Friday, 16 December 2011

Jester Patterns

Jester Pattern 1008
I have found two especially attractive knitting patterns while looking through some of those that we have sorted so far in the Knitting and Crochet Guild store at Lee Mills.  They were produced by the Jester Company in Leicester, and are illustrated with charming drawings.  These are the only two Jester patterns I have seen at Lee Mills, and I think the company must have closed long ago.  They advertised their yarns in Vogue knitting in 1947, and the ad mentions pattern number 1019, so I guess that the winter sports outfit dates from around then.  I love the reindeer motifs on the jumper and around the hat - there are reindeer on the mittens, too.  Very seasonal.  The shoulders of the jumper are maybe too wide for today's fashions (although I think they are exaggerated in the drawing), and it is knitted in finer wool than we would probably choose for outdoor winter wear, but otherwise it's right in line with the patterned jumpers that are in fashion this winter.  



















The second pattern is number 26, and I guess dates from the 1930s. The illustrations seem to be showing some story-book idyll, where little boys of four can ride their tricycles down a country lane to a duck pond, completely unsupervised. I love the drawings (apart from feeling slightly nervous about the dangers of that duck pond), but it's not an outfit that you would put a child into these days, especially not the knitted wool shorts.

I'm looking out for more Jester patterns - they must have produced a lot more than these two, and we have many, many boxes of unsorted patterns leaflets still to go through.
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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous2 January 2014 at 21:08

    I love Jester knitting patterns and I've never seen the ones you've found. I'm trying to find out more about the company but have drawn a blank. Do you think that the children's patterns started with no.1, and the adult's with 1001, running concurrently? So could it be that they started in the 1940's? Best wishes Karen

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    1. Barbara4 January 2014 at 10:38

      Hi Karen - I think you are right, and they ran two series of numbers for adult and children's patterns separately. The designs of the leaflets are so similar that I am sure now they were issued concurrently. I no longer think that the children's patterns date from the 1930s - the leaflets are possibly a bit nostalgic? The company advertised in Vogue Knitting in 1947-50, but only the women's patterns - number 1007 was in VK in 1948, and nos. 1021, 1022 in 1950. The largest no. we have in the Guild collection is 1028. Good luck with finding out more about the company. I have an address if you don't have that - email me at barbaraknitsagain at gmail.com

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  2. Anonymous7 July 2015 at 18:23

    Jester was founded in October 1944 and dissolved in October 1993 according to Companies House. Hope this helps with dating your patterns.

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    1. Barbara8 July 2015 at 08:34

      Thanks for the information. I think that the knitting patterns that I have seen are from a much shorter period - late 1940s to early 1950s. But your starting date of 1944 confirms that the children's patterns cannot be pre-war.

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  3. Sarah Hartwell24 July 2015 at 08:07

    I've spent the last 2 weeks researching The Jester Company and compiled some details. My interest is in the rugs side rather than knitting, but you might find the information helpful.

    http://messybeast.com/rugmaking/rugmaking-5-jester.htm

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    1. Barbara27 July 2015 at 10:05

      Thanks very much for this, and for pointing out the information in your blog post. It's fascinating!

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