Misc Let's get this room going again!

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have been working on a scarf. I used Silk/Wool fingering weight yarn and 2.5mm Circulars. Redesigned the old Dayflower pattern in Barbara Walker's "Second Treasury of Knitting." Washed in Eucalan and Blocked, putting the points in. I had fun.

I have pretty pictures, but they won't load. This is one I want you to see. Will edit, reduce size, and post tomorrow.
If I can learn to Lace Knit- you can.
 

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have pretty pictures, but they won't load. This is one I want you to see. Will edit, reduce size, and post tomorrow.
If I can learn to Lace Knit- you can.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
We've been too busy trying to dig out the kitchen for me to get much knitting done the last few days.

I did want to let sewers of all stages know that the new incarnation of Folkware Patterns has their new "basic patterns" in the paper form and on-sale this month.

There is a basic tunic, trousers, coat, jacket, and apron dress patterns and you can get them as a set as paper patterns or PDFs.

I am hopeless with PDF patterns so my late Yule present to myself was to order the set in the paper - I hope I don't get whacked by customs on top of the insane shipping costs, but as a one-off, I think it is worth it for the basic patterns from xs to 3x.

They are featured on the front page here: Folkwear Sewing Patterns
basics_all_5_square_1_1024x.png


And would be a great investment for preppers, as they feature simple and easy to manipulate designs. At first, I was put off by the weird hanging hem on the tunic but realized it would be easy enough to ignore. Newbies could just cut straight across or with a bit of tweaking cut the kind of curve that looks a bit better.

Don't get me wrong I think the "handkerchief" cut could look good with some outfits (like a skirt) but I thought it a bit weird for it to be the default in their "basic tunic" pattern - otherwise everything looked really useful, especially the "easy" over-coat and trouser patterns.
 

ginnie6

Veteran Member
I’m finally quilting again. I just didn’t have any interest for a few months. I’ve started back on an appliqué project from a couple years back I never finished because I got distracted and started on something else lol. I can’t downsize pics on my phone but maybe later will turn the computer on and post one.
I tried to start on some of those scratchy crocheted dish rags but didn’t have the motivation. I’m looking at all of your pictures of your knitted creations and drooling though.
 

Martinhouse

Deceased
All the various kinds of needlework I see posted here are so beautiful! You guys are all real artists!

I've knitted slippers, scarves, hats, sweaters and long john pants. Knitted and crocheted a few shawls and blanket sized afghans, All my stuff is strictly utility type. What a friend used to refer to as "industrial grade". I just console myself that staying warm doesn't require beauty, although it's a nice addition. It just requires something sturdy that needs minimum care. And one day soon, lots of people might be needing things like this.

I do love seeing all the pictures, though. Sigh.
 

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
All the various kinds of needlework I see posted here are so beautiful! You guys are all real artists!

I've knitted slippers, scarves, hats, sweaters and long john pants. Knitted and crocheted a few shawls and blanket sized afghans, All my stuff is strictly utility type. What a friend used to refer to as "industrial grade". I just console myself that staying warm doesn't require beauty, although it's a nice addition. It just requires something sturdy that needs minimum care. And one day soon, lots of people might be needing things like this.

I do love seeing all the pictures, though. Sigh.

The stitches, for the most part, are the same ones you use in your "industrial grade", they are just arranged in a different pattern. Knit, purl, Yarn over (yo), slip slip knit (ssk), knit 2 together k2(tog). [s1, k2(tog), PSSO]. Nothing fancy. I always slip a few flowers in my vegetable garden, just to feed the soul and spirit, as well as the body. It seems I do that in knitting, as well.

The Dayflower I posted was done in Fingering weight yarn. If I wanted, I could do that same pattern in Lace weight, or all the way up the scale to Worsted. That makes a pretty headband. The diameter of the yarn changes, the size of the needles change, the pattern looks a bit different, but is the same in all examples. I put a K3 border on either side the original pattern didn't have. Don't be afraid to re-design these things.

I made exactly one hat and two scarves for DH, skipped dishcloths entirely, and went straight into shawls and scarves and socks, and afghans. I made one set of leggings out of Sport Weight I still can't get to stay up. May have to use garters on the fool things?!

I know all about Industrial grade sewing and staying warm, but in the time I have left, I wanted to create something both beautiful and functional. Something so far advanced from anything this self taught Youtube knitter had ever done, that I could say- now after three years of practice, I am at least an intermediate knitter. Not a newbie any more. After 50 years of Crochet, I find Continental is easier because it is similar to the Crochet that is locked in my muscle memory.

