been invented in the 19th century, they only began to be used on clothes around 1925, initially on leather jackets, so this knitted jumper-coat would have looked very new.<br />
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Another outfit with a matching beret has an unusual side fastening to the jumper, and the skirt ribs imitate pleating. (I like her fancy shoes, too.) <br />
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And 'note the uncommon trimming on the beret':<br />
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There are a few other patterns in the booklet, too, for a V-neck jumper in cashmere, and a couple of cardigans - all plain and simple, but smart.<br />
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Finally, I mentioned in an earlier post that I had found a pair of Jaeger knitting needles, and that I thought that they were made around 1930 because of the lettering. Here's the evidence, in an ad for Jaeger Floss in this booklet:<br />
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Same lettering. QED. I don't think I have seen that logo anywhere else. Here's a logo used elsewhere in the booklet:<br />
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For anyone who likes 1930s knitwear, or would like to look at the patterns in detail, a scanned copy of 'Jaeger Hand Knit Jumpers and Sports Wear' is on the Knitting & Crochet Guild website for Guild members to download. <br />
<br />Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-2177256891333608942020-02-23T15:41:00.001+00:002020-02-23T15:41:27.186+00:00A Prize Winning JumperWhen we were in London two weeks ago, I spent a few hours in the British Library (one of my favourite places). I had ordered some periodicals in advance, including Leach's Sixpenny Knitting series from 1923, partly to help with dating some issues of the Sixpenny Knitting Series that we have in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection. Now I know that numbers 25 to 38 were published in 1923. But, much more exciting, I also recognised a jumper shown on the front cover of number 38. <br />
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The jumper on the right is clearly the original of a jumper in art silk (or rayon) that we have in the KCG collection.<br />
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What's more, it was "The Jumper That Won £100". The pattern instructions inside give more information: 'This lovely model won the first prize in a recent competition. You can copy it for less than twenty four shillings!' The competition was organised by the manufacturers of Celanese artificial silk (rayon). In an earlier issue of the Sixpenny Knitting Series, there was an ad for the competition:<br />
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The ad shows three garments, with references to where the patterns could be found (in the Sixpenny Knitting Series, again). So it appears that the entries to the competition were to be judged on the quality of the knitting and crochet, not the originality of the design. But printing the pattern for a prize-winning jumper does suggest that the winner might have designed the jumper, as well as making it to a very high standard. Either way, the prize of £100 is an astonishing amount of money, worth over £6000 now. The total prize money on offer would be worth over £90,000, and the ad promises that "Every Garment will be returned, and a useful and attractive Souvenir will be given to every Entrant" - the costs of sending the garments back would also be borne by the company, I assume. Of course, all entries had to be made in Celanese art silk, so the manufacturers must have been confident that the additional sales resulting from knitters wanting to enter the competition would be worth more than the prize money.<br />
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The ad for the competition doesn't give full details, but I did find an ad in the Falkirk Herald newspaper, for the Falkirk & District Co-op Stores, which told me a bit more. (The competition obviously benefitted retailers, as well as the manufacturers of Celanese.) They mention four classes, three with first prizes of £100, second prizes of £50, third prizes of £25, and 40 consolation prizes of £5. The fourth class had smaller prizes, though still very worthwhile. Even the consolation prizes of £5 would be worth £300 each today.<br />
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I also found a piece in the Sevenoaks Chronicle in August 1923, announcing a local winner:<br />
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<b>£50 KNITTING PRIZE</b></div>
Mrs Shoveller, of Boxmoor, Weald View-road, Tonbridge, is to be congratulated on having won the first prize in Class "D" of the Celanese Knitting Competition, the results of which were published on Tuesday. Mrs. Shoveller, who was most surprised at this unexpected good fortune, entered a set of baby clothing, comprising coat, bonnet and gloves. These were made with the loop stitch, one of her own invention. The value of the prize was £50, and considering the enormous number of entries, which came from all parts of the United Kingdom, it was undoubtedly a well-earned reward...... Miss Ethel M. Curtis, of the Royal School of Needlework, acted as the judge.</blockquote>
