Peterson's Hood from 1861

Peterson’s Magazine, September 1861, Vol. XL, No. 3, pages 223-224

I have sudden need of a warm, mid-19th century head covering. Since this hood with its long “strings” does double duty as keeping one’s neck wrapped up, too, I settled on this pattern especially after reading it through and finding out that it is all mindless knit rows (garter stitch) one after another. Quick and easy project, I thought.

I have a new procedure before I start any new pattern, namely, check on Ravelry to see if anyone has already knit it. This I did and compared various yarns, needle sizes and experiences of several people who have made this hood. A run through the posts on this hood in the two CW Needleworkers Yahoo groups yielded more useful information.

The original pattern calls for “Shetland” (lace weight) wool in blue and white. I happen to have loads of that in my stash but I didn’t want to use it as a) I need this hood very soon and the Shetland was not immediately accessible at 10 pm on the night I was starting this project, b) I worried that it might come out too small (as one person had complained) and there was/is no time to rip and knit the hood again and c) I recently purchased some Lion Brand’s Fishermen’s Wool which is actually more of a DK weight rather than a heavy one, and could start knitting immediately as I had it at hand and, perhaps, more reliably in terms of tension/gauge. The colours are Oatmeal and Brown Heather, two natural wool shades.

"No. 4 wooden pins of the bell gauge size are used for this knitting” states the pattern. The modern equivalent would be 5.5mm/9 US. I tried that size and worked my way up to 6mm/10 US with a tension/gauge of 4 stitches to the inch which, gave me the needed measurements to go round my face and strings long enough to tie comfortably. To do the latter, however, I had to add 20 more stitches to each side of the strings, increasing from 40 to 60. Longer strings match the illustration, too.

Still thinking that I could whip the hood up in a few days, I started knitting and four episodes into Brideshead Revisited, plus the mini-documentary, and quite a few Radio 4 programmes later, I am almost finished with the first piece of mind-numbing knitting, which is why my choice of electronic companionship and encouragement had to be stimulating and gorgeous to look at (language, clothing, architecture, furniture, landscape and the young Anthony Andrews.) Once completed, I get to knit the whole bally thing again but at least this time with the added excitement of changing colours in the middle of the piece.

With five days to go.....................................

Non-Historical October Knitting

October is my favourite month of the year. I love autumnal colours and I usually end up knitting something that reflects the season. Pumpkin Man was this year’s project. His head and leaf is from Autumn Pumpkins by Jan Lewis (a free Ravelry Download.) I embroidered the eyes and mouth. The bat on the pullover is from Monica Gausen’s Bathat
(http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bathat.) I had to place it sideways as the bat would not fit across the chest. The pullover and body parts are my own design which I made up as I knit.



The body is stuffed with a Soft Touch Polyfil Supreme. Every part was knit on 2.50mm/1 ½ US size needles except for the pullover which was knit on 2.0mm/0 US needles. The wools were Brown Sheep Nature Spun Fingering (Pepper), Dale of Norway/Dalegarn Baby Ull (Bright Orange, Green and Dark Brown, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool (Gold), Knit One Crochet Too Gourmet Collection (Creme Brulee), Morehouse Farm Merino Merino Lace (Henna.) . I used a vintage, unknown crewel yarn for the leaf.



Pumpkin Man stands 6 3/4” high, not counting the stem.

A friend who has one year old twin girls asked me to make the hats below and I was happy to oblige – more autumnal knitting! The pattern for the hats is my own - just a simple ribbing and a knit 6/seed stitch repeat. I decreased at the top with the brown and knit an I-cord stem. I used Julie Dietz’s Leaf Knitting Pattern For Pumpkin Hat (http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/holpumpkinleaf.htm)
for the leaves on 4mm/6 US needles, and added an I-cord vine from the crocheted edge around the leaves to wrap and sew around the stem. The wool was Plymouth Yarn Encore Worsted 1233 (green) and 1383 (orange), Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted (Butterscotch.)

Godey's Knitted Garters

This pattern comes from Godey's Lady;s Book, June 1862 and came out 10” long in the cream part, stretched out. I need ones a tad longer to go around my leg twice and then slip through the loop and then have enough length left to tie, so I will be making a second pair, possibly in grey and red. The pattern is very, very easy, and the tassels can be made in five minutes.

