Discover Vintage Knitting Patterns for Ladies, Gentlemen, and
Children
PieceWork
magazine is pleased to present this exact reproduction (neither
alterations nor corrections were made to the original published in the 1800s)
from Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume
3.
It is a fitting example of
needlework and knitting history, hand in hand. This electronic pattern
book opens a window on another time and another place. The time is the turn of
the twentieth century and the place is London, England. Needleworkers of that
era would be amazed to see their favorite knitting patterns in a virtual format
of which they could never have dreamed.
In an effort to bring needlework to
the emerging middle class, Weldon’s, a paper pattern producer of the
Victorian era, began to publish monthly newsletters devoted to various crafts
(beading, knitting, crochet, patchwork, and the like). These newsletters were
typically 14 pages and cost 2 pence. Later, they were collected into book form,
titled Weldon’s
Practical Needlework.
We have reproduced for you here the
knitting material from Volume 3 into a convenient eBook. The
38 knitting patterns range from simple to ornate, from a quilt
square and a square pincushion to the delightful child’s outdoor jacket in the
Foxglove pattern; there’s even a pattern for a “Cricketing Cap”! The
instructions might perplex a contemporary knitter accustomed to detailed charts
and succinct directions, but the patterns are often ingenious, and many of the
objects transcend the century-plus span of years since they were
devised.
This eBook serves as a curiosity, an
inspiration, a resource, and a link to a time beyond our memories. In using and
enjoying it, you keep the craft alive.
