Table of contents for January - February 2018 in PieceWork

With this first issue of 2018, we are celebrating two milestones in the magazine’s history. First, this issue is our twelfth annual Historical Knitting issue. Wow—it really seems like we sent the first one off to press just last year, but we didn’t! For this glimpse into knitting’s rich, varied, and long history, we focus on socks and stockings and begin with Sylvie Odstrcilová’s fascinating and in-depth account of handknitted stockings from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. There also are many stories behind the stories in the features and projects. For example, Mimi Seyferth in her re-creation of socks made by Afghan refugee women in Islamabad, Pakistan, recounts the ongoing struggles of Afghan women, including how knitting has helped them not only to survive by providing much-needed income but also…

Probably everyone interested in the history of knitting wonders at the variable styles of the oldest European knitted stockings from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The burial silk stockings of Eleonora of Toledo (1522–1562) and Duke Barnim X of Pomerania (1549–1603) and the wedding silk stockings of Elector August of Saxony (1526–1586) differ greatly among themselves as well as from woolen stockings excavated in London. Regretfully, few early knitted stockings survived, and therefore it is hard to say which type is oldest, whether these different styles were typical for different regions, and whether some styles were widespread and others rare in Europe. The good news is that there are probably more extant stockings in museums in non-English countries than knitting history enthusiasts dared to hope Unfortunately, the information on…

The Sami people are Scandinavia’s only United Nations (UN)–recognized indigenous people. Formerly called “Lapps,” the Sami people now consider that name an ethnic slur. They prefer to be called by their self-name, Sami. In Finland, the name is spelled Saami, and because the majority of the Skolt Saami live in that area, I will use that spelling. The Saami people have several subsets. Their traditional dress and language can vary as widely as the Danish language and traditional dress differs from a rural northern Norwegian dialect and traditional dress. The Skolt Saami people’s homeland is the Petsamo (or Pechanga) region, where the modern countries of Norway, Russia, and Finland meet. This out-of-the-way place provided a sheltered area, where they could raise reindeer and sheep. Its isolation also helped to protect…

Because knitted socks are more comfortable than any other type of foot covering (sewn socks, strips of fabric wrapped around the foot, or fleece stuffed into shoes/ boots), many cultures have sock-knitting traditions. It’s pretty typical for humans to embellish items made for practical reasons, and socks fall into that category. I learned to knit in 1969 (from my fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Johnson). I knitted garter-stitch scarves for twenty years before learning to purl, and then shortly thereafter gave away my knitting supplies. Despite this lackluster knitting history, ten days after finding my first set of double-pointed needles, I had completed my first pair of socks. They miraculously fit perfectly. To date, I have knitted more than 200 pairs of socks. In 2001, a friend who heard I was knitting…

The Afghan refugee women who gave the original slipper socks to Jeanne Devereaux Best also sold their handknitted socks in Pakistan. Like many Afghan women, Jeanne’s students relied on their knitting skills as a source of income. Although knitters in Afghanistan historically learned their craft from other family members, during the Taliban era (1996–2001), when women were banned from employment in Afghanistan, the Women’s Association of Afghanistan and other women’s groups organized secret knitting, sewing, and handcraft courses to teach women the skills to make clothing and other necessities, which they could sell or exchange. That women had to conduct these classes in secret shows how severely the Taliban restricted women’s rights. (During the Soviet war against Afghanistan [1979–1989], women could meet openly in knitting and sewing circles, though their…

My brother-in-law’s family (the Barrons) has a tradition of knitting booties for each new baby that comes into the family. In 2016, when the first new baby of a generation was due to enter the world, the handwritten bootie pattern needed to be deciphered, and I was asked to help. Several abbreviations were unconventional (“N,” “O,” and “Bi 1”). Research, combined with trial and error, helped me figure out the pattern and find its original publication. The origin of the bootie tradition is unclear, but the family has more than a dozen pairs—all the same pattern—that have been worn for at least three generations. Among family members, the booties are remembered for two things: their fineness and that “they stay on.” FAMILY TRADITION Hulda Petterson Gibb (1886–1973) of Minnesota made…