I knit these in Morehouse Natural and Wedgewood on 0.75mm/US 6/0 needles.

September and School

The Benevolent School
English School
Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
Bristol, England
Image from The Bridgeman Art Library

I love this piece of art because it is simple, charming, fascinating and dates from the late 18th century, possibly early 19th century.* I have not seen it in person nor can I find out much more about it so I cannot list its dimensions, etc. I also cannot get a really close look at what everyone is doing in it in spite of zoom features on two of the sites where it is available. I think one of the girls may be knitting at the top of the picture and two woman may be winding wool in the foreground. Nevertheless, it is fun to follow the line of pupils and instructors around the room and look at the hats and bonnets on the walls and the view of the building outside of the window.

Click on the image for a larger version.

*I seem to recall the date of 1800 assigned to this but I cannot remember where I read that, and that date may be one of creation rather than representation.

18th Century Long Wool Mitts

I have knit two versions of these mitts inspired by the pattern, 18th Century Women’s Knitted Mitts, by Mara Riley (2006 - http://www.marariley.net/)

I knit them in two different weights of wool and adapted the pattern to fit my arms. The grey pair, in Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted Charcoal used two skeins although there was a fair bit left over from both. Mara Riley’s pattern calls for two skeins of Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport wool which is what the second pair is knit in Burnt Sienna. The Charcoal pair was knit in a few days (one of those emergency projects which only allowed for a quick choice from whatever was available from the stash) on 3.25mm/US 3 needles with
7 stitches to the inch.

They are 15 ¾” inches long and 5” (10” around) wide at the top, tapering down to 3” (6” around) at the wrist and 3” (6” around) across the fingers. The Burnt Sienna pair has the same measurements but was knit on 2.75mm/US 2 needles with 7 ½ stitches to the inch. In both cases, I had to cut down Mara Riley’s original number of stitches to two different sets. The seam stitch runs along the inside of the arm, extending along the hand and thumb, and is reinstated along the side between the forefinger and the thumb.

The mitts look tight but since they are knit in wool there is a lot of give and they are completely comfortable to wear and very warm.

Now I am inspired to make linen ones like the ones on the lady holding the upright rake in this lovely painting with its haymakers fancifully garbed:

Haymakers (1785)
George Stubbs, British
(1724-1806)
Oil on wood
Tate Collection
Tate Britain, London, England
Purchased with assistance from the Friends of the Tate Gallery, the Art Fund, the Pilgrim Trust and subscribers 1977

Click on this link to see the complete painting:

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=13991&tabview=image

Summer Knitting

Dutch Girl Knitting by the Sea
Christopher Dean
(British, fl. 1895 – 1924)
Oil on canvas, 10” x 14”
Location unknown

I like this painting because it shows something I do quite frequently, that is, sitting and knitting by the water. Not only in the summer but whenever it is warm enough to do so. If it is cool and I have to wear fingerless gloves, I cannot use dpns but I always have plenty of wips on various kinds of needles to choose from and I never punish my overworked fingers if it is too cold to knit outdoors. As I knit through the current grueling summer with its relentlessly soaring temperatures, I can only do so with wool, the coarser the better. Cotton or acrylic just wilts in my damp hands. As Jane Austen wrote “What dreadful Hot weather we have! -- It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance.” {Letter to Cassandra Austen, 18th September, 1796.}

The girl in the painting, though, looks crisp and cool. She seems to have just started a blue tubular object, perhaps a stocking or sleeve. Alas, this seems to be another three needle painting unless I just cannot see the fourth needle.

More information about the artist and the painting may be found at

http://www.mpfa.ie/eugallery.htmhttp://www.mpfa.ie/eugallery.htm

Red Under Petticoat - One Panel Finished!

This was surprisingly fast to knit. I also added four "stripes" to the top section below the ribbing so the petticoat will fall just at mid-knee. It also looks as though I will only need three panels as stated in the original pattern.

Also on view are some of the numerous ends which I will work into the seams as I crochet the panels together.