I guess that Class "D" was for a baby outfit, and it appears that Mrs. Shoveller designed her prize-winning outfit herself.<br />
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Back to the pattern. Alongside the instructions are photographs of a model wearing the jumper, which give a much better idea of what it should look like. (Thought the lighting wasn't very good for taking photos, I'm afraid.)<br />
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It is partly knitted, in stocking stitch, and partly crocheted. It is a very simple construction, with no shaping at all: it's made in 11 rectangular pieces, 7 crocheted and 4 knitted, which are then sewn together. One crocheted piece is the basque, which goes around the hips, below the belt. Here's a diagram showing how the other pieces fit together, with the opening for the neck in the middle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rvg3oAz1EBZI9SKlaHzKv5ZFAK3DpvXtc29Z12OpjUtP46EuftsWUynjYQ3LNLXO9Y4wVhGY1i-aHia2AQ1hq4Af0Kxrx3NbaFT7nM6hU9HocpJqdeE1kD3heiGhGpVfhTbqXnVyHx4/s1600/Diagram+of+jumper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1249" data-original-width="951" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rvg3oAz1EBZI9SKlaHzKv5ZFAK3DpvXtc29Z12OpjUtP46EuftsWUynjYQ3LNLXO9Y4wVhGY1i-aHia2AQ1hq4Af0Kxrx3NbaFT7nM6hU9HocpJqdeE1kD3heiGhGpVfhTbqXnVyHx4/s320/Diagram+of+jumper.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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Once the 10 pieces are sewn together as shown, the result is folded in half, top to bottom, and the side seams are sewn up, and the sleeve seams, which are just 2 inch seams in the crochet strips at the sides. Then the basque is attached to the body. The final steps are to crochet around the square neck and to make the tasseled belt.<br />
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The jumper is intended to be very loosely fitting: the circumference of the body of the jumper is 50 inches (127cm.). The cover drawing and the photograph show the jumper with sleeves ending just above the elbow, but actually most of the 'sleeve' is a dropped shoulder. The loose fit is not unusual for early 1920s jumpers, for instance, the <a href="http://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2020/01/a-chic-jumper-in-egyptian-design.html">'Egyptian' jumper</a>, which appeared in <i>Woman's Weekly</i>, also in 1923, is 46 inches (117cm.) around the body. (And it has a similar construction, being a rectangle of knitting, with a neck opening in the middle, and a rectangle for each sleeve.)<br />
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The basque of the prize jumper, however, is only 40in. (102cm.) around. The instructions for joining it to a much wider body are: "Pleat the wide strips of knitting [at the sides] towards the side seams both at front and back (these pleats can be plainly seen in the illustrations) and gather the rest of the jumper edge. Then sew jumper and basque together, putting seam of basque to one of the side seams." Evidently, the jumper was intended to fit someone much slimmer than the 50 inch bust measurement suggests. The 40 inch hip measurement has to allow for skirt, petticoat, etc., so the person inside would have had to be perhaps a modern UK size 8, or 10 at most.<br />
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Let's look at the jumper in the collection again. Although I'm confident that the maker followed this pattern, she did not make it as loose, or as long, as intended. (I'm assuming a woman made it.) The central crocheted panel is narrower, the jumper is shorter from shoulder to waist, and the basque is not as deep. A bigger change is in the side panels of stocking stitch; instead of having a rectangle which extends part way down the upper arm, she has made this piece much narrower in the body, and added on extra stitches to make a well-defined sleeve. Consequently, the upper body and the basque have the same circumference - there is no need for pleats and gathers as described in the pattern.<br />
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We have no provenance for this jumper, so we have no idea why she made these changes. We don't even know when the jumper was made, except that we now know it must have been in 1923 or later. Maybe she made it several years later, when the fashionable silhouette was more close fitting. Maybe she just didn't like very loose jumpers. Or she might have been influenced by another photo, showing a back view of the jumper:<br />
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This appears to show the jumper with a proper sleeve - in fact, since it doesn't have a sleeve, I don't know how the photo could have been staged. I think it's possible that our maker saw this photo and liked that shape, and then found that she had to modify the pattern to achieve it. That's pure speculation, of course. But I'm very pleased that I have found the pattern - and that the original jumper won a very large prize in a national competition. I think our jumper inherits some of that glory. Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-21940965269285326502020-02-13T16:12:00.000+00:002020-02-13T18:23:47.604+00:00More Knitting NeedlesThis post is all about knitting needles, so if they don't interest you, you might like to stop reading <i>now</i>.<br />
