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.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Project 27: Heelless Sleeping Socks


"Heelless Sleeping Socks" from Weldon's Practical Knitter, Thirty-fifth Series (1897), and republished in Weldon's Practical Needlework Volume 12.  Nancy Bush included this pattern in her "Knitting Vintage Socks" book, but I'll be working from the original instructions.

The Practical Knitter says, "These socks are very easy to make, as the foot makes a fresh place for itself every time the socks are used, therefore they are particularly durable.  They should be made with rather thicker pins than are generally employed, so that greater elasticity is gained; also it is necessary to make them larger so that ample play is obtained for the foot."

The original instructions call for Paton's petticoat fleecy, white or scarlet, using about three ounce of it, No. 10 needles.  My daughter chose this Plymouth Happy Feet DK in color 60, a taupe/cream/grey variegated yarn, and I'll be knitting with US size 3 needles.


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