I love the peace of sitting in my comfy chair with the sun blazing in through the window and watching it play over the colors in the yarn. I love how Bamboo needles start out feeling like sandpaper and after a few projects, become smooth and silky, as if I rubbed Bee's Wax into them, just from the oils in my hands. I never tire of the magic of watching a yarn over in one row lock in and become the complete stitch in the next row. No longer just yarn draped over the needle, it is now a live stitch.

I know what a life line is, but in that entire long scarf, I never used one. Once I got started, I didn't have to take any complete rows out.

After trying it all, I find my favorites are Lace and Colorwork. Doesn't have to be Fair Isle (only two colors) it can be several colors. I like the Philosopher's Wool method where the yarn carried on the back of the work is hidden. I have cats and large dogs, so I try to prevent snags if I can. Doing Philosopher's Wool requires a two handed method of holding the yarns. I thought would be hard, but it's really not. Just practice and go slow until you have it down. Figuring out how to slow down a Youtube video to see things in slow motion was one of the greatest aids to my learning.

I wish I could have taught my Master Crochet talented Mother to Knit. She was the true Artist in my family. I am just really good at following along on Youtube. Keep trying.
 

Martinhouse

Deceased
Seeker22, I don't think I could learn from YouTube as you suggest. I am 78 and my eyes are bad. Constant changing of focus makes me nauseous like reading in a vehicle does. I desperately need new glasses but there's no way I'll sit in any doctor's office the way things are now. I have bad lungs and have been self-quarantining myself every flu season for about 25 years. And I just kept it up year round for the last two years.

So I will have to keep things "industrial grade". I don't mind...I made plenty of lovely things in my upholstery shop and earlier in my life when I was embroidering or making my own clothing. Right now I will create beauty in my greenhouse with all the flowers I'm growing (if they don't all freeze tonight!). My next knitting project will be another sweater for myself, this time I think out of that yarn that has a blue denim look, Sort of a heather-tone version of a dark wedgewood blue. I do need another sweater and I'm pretty tired of wearing just the black one and the brown one, which are identical with ten-row stripes of the dark color, the lighter color of same, plus the matching variegated.

I only know knit and purl and I do garter stitch and stockinette and seed stitch and various ribbing. I can increase or decrease in various ways and I figured out how to make a button hole that won't lose its shape. I can look at a sweater and scratch my head a little and say "I can make one of those." and then I do it. I do lots of marking and counting and it all works out.

If I live long enough, maybe I can teach someone else to do the plain knitting I do, so nice warm things can still be made for others during the cold times, the hard times, that might be coming soon. I have enough yarn to start a small shop, so no worries there! All bought before I knew my eyes would get so bad and I'd not be able to get new glasses.

I hope all you artists here will keep posting pictures. I so much admire and appreciate them!
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Even "industrial knitting" can be lovely as well as warm, it is mostly about adding a few color bits (even leftover from other projects). Suddenly a watch cap with a couple of lines of red or green against the grey brings it life, or a few lines of color around the neck and sleeves of a sweater (even in kind of rough wool) can be amazing.

Like Elizabeth Zimmerman said about putting a line of orange in a colorful neckline that it would "go doggo" until you put on that orange skirt and then it leaps out - a bit of color on plain knitting will fade in the background with a simple outfit but burst into life when worn with that red shirt or as the only spot of color on a snowy day.

You know all the stitches you need, and you probably have a yarn stash and if not, some inexpensive sock yarn doubled over can add lines of color or interest when used on a worsted weight (or even sport weight) garment.
 

MissionBend

Contributing Member
I have several crochet "mile a minute" started and I made a 5 point star baby one for my newest grandson back in 2020 (My 40 yr old son's youngest) but I just learned yesterday my 38 year old daughter is 8 weeks pregnant (her 1st!) Time to start up more baby "afghans" again~ I am very, very excited!!!
 

skwentnaflyer

Veteran Member
We've been too busy trying to dig out the kitchen for me to get much knitting done the last few days.

I did want to let sewers of all stages know that the new incarnation of Folkware Patterns has their new "basic patterns" in the paper form and on-sale this month.

There is a basic tunic, trousers, coat, jacket, and apron dress patterns and you can get them as a set as paper patterns or PDFs.