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Katie at <a href="https://craftypraxis.co.uk/">Crafty Praxis</a>, in the Byram Arcade, Huddersfield, has recently started selling some knitting yarns as well as the regular stock of arts and crafts by local artists and designers. The yarn includes hand-dyed yarns by my friend Steph of <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MillHouseYorkshire">Millhouse Designs</a>, as well as some Stylecraft yarn. Katie also has some vintage knitting needles, and when I was there last week to buy a birthday card, I looked through them and bought these, to donate to the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection:<br />
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Obviously, I wanted to pick ones that aren't already in the collection. But we don't have a catalogue of the knitting needles, so I had to choose on the basis of memory and a lot of guesswork. But in fact, now that I have checked, I was right! - they are all additions that we don't have. (Honestly, I amaze myself sometimes.)<br />
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I chose a packet of four Aero double-pointed needles (dpns), for knitting socks or gloves. We do have a lot of Aero dpns in packets already. (Metal dpns that aren't still in their original packets are unidentifiable - they aren't marked with a brand name.) But these are 5 inch (12cm.) needles, which are unusually short. When I checked, we don't have any Aero 5 inch dpns in the collection (and possibly no 5 inch dpns of any make). You can, I discover, still buy 5 inch dpns, though usually in sets of five, so that you have the stitches on four and knit with the fifth. Personally, I don't like smooth metal dpns, because they are liable to fall out of the stitches, and the shorter length would make falling out more likely, especially if you have the stitches on only three needles. Perhaps we have so few 5 inch dpns in the collection because other knitters have felt the same. Modern 5 inch dpns seem to be mostly bamboo or wood, and so less likely to slip. <br />
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The Aero dpns are of course grey, as Aero needles always are. The packet stresses the virtues of the needles: 'These "Aero" pins have been produced to meet the insistent demand for a rustless, non-glitter, lightweight metal pin: if stronger pins are required, the "Flora MacDonald" hardened and tempered steel pins are recommended.' They are made of aluminium with a grey coating of some sort, and were originally made before the Second World War, though these may be later. <br />
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Next is a pair of plastic Robinoid needles, size 5, with a paper label. The label is in poor condition, but clearly says 'Made by blind people - Hand polished smooth - Hand made points - Firm knobs'. I knew that we had Robinoid needles in the collection already, but this is a colour we didn't have. I think they date from the 1930s, and the name possibly indicates that they are made of celluloid.<br />
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Then a pair of Jaeger needles, in a very stylish colour combination (as you would expect from Jaeger). I knew that we didn't have any needles like this in the collection, because I would have remembered. I think these date from around 1930, because I have seen an ad for Jaeger yarns from 1931 that uses the same lettering.<br />
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The brighter blue needles are Durex, size 3. We have Durex needles already, but not this colour or style. These are in excellent condition and look almost unused.<br />
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Finally, a pair of Glydon needles. I knew that we didn't have any needles of this make in the collection, because I had never heard of it before. They are of a lightweight metal, uncoated. I assume that they are not pure aluminium because I have seen several references asserting that aluminium needles would discolour and stain wool. They may be an aluminium alloy, like <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2017/03/stratnoid-knitting-pins.html">Stratnoid</a> needles, in which case they were presumably made after the Stratnoid patent expired. <br />
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Glydon needles aren't listed in Susan Webster's excellent and comprehensive <a href="http://knitting-needle-notions.com.au/knitting-needle-brands-and-company-names/">list of knitting needle brands</a>, either. This is partly a good thing, because finding a needle brand that is unknown to Susan Webster is an achievement, but it's also a bad thing because it means I can't find anything about them from her list. So if anyone can supply any information about Glydon, I'd be very pleased to hear it.Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-54668166145283748872020-02-02T17:44:00.000+00:002020-02-02T17:44:47.936+00:00Mary Quant at the V&A Last week we were in London for a few days and I took the opportunity to go to the Mary Quant exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum, before it closes on 16th February. (It's then going to the V&A Dundee, I believe.)<br />