Envision inviting your favorite knitters over for a relaxing afternoon of refreshments and conversation about, what else, knitting. Now, imagine that your guests are master Shetland knitters Hazel Tindall and Elizabeth Johnston—that would be a delightful time, indeed! Slip a copy of 50 Tips from Shetland Knitters, the new two-disc DVD set, into your DVD player and sit back with a cup of tea and your knitting, as you enjoy an active exchange between two expert knitters about timeless Shetland knitting techniques. Hazel and Elizabeth met as children in Shetland. Later, Hazel moved away, then returned to the Scottish islands; Elizabeth never left and has spent her whole life there. Hazel’s expertise in traditional Fair Isle knitting is recognized far and wide. Elizabeth is well- known for her handspun yarns,…

EXHIBITIONS Los Angeles, California: Through July 8. A Tale of Two Persian Carpets (One by One): The Ardabil and Coronation Carpets, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (323) 857-6000; www.lacma.org. District of Columbia: Through January 7 and January 29. Scraps: Fashion, Textiles, and Creative Reuse and The Box Project: Uncommon Threads, respectively, at the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum. (202) 994-5200; www.museum.gwu.edu. Decorah, Iowa: Through April 23. Fifty Years of Folk Art, at Vesterheim, The National Norwegian-American Museum and Heritage Center. (563) 382-9681; www.vesterheim.org. Paducah, Kentucky: Through January 9. Quilts of the Lakota, at The National Quilt Museum. (270) 442-8856; www.quiltmuseum.org. Brockton, Massachusetts: Through February 18. Threads of Resistance, at the Fuller Craft Museum. (508) 588-6000; www.fullercraft.org. New York, New York: Through January 7. War…

Inspired by the preceding article Margaretha Franziska Lobkowitz’s stockings are among the most beautiful period stockings I have seen. No wonder they elicit a lot of admiration even in modern times. However, I believe I am not the only one who cringes at the thought of knitting them in the original gauge (70 stitches and 90 rows per 4-inch [10.2-cm] square). Therefore, I chose a fingering-weight yarn, which gives a more sensible gauge, to make the project. After scaling down all the numbers of stitches and rows to adjust for a different gauge, I realized something else that I wanted to change: the original stockings were not close-fitting in the ankle area. (Checking the photographs of other period stockings showed that none of them were close-fitting at the ankle. I…

In Scandinavia, heavy and durable everyday socks are called raggsockor. The Bonniers Swedish Dictionary defines a raggsocka as a sports stocking of heavy yarn, and it defines ragg as long, coarse and tangled, usually of goat hair (my translation). Typically, raggsocks (as they are called in English) are knitted with worsted to Aran-weight wool yarn at a gauge of 16 to 20 stitches per 4 inches (10.2 cm). Raggsocks are primarily for winter wear and sometimes worn over thinner socks. The Danish term ragsok translates as “ski sock.” Children wore these socks without shoes in their school classrooms; both children and adults wore these socks at home. (Scandinavians still usually remove their shoes in the entryway.) Raggsock construction is simple: the leg is worked in knit one, purl one or…

One of the most fascinating structural elements of the Turkish socks purchased in Afyonkarahisar province and featured in Lynne Hershberger’s article is the heel construction. To work my sample heels, I chose Aran-weight wool from Imperial Yarn. I used a set of U.S. size 4 double-pointed needles. I could see that the heel-flap stitches were worked flat then decreased and bound off, which created a “boat” shape. Two rows of single crochet, in two colors, were worked along the “boat” edge and created a decorative element. Stitches were then picked up and knit along the crochet edge through the back loop, and the maker proceeded to finish the sock leg in the round. With MC, CO 40 sts. Place marker (pm) and join in the rnd. Knit 15 rnds. Heel…