I am hopeless with PDF patterns so my late Yule present to myself was to order the set in the paper - I hope I don't get whacked by customs on top of the insane shipping costs, but as a one-off, I think it is worth it for the basic patterns from xs to 3x.

They are featured on the front page here: Folkwear Sewing Patterns
basics_all_5_square_1_1024x.png


And would be a great investment for preppers, as they feature simple and easy to manipulate designs. At first, I was put off by the weird hanging hem on the tunic but realized it would be easy enough to ignore. Newbies could just cut straight across or with a bit of tweaking cut the kind of curve that looks a bit better.

Don't get me wrong I think the "handkerchief" cut could look good with some outfits (like a skirt) but I thought it a bit weird for it to be the default in their "basic tunic" pattern - otherwise everything looked really useful, especially the "easy" over-coat and trouser patterns.

I like the coat, the rest would have to grow on me. I was excited when they announced new patterns, but found these a little disappointing, to be honest. I guess good basics are always useful though
 

Samuel Adams

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Just saw the thread !!


How I would love to divert my energies and change focus for a bit, especially now that the temps are single digit....

Certainly no shortage of accumulated wool, mohair and angora yarn.....

But I’ve been “fighting” what will probably be the biggest legal battle of my life, these last 8-9 months, and I’m just getting started.

Actually, I see it more as my biggest opportunity to bring a great many “lost” concepts of American jurisprudence to a largely (but not entirely !!) hostile group of “students”.


Ha !!


Anyhoo, it was all of four years AFTER my Best Friend Ever passed that I was afforded opportunity to knit, in her memory and with her in close spirit.

Should have tried to learn when I was about 14.....looking back....but thrift store shopping was a real treat, with her, looking for those unique, bulky, often vintage and/or foreign knits she so loved.

She could doll up for a winter walk, or ice skating, or just a fun day around the winter time cabin, and render me shy little boy mush.

Couldn’t begin to tell you why or where that shy fascination started, with me, but it goes back as long as I can remember.

My first knitting project, true to passion, was a three strand on 10-1/2 needles scarf....in cream and melon tones. (It’s what was available, spur of the moment and all.)

And bulky/oversized has been my focus, since.

I was actually noticed, 2011-ish, by a group of photographers and then by their supporting models and makeup circles.

What an unexpected turn of events that was.....5-6 years after my Kaygirl passed.

Made some great friends and got to see a short stint (which was plenty) of spotlight for a bit.....

Here is some of my work, from back then;


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Samuel Adams

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Well......darn.


Last thing I wanted to do in here was kill the thread.

:gaah:


But I’ve kinda run out of places to share what little I’m comfortable to share......regarding topic, yuh know ?

:shr:
 

Digger

Veteran Member
Samuel Adam's your work is beautiful! I have never mastered needle work. I sew a little but I am not great at that either. I have made some very nice flannel shirts for my husband that won grand champion at our county fair. That was years ago. I have not sewn in quite a while. But I am thinking I should start again.
 

MissionBend

Contributing Member
Years ago I made all my daughters dresses and and would rework old prom dresses into wedding dresses for some friends of mine. But I am talking 40+ years ago! LOL I have several sewing machines but... haven't has a call to sew in ages~
 

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Just saw the thread !!


How I would love to divert my energies and change focus for a bit, especially now that the temps are single digit....

Certainly no shortage of accumulated wool, mohair and angora yarn.....

But I’ve been “fighting” what will probably be the biggest legal battle of my life, these last 8-9 months, and I’m just getting started.

Actually, I see it more as my biggest opportunity to bring a great many “lost” concepts of American jurisprudence to a largely (but not entirely !!) hostile group of “students”.


Ha !!


Anyhoo, it was all of four years AFTER my Best Friend Ever passed that I was afforded opportunity to knit, in her memory and with her in close spirit.

Should have tried to learn when I was about 14.....looking back....but thrift store shopping was a real treat, with her, looking for those unique, bulky, often vintage and/or foreign knits she so loved.

She could doll up for a winter walk, or ice skating, or just a fun day around the winter time cabin, and render me shy little boy mush.

Couldn’t begin to tell you why or where that shy fascination started, with me, but it goes back as long as I can remember.

My first knitting project, true to passion, was a three strand on 10-1/2 needles scarf....in cream and melon tones. (It’s what was available, spur of the moment and all.)

And bulky/oversized has been my focus, since.