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The exhibition was busy, with many visitors who were old enough to remember the 60s, and who were reminiscing about the styles. I was a teenager in the 60s myself, though I also remember that stockings were only replaced by tights quite late in the 60s, and stockings were horrible garments — for me, that made some of the early designs look less free and easy than they might. If you were already grown up in the early 60s, I'm sure that in comparison with 1950s styles, they were much less constrained.<br />
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Apart from the spectre of stockings, I enjoyed it very much and thought it was an excellent exhibition. Many of the garments on show had been given or lent by the women who had worn them when they were new, and had treasured them ever since. Often there was a photo of the owner, wearing the garment, perhaps for a special occasion, and often a page from <i>Vogue</i> or <i>Harper's Bazaar</i>, showing how it was originally portrayed in the fashion press. It was helpful that the prices were translated into modern values&nbsp— in the early 60s, when Mary Quant was designing clothes for her Bazaar shop in Chelsea, the clothes were made in small quantities and were expensive. It was only later, when her designs were mass-produced, that they became more accessible.<br />
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I was, of course, on the lookout for knitting. I know that in 1965 and 1966 Mary Quant produced two collections of designs for hand knitters (and crocheters) that were published as knitting pattern leaflets — we have many of the leaflets in the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection. I wrote <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2019/03/mary-quant-knitting-patterns.html">here</a> about the Patons pattern leaflets with Mary Quant designs, and I knitted a Mary Quant short-sleeved jumper from a Lee Target leaflet myself a few years ago, which I showed <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2015/07/my-mary-quant-sweater.html">here</a>. The exhibition had a case devoted to the knitting patterns, and to the dress patterns for Butterick also designed by Mary Quant. (My mother made a dress for me from one of the Butterick patterns, in the mid 60s, but the dress is long gone, and I don't have any photos of it, sadly.)<br />
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Several of the knitting patterns were on show, and an actual dress, knitted to a Sirdar pattern. It's one of the 1966 collection, with Mary Quant's daisy motif in the background, and also on the pocket of the dress. (The exhibition label gives 'Candytwist' as the name of the design, but that is actually the name of the Sirdar yarn that the leaflet specifies — unlike Mary Quant's other designs, those in the knitting patterns don't have names.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sirdar leaflet 2353</td></tr>
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The model on the pattern leaflet is Jill Kennington (now a photographer), who appears on several of the other Quant knitting patterns too — I liked the fact that exhibition names the model in many of the photos that publicised Mary Quant's designs. There are several models that appear over and over again in knitting pattern leaflets, so you recognise their faces, but usually you don't know their names — it seems a great pity to me that they aren't better known. As well as modelling for the 1960s leaflets, Jill Kennington appears in a video made for the exhibition, talking about the experience of being a model for Mary Quant, and the contrast with the 1950s, when models were elegant, stately and aloof.<br />
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Here's the dress in the exhibition that was knitted to the Sirdar pattern. (I'm sorry it's not a very good photo, through the glass of the case.) The dress has been given to the V&A and was knitted by the donor's mother, for the donor, who described it as "a labour of love". <br />
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I looked for knitwear elsewhere in the exhibition, too, but the only knitting I spotted was part of a dress, designed by Mary Quant in 1964. Most of the dress is made of checked flannel, but the sleeves, collar and belt are hand-knitted in cream wool.<br />
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It was featured in <i>Harper's Bazaar </i>magazine in August 1964, where it was described as "Tattersall check flannel shirt dress with knitted sleeves, collar and skinny belt by Mary Quant, 15gns. at Bazaar." In the magazine, it was modelled by Grace Coddington (now creative director at American <i>Vogue</i>), and there's also a photo of Mary Quant wearing the dress, posed with Vidal Sassoon trimming her fringe. 15 gns. (guineas) is equivalent to £15.75, which doesn't sound a lot, but its value today would be over £320. As the exhibition notes, it was not a suitable design for mass-production.<br />
