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, March 9, 2012

Project 9 Setback

The Gent's Knickerbocker Stocking in fingering weight yarn with #2 needles is WAY TOO SMALL.  Even for a slender Victorian fellow these would be small.  The leg is supposed to be 21" long and mine measures maybe 16".  The circumference of the leg is about 9", which seems pretty tiny.

So it's back to square (or round) one with these.  I'm going to try using size 3 needles and DK weight yarn.  I have lots of Dale of Norway Heilo wool in natural and red (though not as pretty a red as the Wollmeise) so I think I'll try that.

This series of projects is certainly testing my ability to be ruthless and start again when the knitting doesn't go as I expected.  At least it's only a couple day's work, this stocking knits up much faster than I expected, considering how complex the plaid pattern looks (it's not really complex at all, but I won't tell admirers of the stocking that lol)

Off to the stash to find yarn.

On a happier note, I'm also knitting away on my second submission to Piecework Magazine.  It's a super cute (I think) and super-easy project.  Can't tell you what it is yet, though!
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4 comments:

  1. Momma LynneMarch 12, 2012 at 8:38 AM

    I love your enthusiasm and determination to not only knit these items but to knit them into well made and very useful things. Thank you for making the whole project real for the rest of us.

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  2. LaurieMarch 12, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    keep encouraging me, I'm a tad annoyed that my pretty stocking in Wollmeise is too small :-)

    I've started with the Heilo, looks better size-wise but the color sure isn't as beautiful

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  3. AnonymousMarch 14, 2012 at 12:08 PM

    So cool. I'm doing sock research at the moment with a view to reconstructing a specific pair, and it's really interesting to follow your journey.

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  4. LaurieMarch 14, 2012 at 12:12 PM

    let me know when you do your reconstruction, I'd love to see it!

    I think I'm going to have better fit with the sport weight yarn, just started on the plaid pattern.

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