I was actually noticed, 2011-ish, by a group of photographers and then by their supporting models and makeup circles.

What an unexpected turn of events that was.....5-6 years after my Kaygirl passed.

Made some great friends and got to see a short stint (which was plenty) of spotlight for a bit.....

Here is some of my work, from back then;


View attachment 311791

View attachment 311790

View attachment 311792

I started out with chunky yarn and 10.5mm, but my passion is Fingering weight. I love how you can take that huge yarn and sculpt a garment that is stylish and warm. You have real talent!
 

bluelady

Veteran Member
Does anyone know a good source for wool blend fabric online?

I have a good friend who doesn't do computers at all, so I often shop & order for her online. We have similar taste, I enjoy research & shopping, so it works out fine.

But I'm kind of stumped here. II've never bought wool fabric, it doesn't look like there are too many choices and I don't know how to choose without seeing it/touching it in person. There are no good choices near us: Walmart, a nice quilt shop with only cotton, and Joanne's an hour away.

She wants solid charcoal and navy, wool or a blend, for jumpers.
 

skwentnaflyer

Veteran Member
Does anyone know a good source for wool blend fabric online?

I have a good friend who doesn't do computers at all, so I often shop & order for her online. We have similar taste, I enjoy research & shopping, so it works out fine.

But I'm kind of stumped here. II've never bought wool fabric, it doesn't look like there are too many choices and I don't know how to choose without seeing it/touching it in person. There are no good choices near us: Walmart, a nice quilt shop with only cotton, and Joanne's an hour away.

She wants solid charcoal and navy, wool or a blend, for jumpers.


Fabric.com has some decent wools and blends.
ETA, just looked and it's slim pickings at the moment. Fashionfabricsclub.com has some nice looking blends. I've not ordered wool from them, but the other things I've ordered have been fine
 
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bluelady

Veteran Member
Yes, didn't find anything on fabrics.com but I'll try fashionfabrics; thanks!

ETA: Well, I did find a "solid wool blend twill navy" on fabrics.com that looks good. Does $9.98 a yard mean it's not good quality? Oh, wait...I can get swatches for $3 + $1.50 shipping! If I can find something in charcoal that's washable this might work. :)
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Well......darn.


Last thing I wanted to do in here was kill the thread.

:gaah:


But I’ve kinda run out of places to share what little I’m comfortable to share......regarding topic, yuh know ?

:shr:
Sam, those are truly beautiful! I'll admit, I personally find the really bulky sweaters to be uncomfortable and a bit impractical. I once found some "super bulky" 100% wool sweaters at Old Navy (IIRC) for like five bucks. I ended up turning them into cat beds (the barn cats loved them! I stitched the armholes closed, then cut the arms off, slit them and zigzagged the edges, then put them inside the sweater for added insulation. Then I stuffed the body with a squooshy pillow form, and sewed the hem end closed.

But I found that a thinner wool sweater over a silk or wool turtleneck kept me warmer and much more comfortable while working.

They're still gorgeous!

Summerthyme
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Fabric.com has some decent wools and blends.
ETA, just looked and it's slim pickings at the moment. Fashionfabricsclub.com has some nice looking blends. I've not ordered wool from them, but the other things I've ordered have been fine
Might look at www.Denverfabrics.com too. I don't know if they have wool or not... they have a wonderful selection of fleece, in normal times at least.

Man am I grateful I was able to stock up on linen, wool and silk when prices were still within reach!

Summerthyme
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
When I lived in Denver I shopped in Denver fabrics all the time, and even after moving here, we used to order from them on occasion for SCA brocades. I have no idea what they are like now, but they used to have very high standards.
 

bluelady

Veteran Member
Might look at www.Denverfabrics.com too. I don't know if they have wool or not... they have a wonderful selection of fleece, in normal times at least.

Man am I grateful I was able to stock up on linen, wool and silk when prices were still within reach!

Summerthyme
They do have wool, but it's all dry clean only. Thanks, it's good to know which companies are good company! It's amazing that the wool prices aren't too bad compared to good cotton which seems crazy high to me now.
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
They do have wool, but it's all dry clean only. Thanks, it's good to know which companies are good company! It's amazing that the wool prices aren't too bad compared to good cotton which seems crazy high to me now.
I've honestly never found any wool fabric which *isn't* dry clean only, officially at least! But I made a couple turtlenecks out of a loosely woven 85% wool knit and have machine washed them dozens of times with no problem. Of course, the quality 100% woven wools will need careful hand washing (cold water) and then hung to dry.