As knitters (or crafters of any sort), we learn from those who came before us. For some crafts, I can remember watching my great-grandmother, my grandmothers, and my mother work magic with string. At times, I wish I had paid more attention to those unofficial lessons and had written down or somehow recorded the information held in their hands. Thankfully, the Victorians did some recording through the Weldon’s newsletters published in London in the 1880s with patterns for all sorts of different crafts, including knitting. Our generation does not have Weldon’s, but we are blessed to have Barbara G. Walker. Whenever someone asks me “What is your favorite stitch guide?” the answer is her series of guides—First Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Charted Knitting Designs: A…

Darn It Eventually, after several seasons of wear, holes appear in a sock’s heel or toe. Don’t despair and toss a treasured sock. Mend it with Halcyon’s Wood Darning Egg. Made from hardwood, it’s only 5 inches (12.7 cm) long. www.halcyonyarn.com. Perfect Pair All handknitted socks benefit from a good blocking. The Loopy Ewe’s Sock Blockers, whether used to display your completed handwork or to shape a slightly damp pair, help make your socks look their best. Crafted in oak and with a sweet sheep cutout, these blockers are sure to be treasured for years. www.theloopyewe.com. Strong and Lustrous Blacker’s Tamar Lustre 4-ply sock yarn is worsted spun using longwool sheep breeds. These lengthy fibers create an ideal sock yarn, which rivals merino and nylon blends for durability. Plus, Tamar…

What did Estonians knit in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries? We can only guess about the distant past, but in the nineteenth century, girls were taught to knit before the age of seven. They were instructed by their mothers, grandmothers, or other female members of the family—in this way, knitting practices and techniques were handed down from one generation to another and usually preserved their local characteristics. Knitting was an essential skill for every woman, as knitted socks, stockings, mittens, and gloves were absolutely indispensable in the cold winters of Estonia. In addition to their practical qualities, the decorative knitted items had another significance. A girl was considered diligent if she could knit fast and was able to make especially fine knitwear. Before getting married, young women had to make…

The beautiful slipper socks that inspired this project were given to me by my good friend Jeanne Devereaux Best, who had received the socks as a gift from Afghan refugee women in Islamabad, Pakistan. As Jeanne explained: A little over twenty years ago, I had the unique experience of moving to Islamabad, Pakistan. My time there was short but had a major impact on my life. While living there, I taught English as a second language (ESL) to a classroom of young, twenty-something Afghan refugee women. I remember my students as young women with beautiful countenances, very eager to learn despite their circumstances, happy, hopeful, and proud of their heritage. They often spoke of how beautiful Afghanistan was. I cannot emphasize their positive outlook enough. The Afghan socks were knitted,…

Only a knitter knows the time and attention that goes into making a serviceable sock. Before the dawn of nylon and the continuing miracle of mass-production, a holey sock or stocking represented quite a bit more than an unceremonious trip to the garbage can. Instead, a simple rent in a prized piece of hosiery was an invitation to needlewomen (and men) to open their housewife, dig through the snips, bodkins, and buttons, and retrieve from the depths that ever-useful implement—the darning egg. For the uninitiated, a darning egg (also known as a darning mushroom, darning tool, darning bell, and darner), is a convex form, typically in the shape of an egg or mushroom, used to support and stage the work of darning. Although darners can be used to repair both…

beg—begin(s); beginning BO—bind off CC—contrasting color ch—chain cir—circular cn—cable needle CO—cast on cont—continue(s); continuing dc—double crochet dc3tog—double crochet 3 stitches together dec(s) (’d)—decrease(s); decreased; decreasing dpn—double-pointed needle(s) fsc—foundation single crochet foll—follow(s); following hdc—half double crochet inc(s) (’d)—increase(s); increased; increasing k—knit k1b—knit 1 in back of stitch k1f&b—knit into the front and back of the same stitch—1 stitch increased k2b—knit 2 in back of next 2 stitches kwise—knitwise; as if to knit k2tog—knit 2 stitches together k3tog—knit 3 stitches together k5tog—knit 5 stitches together LLI—insert left needle into back of the stitch below stitch just knitted, knit this stitch lp(s)—loop(s) m(s)—marker(s) MC—main color M1—make one (increase) M1k—increase 1 by knitting into the front and then the back of the same stitch before slipping it off the left-hand needle M1p—increase 1 by…