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But of course, there is plenty of other material in the exhibition, from underwear and make-up to quite formal evening wear. Some of the early designs, made in small quantities, are beautifully made, with details that would be impossible, I think, to mass produce. Well worth seeing. And there's a very well-illustrated book to go with the exhibition, too. (See top photo. Yes, I bought a copy.)Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-90967086457261924912020-01-31T18:02:00.001+00:002020-01-31T18:02:50.993+00:00The Wristlet Crochet Ball HolderThe volunteers working on the Knitting & Crochet Guild Collection have selected 100 objects to show the range of the collection — including knitted and crocheted garments, books, pattern leaflets, gadgets, and many other things. Currently, the objects are being posted on social media (the Guild <a href="https://kcguild.org.uk/news/category/100-objects">website</a>, the KCG Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/182366783086/post_tags/?post_tag_id=10157046941698087">here</a>, and on Instagram, user name @kcguild), one each day. Today's 'object' (number 10) is a group of holders for knitting wool or crochet cotton, that hang from the wrist on a bracelet, including a crochet ball holder like the one in the photo below; here's some more information about it.<br />
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We have several in the collection of the same design, some in their original cardboard box, saying either 'The "Ownlee" Practical Crochet Ball Holder', or 'The Wristlet Crochet Ball Holder' on the lid. The holders have a patent number (on the base of the flat circular disc) and some of the boxes, like the one on the photo, still contain printed booklets, so it's possible to find out quite a lot about their history.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Ownlee" Practical Crochet Ball Holder in its box, with booklet</td></tr>
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In case it's not obvious, here's a drawing showing how it's to be used.<br />
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The idea was patented in 1912, by George Garratt Kent, who lived in East Finchley (London). Crochet cotton, then as now, was sold ready wound into balls. The crochet ball sits on the metal disk, with the bent wire going through centre of the ball. The holder can swivel freely, hanging from the bangle. An improvement, patented in 1913, that the disc is not rigidly fixed to the bent wire, but hinged. George Garrett Kent was born in 1875, and in the 1901 census, he is listed as a wood engraver. In 1911 and 1939 he is listed as a commercial clerk and then an estimating clerk, but with a mention of illustrating and engraving, so his occupation would have given him the practical skills to design the ball holder and make a prototype.<br />
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The crochet ball holder was sold through the Practical Novelty Company of Hatton Garden, London (centre of the UK's diamond trade, though I'm sure the Practical Novelty Company didn't deal in diamonds). Someone in the company, I imagine, must have written the little booklet in the box, which tells a story of how the holder was invented:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The history of the “Practical" Crochet Ball Holders begins like a fairy tale, with "Once upon a time", but the "time" which this "once" was upon, was only a year or so ago, and this is not a fairy tale, but a true story. A man and his wife went to the seaside for a holiday. "Little drops of water, little grains of sand" got all mixed up with the lady's ball of crochet cotton because, like Humpty Dumpty, it "had a great fall" and rolled about on the beach. Along came Old Mother Hubbard's dog, which had "none" (meaning bones) and playfully attempted to carry the ball home to his empty cupboard. When a big "spider sat down beside her" and frightened the lady away, the man could stand it no longer. He dived into the recesses of his productive British brain, and Jack-Horner-like, pulled out a "plum" which was the original idea of the Practical Wristlet Crochet Ball Holders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Naturally, the lady was pleased with the clever little contrivance which kept her ball just where she wanted it, and she showed it to her friends. So, like a snowball, which is formed with a handful of snow, and then set rolling down-hill, moving faster and growing bigger every moment, so the "Practical" Crochet Ball Holder started, gaining popularity every day, each sale resulting in the sale of many more, until it has become necessity to everyone who does crochet or knitting work, and is sold in nearly every country on the globe. </span></blockquote>
Presumably, it was George Garratt Kent who was at the seaside with his wife, and inspired to invent the crochet ball holder. The booklet goes on to show two related gadgets that were patented jointly by George Garratt Kent and The Practical Novelty Company.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The "Practical Wool" Holder is the result of a demand for something to hold a ball of wool, as wound from the skein. The Table Stand is also an evolution, and appeals to ladies who prefer to keep their ball in place on the table, instead of on the wrist.</span></blockquote>