Boy, I looked at their selection, and it's very sparse compared to previous times!

And yes, cotton fabrics have gone nuts. I'm so thankful for all the batiks and other quilt fabrics I stashed when I could still get them for under $5 a yard!

Summerthyme
 
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Melodi

Disaster Cat
I finally gave up trying to start a complex design on a hat I am making and cast on a pair of socks this afternoon. I just wasn't knitting because most of the knitting I'm up to right now needs to be rather brainless while listening to podcasts or other distractions.

I do hope to get back the hat, maybe sometime this week, it should go pretty quickly once I've done the charted kitty cats on it, but I know from experiencing the setup for that kind of asymmetrical design can be frustrating, and frustration is exactly what I don't need right now.

My housemate brought me some lovely sock yarn back from Germany where it is cheap to go with the stuff I usually order once every couple of months from Hobbii in Denmark (they ship worldwide). People in Scandinavia and Germany never stopped knitting the way Americans (and later the Brits and Irish) did for nearly a generation.

I can remember in the 1980s when I was one of the only people I knew who learned to knit and that was because I was spinning and needed something to do with my fibers.

At least the UK and Ireland didn't take 20 years to "bounce back" it went from lots of yarn shops when we first moved here nearly 30 years ago (about 26 or 27 now). To almost overnight they all closed (our local closed literally over the weekend the owner said "no one buys yarn anymore or knits."

Then it only took about five to eight years (the mid-1990s to the early 2000s) before knitting became "in" again in the US and once it started showing up on US TV shows, and in articles about Hollywood actresses and even lady politicians knitting between scenes or diplomatic meetings; suddenly knitting became popular again.

But it is only very recently that Ireland and the UK started getting real wool, to make it more confusing, legally in Europe "Wool" means "Yarn."

Scandinavians and Germans, where it gets bitterly cold never stopped using real sheep's wool yarn (or a mix for socks) and the Scots continued to use wool in their sweaters (it gets cold there too). But in Ireland even most Aran sweaters were being made with acrylics or "20 percent wool" "blends" because you just couldn't find or afford real wool (unless you ordered online).

That is changing back again, with a lot more choices and the government providing assistance to opening up the old woolen mills and craft industries. Progress is slow, but it is improving but to get good and inexpensive wool yarns, Germany and Scandinavia are still the best options.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Today I needed something to do that did not requiring a lot of movement. A friend popped up to install some new lights, and brought a gift of a full flat of canning jar lids, and ingredients to make him raspberry syrup, and some sewing that was needed. So currently doing patches and prepping for new elastic in one set of thermals.
But I really had to laugh at one of his stories. About a month or so ago I did a patch on a pair of his work pants. A belt loop had come loose and it turned out the fabric had frayed. So I fixed it my way and it was fixed. This last week the loop caught on a piece of metal sticking out from a bundle. Before he realized it and could stop, the pants ripped. The loop and its entire repair held, the rip started right below the repair. I told him to bring the pants up and I'd see what I could do. (Because his work pants are $40+ a pop, so might as well get as much out of them as possible.)
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Cuffs done on the socks and I'm not into my standard pattern (K two rows, then K3P1 for 2 rows) this makes a good fitting sock for my legs and it lets the patterns of the variegated sock yarn still show.
 

Slydersan

Veteran Member
As a guy growing up in my family, the girls got taught to knit, crochet, etc. the guys did woodworking/construction, stuff like that. Apparently one of my grandmothers was incredibly talented and despite being blind in one eye, basically taught herself to knit/crochet and could see a sweater etc in a store and then go home a recreate it. She taught most of her granddaughters at least to do the basics of knitting/crocheting. My other grandmother could do both also, but never really made much after the "craze" of the 70's. When she finally passed she had stacks and stacks of the knit/crochet magazine "Workbasket" (I think it was called) going back to the 1930's. Sadly when she passed, the relatives taking care of her house tossed all of them.

