About Weldon's Practical Needlework

From Interweave Press:

About 1885, Weldon’s began publishing a series of fourteen-page monthly newsletters, available by subscription, each title featuring patterns and instructions for projects using a single technique.

About 1888, the company began to publish Weldon’s Practical Needlework, each volume of which consisted of twelve issues (one year) of several newsletters bound together with a cloth cover.

Each volume contains hundreds of projects, illustrations, information on little-known techniques, glimpses of fashion as it was at the turn of the twentieth century, and brief histories of needlework. Other techniques treated include making objects from crinkled paper, tatting, netting, beading, patchwork, crewelwork, appliqué, cross-stitch, canvaswork, ivory embroidery, torchon lace, and much more.

From 1999 through 2005, Interweave published facsimiles of the first twelve volumes of Weldon’s Practical Needlework.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Charting Software

I've used a number of software programs to create knitting charts over the years.  And I think I've found my dream program:

Stitchmastery Knitting Chart Editor

While NO charting program is ever going to do every single thing I'd like, this one comes darn close.  And the customer service is amazing.  Cathy personally responds to every question/problem in a heartbeat, and offers solutions to every question I've had.  And this gal lives in Scotland (I think), which leads me to believe she never sleeps.

The program creates elegant charts, plus written instructions.  You can use symbols or colors to make a chart, and the results are wonderful.  I used Stitchmastery to create lace charts for my upcoming article in Piecework magazine, and the editor loved them.  The plaid stockings were also charted using Stitchmastery.

Like all charting software, there's a learning curve.  But the user's manual provides clear instructions, and there's a helpful group on Ravelry, too.  It's not the least expensive program around, but I think it's worth every penny.

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