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I don't think we have either of those in the KCG collection, which suggests that they weren't as successful as the Wristlet Crochet Ball Holder. The booklet goes on to give prices for the Wristlet Crochet Ball Holder in various materials, from an Electro Plate Bangle with a Nickel Plated Base, at one shilling (5p) — 'quite good enough for ordinary use, at home or at the seaside or country, where one works a great deal out of doors, and the damp air is fatal to ornaments.' The most expensive is either a Sterling Silver bangle with silver plated base, or Rolled Gold, both at 5 shillings (25p) — for 'those who wish to give a pretty present to those near and dear. Young men find them just the thing for the "dearest girl" and fond parents present one or the other to the young lady daughter who likes all the appointments of her work basket to be dainty and attractive.' Finally, the booklet mentions the "Ownlee" crochet ball holder, shown in the photo above, which is the cheapest option, at 6<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif; font-size: 11pt;">½</span>d (about 3p). I think that all the ones that we have in the collection are the cheaper ones. (For comparison with prices of modern gadgets, 5 shillings in 1913 would be worth about £30 today.)<br />
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The gadgets were widely advertised in needlecraft magazines, with a warning to beware of inferior imitations. But I don't think it was advertised after the First World War — a pity, because it's an ingenious idea which would still be useful now for anyone who uses crochet cotton.<br />
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Finally, we have a photo in the KCG collection which shows someone using a Wristlet Crochet Ball Holder, or something very like it. It's a charming portrait.<br />
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<br />Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-38683526220409051422020-01-23T16:51:00.000+00:002020-01-23T16:51:29.485+00:00A Chic Jumper in an Egyptian Design<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Woman's Weekly</i>, July 28, 1923</td></tr>
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There is a free knit-along in progress on Facebook at the moment (<a href="https://m.facebook.com/groups/2554930691403448">here</a>), hosted by Ellie Reed (@drelliereed on Instagram). She has been working on the Knitting & Crochet Guild collection for the past year, scanning and cataloguing the knitting and crochet patterns in the pre-1950 domestic magazines. As part of the project, she is running the knit-along, based on a pattern in a 1923 <i>Woman's Weekly.</i> The pattern is for a jumper with a band of camels, pyramids and palm trees in stranded knitting. It's described as "A Chic Jumper Worked in a New Egyptian Design", and it was probably inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in November 1922, which sparked a huge interest in Egypt and its antiquities. Ellie has knitted it already, for herself, and very successfully, and she is now knitting another for the knit-along.<br />
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The construction of the camel jumper is very simple. The front and back are knitted in one piece, starting at the front with the colour-work band. There are no shoulder seams: the front is split either side of the V neck, and at shoulder level the two pieces are rejoined, casting on stitches in the centre for the back neck. There is no shaping for the waist and armholes: apart from the V neck, the front and back are just a long rectangular piece. Each sleeve is also a rectangle. It was common in the 1920s to make the back and front in one piece, and often the sleeves would be worked at the same time as the front and back, so that the only seams would be the side and under arm seams. For instance, <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2019/08/esplen-dor.html">here</a> I showed a quite elaborate knit and crochet jumper pattern with that construction.<br />
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I plan to change the construction altogether, and knit front and back together, in the round, up to the armholes. I don't like working stranded knitting flat, I don't like seaming stranded knitting, and I don't like the idea of having the front band knitted bottom to top and the back band knitted top to bottom. Knitting in the round will fix all that.<br />
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The way in which the colour work is incorporated is also unsophisticated, to an extent that would be unacceptable now (certainly, I don't like it). The most obvious thing that I think needs changing is that the band of camels and pyramids is not centred: the pattern repeat is 46 stitches, and you cast on 110 stitches for the body, which means that in each band, front and back, you get two complete repeats and part of the third, finishing part way through the pyramids. To fix that, the number of stitches will have to be a multiple of 46, which is a bit tricky to manage.....<br />
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The pattern says that the tension should be 4½ stitches to the inch, on size 6 needles - in modern parlance, 18 stitches to 10 cm. on size 5mm. needles. The needles seem very big for what seems to be quite fine Shetland wool, possibly a 4-ply (fingering weight) - the whole jumper is supposed to take only 8 ounces of wool (about 200gm.) I'm ignoring the stated tension - I'll work out my own tension, and then decide how many stitches I need from that (with some adjustment to make it a multiple of 46) .<br />