So fast forward to the last couple of years and with DNA testing/genealogy/etc. I find out I'm mostly Viking. So I start doing some history reading and research and find in a lot of places that EVERY viking - man, woman, and child - had to know how to knit. If you were a viking raider out in the middle of nowhere and lost your mittens, you'd be an un-happy raider. Well, I guess to be more accurate they didn't knit they would "naalbind" or "nailbind" (among other names). A sort of knitting style using only one tapestry needle-looking-thing and making knots. So of course that led me down the Youtube video route and I thought that if they could do it, I could do it. I quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing - even the basic terms, etc. totally baffled me. So I figured I would start off easy and went down the Loom Knitting path. I picked that up pretty easily and made hats, slippers, socks and other basic stuff. I'm doing a blanket on one of those big "S" looms right now. But I realized stuff like sweaters would be very difficult to do on a loom. So I was telling my mom about this (who knows how to do both knit/crochet) and she pulled out her needles and over Christmas proceeded to teach me how to knit. She was a TOUGH teacher! I know how kids in catholic schools feel now cuz she cracked my knuckles more than a few times! LOL it was all in fun though - no harm to this modern viking occurred. So I made her a pair of 2-rib stitch leg warmers as my first "project". She gave me a bunch of stuff including 2 entire sets of needles in a big round needle holder that belonged to one of my grandmothers! I was pretty happy and could just picture my grandmas sitting there shaking their heads in disbelief that I would pick up knitting. I still want to learn to naalbind and maybe crochet. But one thing at a time I guess.

On a side note, one of my cousin's daughters who is about 10-11 or so taught her self to knit by watching youtube. She asked her mom (who got the very basics from my grandma) but she didn't have needles or anything. The daughter says "OK" and runs to her room. About 2 hours later she comes downstairs with a knitted potholder. Her mom is like "How did you do that?" Turns out she took a small ball of "yarn" out of a decoration that was in her house and used 2 sharpened pencils as the needles! And now she is a knitting maniac. She does all kinds of stuff. Which as a kid is really impressive. And yes her mom bought her real needles. LOL
 

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Slydersan, that's great! Yes, men in the cold countries almost all learned to knit... young lads would sit in the pasture watching the sheep and knit their new stockings. It was more than one woman could keep up with for the knitted goods a household required.

My maternal grandmother was a fantastic knitter. I can crochet, but I've never gotten fast enough at knitting for it to become relaxing.

Summerthyme
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Up into the early 20th century, it was the job of most children in all but wealthy families to learn to knit and make socks. Men tended to stop doing this when they became adults but during War Time, up until WWII, they would take it up again because it was patriotic to do so.

When knitting first reached Europe in the early Middle Ages (as opposed to Naalbinding) it was a Man's Job! Manly Men in fiber guilds produced silk stockings and other precious clothing for the elite clients. Women took up knitting soon after but were mostly confined to home knitting for the first few hundred years.

As late as the Elizabethan period, Manly Men knit caps for the British Navy - on Sundays's the Apprentice Boys (about age 14) would walk through some villages with giant metal needles stuck into their belts in just the "right" place and strut in front of the young girls.

As for the Norse, I am not aware of any directive to Viking men to produce wool garments on board ship, but up until just a couple of decades ago, the British Navy used to issue new sailors one pair of socks, a ball of yarn and knitting needles. They were expected to knit all their socks at one point, we have one older friend that managed a second income making socks for the other guys who didn't want to bother with it.

Naalbinding is still done in parts of Scandinavia and has had quite a revival, I am hopeless at it, I think I've just been knitting too many years - but with YouTube, I may try again, I just haven't had time. Mostly when I'm being "Sagadis" (my Norse persona in the SCA) I just bring a drop spindle.

Oh, and when doing research, be aware that most books older than about five years ago (including Rudd) will list quite a few ancient items as "knitted" because everyone thought that they were. New technology has made it easier to explore the fibers and on re-examination, almost everything until you hit about 5th or 6th century (most Middle Eastern and Egyptian), is nalbinding.

I had to redo my intro to knitting/fiber classes and point this out, as most of my "favorite" knitting examples from the ancient world, including a tiny child's pair of socks with individual toes and every one a different color, turned out not to be knitted at all but nalbinding.

So many older books are going to show lovely pictures and have paragraphs about knitted objects that are created by a slightly different method. The pictures are still lovely but the information on early knitting always needs to be double-checked.

By the late 1200s and 1300s, we have pictures of ladies (including The Virgin Mary) in Europe knitting and we have some definitely socks from around the 6th and 7th centuries in the Islamic world where modern knitting may have been invented - no one is quite sure yet.
 

