• Online collection of Victorian knitting manuals

    If you are like me and love to look through vintage knitting and crochet patterns, I just recently stumbled upon an online resource that you might enjoy. The Knitting Reference Library of the University of Southampton includes the published works collected by Montse Stanley, Richard Rutt and Jane Waller. These comprise books, exhibition catalogues, knitting patterns, journals and magazines. The…

  • Researching vintage colourwork

    I’ve been doing some research on colourwork patterns and knitting histories and traditions as part of the development of a new pattern, the Huron Wristers. The wristers pattern is based on a pair of lovely knitted gloves in the collection of the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol located in Goderich, Ontario. The museum’s gloves are approximately 100 years old,…

  • Knitting History Forum AGM and Conference 2020

    Exciting news for those into knitting history! The Knitting History Forum has decided to stage their AGM and Conference as an online event on Sat., Nov. 7, 2020. This event will be free to attend and open to all, following registration, and will comprise speakers, discussion groups/show and tell and opportunities for research students to give short presentations or present…

  • Huron Wristers – an update

    I was working at finalizing & editing my pattern for the Huron Wristers, a pair of fingerless gloves. Gotta get it ready for a test stitcher or two. Wool is from Steele Wool Farm . Colourwork is based on a pair of knitted gloves in the collection of Huron County Museum.

  • Huron Wristers

    Greetings & a happy December! Here’s a sneak peek at the new wrister pattern in test stitching stage; the wool is from Steele Wool Farm. The colour-work portion is inspired by the fair isle pattern of vintage knit gloves in the collection of the Huron County Museum. Once the pattern is finalized, a kit will be available for purchase. Stay…

  • New wristers pattern underway

    So November is here and there’s snow arriving in Huron County. It’s time to return to mitten knitting. It’s been years since I’ve made mittens; about 20 in fact. But, I’ve been thinking about a history-inspired stranded mitten pattern and I can’t get the colour-work idea out of my mind. The fair isle portion (see next post) that I plan…

  • Heirloom museum textiles

    In past centuries, women crafted heirloom needlework and textiles that were practical and beautiful, combining function with artistic expression. These beautiful household textiles from the 19th Century are today rare, yet the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol, in Goderich, is fortunate to feature many pieces, including two counterpanes (one knitted, the other crocheted), a knitted bureau scarf, a crocheted…

  • History of Tomato Pin Cushions

    Metal pins are an invaluable tool for today’s needleworker and seamstress, and they were no less so for sewers throughout history. With pins came a variety of ways to store them, including boxes, cases and cushions. 15th-Century Debut The first reference to the tomato pin cushion appears in the 15th century. Before this, as metal pins were rare and expensive,…

  • A dress of many patterns

    Hi, everyone! Today on the blog it’s all about a dress recreation project: a dress of many patterns. I’ve spoken about the idea of recreating a vintage, Edwardian-styled dress from the collection of the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol. The plan is to recreate the basic pattern of a tea dress using swatches of recreated needlework items. So, it’s…

  • Vintage textiles on display

    A small number of the Huron County Museum‘s many beautiful heirloom textiles were on display in the Governor’s House adjacent to the historic Gaol for Sunday’s counterpane knitting workshop in the parlour. Starting from the left in the photos, you can see a counterpane crib blanket, a counterpane bureau scarf, a pair of knit men’s gloves (the pattern is similar to…