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Wheeler Mitts Knitting Kits available at Huron County Museum
If you’re a knitter into historically inspired projects, Wheelers Mitts Kit is for you. The Wheeler Mitts Kit is inspired by the Wheeler Gloves, a textile artifact in the collection of the Huron County Museum. Interpreting the pattern on the gloves and using wool from Steele Wool Farm that was dyed at FACTS with their flowers from their garden, the mitts are a beautiful keepsake from Huron County to knit up. To purchase a kit, please email sbolen@stitchrevivalstudio.ca or visit the Huron County Museum Gift Shop soon!
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Stitch up some history with Wheelers Mitts Kits
Well, it’s a definite go, folks! It’s time to stitch up some history with the Wheelers Mitts Kits. The Wheeler Mitts Knitting Kits, named in honour of Herbert Wheeler, the original owner of the pair of vintage gloves in the Huron County Museum that served as inspiration for the mitten’s colourwork pattern, are now ready to go! Each Wheeler Mitts kit features local wool (enough to make a set of large mitts) and a pattern for multiple sizes, child to adult. The naturally dyed colour palette, named, Huron County Colours, was created by FACTS in Blyth, Ontario. Knit up some history! Look for the kits at the Huron County Museum…
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Wheeler Mitts Kit is just about ready to go
The Wheeler Mitts Kit is just about ready to go! After much time and effort, the next knitting kit on our roster is finally nearing completion! The Wheeler Mitts Kit features a close-knit colourwork pattern and locally sourced, naturally dyed wool. The pattern is given in multiple sizes, child to adult. The design was inspired by a pair of vintage knitted gloves once owned by Herbert Wheeler of Belgrave, Ontario and now housed in the textile collection of Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol. The wool comes from Steele Wool Farm owned by Margaret Steele, a Blyth-area fibre producer. Naturally sourced local dyes, provided by FACTS Blyth, were used to…
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New knitted mitts kit in the works
Greetings and a very happy holidays to all! This past year has been one of change, challenges and uncertainties, for myself and I’m sure for many of you too. I regret that some projects I had meant to complete in 2021, thanks to the challenges both of COVID-19 restrictions and personal health issues, have had to be put on hold or indefinitely postponed. I’m sure many of you can identify with this situation. I am looking forward to 2022 with a positive feeling of hope. I wanted to drop a line and reconnect to let you know there’s one project I’ve been able to push through the challenges of 2021……
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Testing Huron County Arcott wool
In preparation for choosing a wool for the reproduction of Herbert Wheeler’s knitted gloves, I’ve been knitting up a few test swatches using a locally produced wool, a Huron County Arcott. The sport-weight wool is a medium grade with a tendency to create a natural nap on the surface after wet finishing, according to Deborah Livingston-Lowe, experienced weaver, textile designer and owner of Upper Canada Weaving. Upper Canada Weaving was founded in 2010 by Deborah to reproduce 19th century Ontario textiles such as coverlets, rag carpets and linens. I can tell you, fellow knitters, that Huron Arcott, sourced from a Brussels-area farm and purchased through Upper Canada Weaving, is an…
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Knitting the Huron Wristers video tutorials
Hi there! I’ve been working on a video series on how to knit the Huron Wristers. The videos are meant to help beginners or knitters with a little experience who would like to knit their own pair of history inspired wristers but maybe need some help with knitting in the round and colourwork. My knitting skill level is experienced beginner, so I’m always learning, reading and asking lots of questions. I would like to let you know that the wristers aren’t difficult to make; with a few basic skills in hand, they are designed to be a friendly and inclusive knit: quick and fun for experienced knitters and a small…
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Historic Textiles in Our Local Museums, Knitting, museum reproduction, Needlework, Needlework History, Pattern Recreation
The Huron Wristers: a story of connections part 2
Continued from The Huron Wristers: a story of connections part 1 Was there a family tie to either Estonia or the British Isles? The answer would help to identify the glove pattern perhaps. When an instagram post by Best Dishes, a Goderich business owned by Sarah Anderson, appeared in my feed one day identifying the wristers pattern as based on a family heirloom, chance had dropped the perfect opportunity. It was time to connect. A couple messages back and forth and the story unfolded… History of the Wheeler Family Sarah as it turns out, is the daughter of Richard Anderson, great-nephew of Herbert Wheeler. Richard sent the following information about…
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Historic Textiles in Our Local Museums, Knitting, museum reproduction, Needlework History, Pattern Recreation
The Huron Wristers: a story of connections part 1
The story of the creation of the Huron Wristers is a story of connections: the connection of past to present, of generation to generation. Back in 1972 Pearl Wheeler donated a pair of knitted gloves that once belonged to her husband Herbert to the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol. The museum’s record notes that at the time the gloves were thought to date from 1870 and were knit by a man. Herbert and Pearl lived in Belgrave, Ontario. Herbert had seven siblings, four brothers and three sisters. His parents were Charles Wheeler and Mary Ann Wilkinson. Herbert was a carpenter and apparently also the local barber. How long the…
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Stitch some history with the Colours of Huron
They are done! My very first knitting kit is all put together and ready to be delivered! The Huron Wrister Kit, inspired by history & featuring the ‘Colours of Huron’, will be able at FACTS in Blyth on Friday for the FACTS Forest Exhibit Opening! And, the Huron County Museum will have a small number available for sale on Saturday. It’s so exciting to be able to work with FACTS and Steele Wool Farm on this creative fibre collaboration and to have the encouragement of the Huron County Museum. Planning the Huron Wrister Kit The origin and inspiration for the Huron Wrister lays with the historic textiles in the collection of the…
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fibre dyeing, Knitting, museum reproduction, Needlework History, Pattern Recreation, vintage reproduction
Huron Wristers and the Colours of Huron
The Blyth History Stitcher is at it again… naturally dyed palette created by FACTS and beautiful wool from Steele Wool Farm, this is definitely a creative fibre collaboration; it’s time for an update on the Huron Wristers. The Huron Wristers Kits are now in production, with the coloured yarn being weighed and divided. The worsted weight wool is from Steele Wool Farm, a Blyth-area fibre producer owned by Margaret Steele. Naturally sourced local dyes, provided by FACTS Blyth, were used to create the palette of the ‘Colours of Huron’. Each kit will have enough wool to knit a pair of medium/large fingerless mitts and will consist of one ball of natural wool (220 yards)…
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