Martinhouse

Deceased
I have two full sets of knitting needles and crochet hooks, plus I made them for my sister, too when I was completing mine which were my own and my mom's who had recently passed. I don't crochet much but I've sure used the heck out of those sets of needles! It's so handy to have several of the same sizes that I use most. I can knit two sleeves,, legs, etc., at the same time. Or use more than one on a row, when I'd prefer make something all in one wide piece rather than stitching them together later. All my sets are in channeled pouches that roll up, like the canvas pouches my dad used to keep his wrenches in. Plus I have a lot of odds and ends of needles and larger hooks found at thrift stores that I keep in a wide-mouth vase.

Too bad most boys were raised to think knitting and mending were sissy women's work. I sure wasn't raised to think only boys should climb all those trees I conquered when I was a kid!
 

summerthyme

Administrator
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I'm not Melodi, but they were shaped. Turning the heel was s skill that took a bit of learning, but it was considered basic...

Summerthyme
 

Martinhouse

Deceased
Thanks for the answer, Summerthyme. I've studied my regular cotton type socks and decided that I could probably knit a pretty good heel and a toe, too. But I have mostly 4-ply yarn and I don't really need any socks that thick. I can't order things like you all do, since I don't use plastic, and I'm sure not going to wander around Walmart or Hobby Lobby any time soon, and they are the only places in our bigger town to buy any type of yarn.

I suppose if I got desperate enough, I could split some of the 4-ply, but I have at least 4 dozen pairs of regular socks and plenty of heavier work socks, and I doubt I'll ever again be bored enough to twist apart whole skeins of yarn just for the sake of seeing if I could do it.

I've even thought I might try making socks so that a separate heel section could be carefully stitched into place and then replaced when it got a hole in it...maybe the same for a toe piece. But I likely won't live long enough to try that, either...not that this is a real serious matter in the grand scheme of things.
 

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Got the sewing area cleaned out. I'm going to have to find a decent chair for it.
Spent yesterday doing modifications and repairs. Three items fixed. The new to me machine got a simple test run. In good shape, so pieces for a patchwork tiered skirt pinned together. Hopefully, I can get it atitched and waistband on in the next two weeks.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Not only were the socks shaped, until just after WWII, but the military also preferred the hand-knit ones because the early sock machines used in mass production left seams on the bottom of the foot which could turn into blisters. Before antibiotics, blisters on the foot could kill during long marches.

Wool was used because it absorbed moisture and could be cool in Summer and Warm in Winter even when wet.

By WW1 and especially during WWII there were regulation colors and patterns that had to be used, but the making of socks for soldiers goes back to the Revolutionary War, Martha Washington had sock knitting circles in the camps, and had the wives of officers knitting along with her.

There were simply sock machines by the early 20th century, many of which were distributed to farm wives in the US especially during WWII and I've seen an Irish one at work in Galway - socks could be made in the round at about 20 minutes a pair, the heal was the trickiest part although set up on that thing probably takes a high learning curve.

They make reproduction ones now and I have thought of getting one but I enjoy hand knitting them so I'm only likely to do that if I see them on sale. A lot of people use them to knit the tubes (you can do this on some regular knitting machines too) and just leave a piece of waste yarn where the heal goes, and then knit the heal later as a reverse toe.

You can also do this in hand knitting and I do it sometimes for overall colorwork patterns if you want the pattern on the foot.

Anyway, I did a whole show with John Galt FL (former member) on Combat knitting, so I'm always happy to chatter about this.

Knitting heals is can be intimidating at first but there are tricks and ways to make it much easier. There are lots of good YouTube videos out there for free.

Oh and unless you are allergic to wool I do not recommend making socks out of cotton yarn, most of it doesn't stretch enough and it can feel lumpy - especially not for a beginner.

A good first sock is to do "over-socks" out of worsted weight wool yarn or an 80 percent wool/20 percent acrylic wool blend.

It can be a lot easier to learn to juggle four (five) needles with a heavier yarn, the over socks are perfect for cold weather or to wear to bed, and you don't have nearly as many stitches to worry about when learning to turn the heals and make your toes.

If you use 100 percent wool, using a spool of polyester sewing thread or even fishing twine on the heel and toe will help them last longer. Some wool shops also have special yarns for this, but I find the thread works just fine.

Hope that helps, if we want to, I can try to see if there's enough free stuff out there to revive a thread I had on the Dare to Prepare Forum years ago where we put up free knitting patterns, especially for socks - these day's I'd add videos.
 
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