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Another issue concerns the edges - the lower edge, the sleeve cuffs and the neck band. The jumper is knitted in stocking stitch, which of course will curl, given the chance. In the original pattern, there are 4 rows of garter stitch at the lower edge, front and back. In my experience, that's not enough to stop stocking stitch curling up. So I plan to make a hem at the lower edge. I have so far knitted a swatch to try it, and to see what the camels, pyramids and palm trees look like.<br />
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I decided to use something like a 4-ply, and a more usual needle size for that weight. The yarn I have used is Rowan Felted Tweed in Ginger (a rusty orange), left over from the <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-teazle-tam.html">tam I knitted for Piecework</a>. The main colour is a silver grey, which I thought was also Felted Tweed, left over from knitting Louisa Harding's <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2011/02/wearing-tweed.html">Old Moor </a>design. But actually, it's Brooklyn Tweed Loft, left over from my very favourite <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2013/04/ready-for-spring.html">Boardwalk</a> pullover. (I like silver grey a lot.)<br />
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Here's my swatch for the camel band. It was knitted in the round, with a steek - the first time I have cut a steek. I made a picot edge to the hem, also a first. I'm pleased with how neat it looks. And the hem lies perfectly flat. (John points out that Egyptian camels have one hump and not two, but never mind.)<br />
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There are narrow bands of stranded knitting around the V neck, on the sleeve cuffs and along the tops of the pockets. I think the sleeves and pockets will also need hems to make them lie flat. The band either side of the V neck on the front is especially problematic. The contrast colour is joined in for the 7 stitches either side of the opening, and Ellie found that it's difficult to make the colour work neat. And apart from that, the edge will curl - she bound the inside of the neck opening with petersham ribbon to make it lie flat. I'd rather change the pattern so that the knitting behaves itself without the aid of petersham. So I knitted a swatch to try out making the bands separately and sewing them either side of the front neck opening. The colour work could be a bit neater - I'll change it a bit next time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Xt7Q19cnjm5OCDplqVMFZxR5kpqzO45nJlhqSumjcC3mm6a9LDD6PtbEPROHjOgNANa6LxK66tfoh8cbxZLPklGC2ZAsZn9Wx6t_mi4RQjAulvTEMuNDvFFqru6p3qGs5CuJxlQka-A/s1600/DSCN8190+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Xt7Q19cnjm5OCDplqVMFZxR5kpqzO45nJlhqSumjcC3mm6a9LDD6PtbEPROHjOgNANa6LxK66tfoh8cbxZLPklGC2ZAsZn9Wx6t_mi4RQjAulvTEMuNDvFFqru6p3qGs5CuJxlQka-A/s400/DSCN8190+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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That may seem like a lot of changes to the pattern, but they are all in the spirit of the original design, I'd say. I'm not going to knit the jumper for the knit-along, because I've got too many projects already (on the needles, or yarn and pattern all ready to go). But I do plan to knit it some time soon. And I shall look exactly like the sketch in the magazine.<br />
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<br />Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2805580631057957340.post-52438648655664346712020-01-07T17:55:00.001+00:002020-01-07T17:55:12.448+00:002019 BooksI belong to two book groups, and for several years now I have been making Christmas cards for the members of one of them, showing the books we have read during the year. I give them out at the book group Christmas dinner in December. Here's the 2019 card:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGl8SFz-Ar0WZkUSDZSkFMgFIRUyIdz7APp5pEjHRnFQo52MS62HZFcZ0L1j3ZdvqsFXAscrxMcOmNdUAjkc8XhcHTsAizcH5IHJhxSkky3jXwl6xGEmoSbBEX9_p-5IwVXcZnZx9NjM/s1600/2019++A+Year+of+Books-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1101" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGGl8SFz-Ar0WZkUSDZSkFMgFIRUyIdz7APp5pEjHRnFQo52MS62HZFcZ0L1j3ZdvqsFXAscrxMcOmNdUAjkc8XhcHTsAizcH5IHJhxSkky3jXwl6xGEmoSbBEX9_p-5IwVXcZnZx9NjM/s400/2019++A+Year+of+Books-1.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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We read:<br />
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<ul>
<li><i>The Collini Case</i>, by Ferdinand von Schirach</li>
<li><i>A Gentleman in Moscow,</i> by Amor Towles</li>
<li><i>Ghost Wall</i>, by Sarah Moss</li>
<li><i>The Golden Age</i>, by Joan London</li>
<li><i>The Silence of the Girls</i>, by Pat Barker</li>
<li><i>Saturday Night & Sunday Morning</i>, by Alan Sillitoe</li>
<li><i>Pereira Maintains</i>, by Antonio Tabucchi</li>
<li><i>Take Nothing With You</i>, by Patrick Gale</li>
