"Tell Them Of Us" Update

I wrote last month here about the project to make a film about the village of Thimbleby in Lincolnshire in the First World War, and the men commemorated on its war memorial. I have been supplying copies of patterns from the Knitting & Crochet Guild collections to the knitters and crocheters who are making costumes for the film, via the costumier, Pauline Loven.

A recent update on the project described packaging up yarn and patterns to send to the volunteers around the country (and around the world). There was a photo of a table strewn with copies of patterns, and I was thrilled to recognise them as ones I had sent.

Photo by permission of Pauline Loven.

I think I can recognise on the table a pattern that featured in my earlier post - one of the Paton's leaflets.

Paton's Helps to Knitters IX

Also on the table are copies of two issues of Leach's Home Needlework series.  The originals are a bit worn and discoloured, after 100 years - the paper was not top quality in the first place - but they are perfectly readable.

Leach's Home Needlework Series no. 4 -- Comforts for Men

One is a booklet of things to knit for soldiers and sailors, including the strange helmet with ear flaps on the cover - the idea is that the flaps could be tucked in to keep the ears warm, or folded back when it was important to be able to hear well.

The other booklet has instructions for garments for babies and small children, including the small boy's suit shown on the cover. It has a jersey, buttoned on one shoulder, and with a diamond pattern on the yoke, shorts, a cap and socks, all knitted. The instructions say that "It can be made in useful navy blue, brown or other dark shade, but white has a much better appearance."  (You would have to really love washing clothes to dress a small boy in white wool. Especially in the days before machine washable wool and washing machines.)

Leach's Home Needlework Series No. 10 - Garments for Children

The little girl's outfit on the cover is a coat and cap, in green wool if you follow the suggestion in the booklet.  It is in "apple-seed" stitch, which I had not met until recently.   I am knitting an Aran sweater for my husband to an Alice Starmore pattern, and the side panels of that are in what she calls sand stitch, but it is the same as the apple-seed stitch in this pattern.  (More on the Aran sweater later.) 

I recognise other patterns on the table from The Lady's World Fancy Work Book - maybe some from Weldon's Practical Needlework too.  It's very satisfying to think of all these patterns being used again, to create the costumes for the film.