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Wheeler Mitts pattern is just about ready to go
The Wheeler Mitts pattern is just about ready to go! After much time and effort, the next knitting pattern on my roster is finally nearing completion! The Wheeler Mitts pattern features a close-knit colourwork pattern and the samples in the photos are knit with locally sourced, naturally dyed wool. The design was inspired by a pair of vintage knitted gloves…
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New knitted mitts pattern 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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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Rare Stitches: Knitting Inspired by Illuminated Manuscripts
I recently missed this very fascinating virtual knitting event hosted by McGill Library, Rare Stitches: Knitting Inspired by Illuminated Manuscripts. I would have loved to have attended, but I can enjoy watching and rewatching the video… and so can those stitchers out there into history and needlework. In the workshop, historian and knitter Kristen Howard shared her work to bring…
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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…
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Huron Wristers Kits now available for online purchase
Hi, everyone! Just a quick update on the Huron Wristers Kits… the kits are now available for purchasing through the FACTS online store: https://factsblyth.ca/shop/ Inspired by a pair of historical gloves from the textile collection of the Huron County Museum, the Huron Wristers pattern features a recreation of the colourwork pattern from the original museum gloves. The kit is a…
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Exploring historic textiles in our local museums
I enjoy reading about and researching historic textiles. For me, these vintage textiles provide a invaluable, tangible link to our past. And as I work at reproducing old knitting patterns and recreating vintage knitted items, I find that the local museums hold a wealth of reference material in their textile collections, providing wonderful period pieces to help with pattern identification…
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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…
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