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As usual, there were several books that I'm sure I would never have read (never even heard of, probably) without the book group: <i>The Collini Case</i>, <i>A Gentleman in Moscow, </i><i>Pereira Maintains </i>and <i>The G</i><i>olden Age</i><i>. </i> <i>The Collini Case </i>deals with the long shadow of the Nazi era in Germany - <i> </i>Ferdinand von Schirach's grandfather was the head of the Hitler Youth, and prosecuted for war crimes at Nuremberg. <i>A Gentleman in Moscow </i>is the story of a wealthy aristocrat who is confined to house arrest in a Moscow hotel after the Russian Revolution, and recounts how he survives and makes a life in straitened circumstances. (It's going to be turned into a TV series with Kenneth Branagh, I read.) <i>Pereira Maintains</i> is set in Lisbon in 1938, under the fascist dictatorship of Salazar - Pereira is a journalist writing about cultural topics and trying to stay out of politics, until finally he is forced to rebel. <i>The G</i><i>olden Age </i>is named<i> </i>after a children's hospital in Australia in the 1950s, where polio cases are sent for rehabilitation. The main character and his parents have arrived in Australia as survivors of the Holocaust, and the novel also deals with the parents adjusting to their new lives. I enjoyed all of those, and I think the rest of the group did, too. <i>The Silence of the Girls </i>was my choice, a retelling of the Iliad from the point of view of one of the women who is awarded to Achilles as a prize, after her home is destroyed by the Greeks, and all her menfolk slaughtered. A really good book, though in our discussion we got into an argument about whether (in the world of the book) the Greek gods actually exist and do things or whether the apparently supernatural events are only supernatural to Briseis, because she believes in the gods. (It's a work of fiction, so the gods are allowed to exist in the book, in my view, and can preserve corpses from decomposition, or whatever else they want to do.) </div>
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I think I read <i>Saturday Night & Sunday Morning</i> a long time ago, and I'm sure I saw the film, but re-reading it now, I didn't like it. I couldn't understand the main character - he seems to be unpleasant to people for no good reason, and then suddenly decides to get married. But other members of the group did enjoy it, so it's just me. I had read and enjoyed Patrick Gale's book<i> A Place called Winter</i>, inspired by his own great-grandfather's life, and enjoyed <i>Take Nothing With You</i>, too. It's based partly on Patrick Gale's own experiences of learning to play the cello (not something I knew anything about). The title is from the protagonist's treatment for thyroid cancer, being isolated in a lead-lined room having taken a radioactive iodine pill - he is advised not to take anything he values in with him, because it will become radioactive. My husband has had the same treatment - reading a fictionalised account of it was a slightly odd experience. </div>
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This year I decided to make cards for the members of my other book group, too. (We don't have a book group Christmas dinner, so hasn't been the same prompt to distribute cards, so I have made them New year cards.) I used the same format - both groups read eight books in 2019. </div>
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We read:<br />
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<ul>
<li><i>Elmet</i>, by Fiona Mosley</li>
<li><i>Milkman</i>, by Anna Burns</li>
<li><i>If Beale Street Could Talk,</i> by James Baldwin</li>
<li><i>The Sealwoman's Gift,</i> by Sally Magnusson</li>
<li><i>Transcription</i>, by Kate Atkinson</li>
<li><i>The Way of All Flesh</i>, by Ambrose Parry</li>
<li><i>The Noise of Time</i>, by Julian Barnes</li>
<li><i>The Red-Haired Woman</i>, by Orhan Pamuk</li>
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In the other group, we avoid reading books that any of us ahs read before (unless we decide to revisit a book that most of us read a long time ago, like <i>Cold Comfort Farm </i>or <i>Saturday Night and Sunday Morning</i>), but this group doesn't have that rule, so I had already read <i>The Sealwoman's Gift </i>- in fact it appeared on <a href="https://barbaraknitsagain.blogspot.com/2018/12/2018-year-of-books.html">last year's Christmas card</a> for the first group. It's a fascinating story, based on real historical events. Some of the other books by well-known authors that had received good reviews were a bit disappointing. But <i>Milkman</i> (that won the Man Booker prize in 2018) was worth reading, and I might not have chosen to tackle it but for the book group. <i>The Way of All Flesh</i> (Ambrose Parry) is not in the same league, but we enjoyed it. It's a detective story set in 19th century Edinburgh. "Ambrose Parry" is actually two people, a novelist who has written many other books and his wife who is an anaesthetist. Several of the characters in <i>The Way of All Flesh</i> did actually exist, including James Simpson, an Edinburgh obstetrician who introduced chloroform as an anaesthetic, so as well as being a good read, the book is very informative about the early development of anaesthesia. As with other well-written historical novels, you feel that you are being educated as well as entertained. </div>
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Barbarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16481362252017232022noreply@blogger.com2