Yarn

[Outrider]

I apologize if this has been covered before. I am looking for vendors etc. where I can purchase wool yarn for hats, scarves etc. Any names,places etc. is greatly appreciated.
Patrick McAllister
Critter Company

[Fiddlebum]

Re: Yarn

Patrick,

I am particularly fond of Patternworks: www.patternworks.com . NatureSpun yarn by Brown Sheep is 100% wool, very affordable, and comes in lots of colors.

If you are wanting hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn, check with Terre Lawson on this list. I'm sorry I don't know her e-mail offhand, but I'm sure someone can put you in touch with her.

Cheers---

Kim Caudel

[Outrider]

Re: Yarn

Thank you Kim. I will check them out .
Patrick Mcallister
Critters

[Spinster]

Re: Yarn

Here I am---currently out of most natural dyed yarn stock, but will be doing our big spring dye run the weekend of March 13. We will not run large lots again until late May. We do have some finished goods in stock as well.

At present, the plans are to dye woolen yarns only, in indigo blues, logwood grey and purple, brazilwood reds, cochineal pinks and walnut browns, as well as some custom runs for knitted petticoats. We'll also be dyeing some shirt lengths of cotton yard goods as well.

Particular requests for special colors or matched quanities of the same dyelot exceeding 1 pound will need to be received by Monday March 8 in order to be included in this run.

The Brown Sheep company yarns that Kim mentions really are excellent as well--very soft and easy to work with, though dyed with modern commercial colors. My wools are dyed with period dyes, and are not as soft spun, which aids them in holding up to hard wear, but those with sensitive skin may have a problem with my yarns.

[Jenna N.]

Re: Yarn

Not sure if I should post this under this heading, or the "Dyeing" thread... What colors do you feel are over/under-represented in hand-knitted items in the re-enacting world? For those of us wanting to represent the "norm" of society (middle socio-economic), what do you feel would be the most common colors? My gut would lead me to believe browns and perhaps greens, as they are the most commonly found dye colors in nature... But I have not delved into research in this area.
Any thoughts would be appreciated,
Jenna Neilsen

[Outrider]

Re: Yarn

Thanks all, Jenna brings up a question I too have been wondering about.
Patrick McAllister
Critters

[Clark Badgett]

Re: Yarn

Not sure if I should post this under this heading, or the "Dyeing" thread... What colors do you feel are over/under-represented in hand-knitted items in the re-enacting world? For those of us wanting to represent the "norm" of society (middle socio-economic), what do you feel would be the most common colors? My gut would lead me to believe browns and perhaps greens, as they are the most commonly found dye colors in nature... But I have not delved into research in this area.
Any thoughts would be appreciated,
Jenna Neilsen

I'm not really certain if we can over-represent something when it comes to color or clothing. Americans of the Victorian era seemed to adhere more to an established type dress code, that had rules, than we are used to in the modern sence. Where as modern society expresses it's individuality through dress, they expressed their's through thought and action.

[KarinTimour]

Colors and the Victorians

Dear Clark, Jenna and Patrick:

To be able to say that something is "over-represented" means that a) we have a secure basis for knowing how common it was in the 1860s and b) we are able to measure it in the current reenacting public; c) compare the two and spot where they differ.

In terms of period knitted goods, the only ways that I can think of to determine what was common in the 1860s is to look at the following:

1. Surving originals (relatively few), and if they were dyed how do you know whether the dye has changed over 140 odd years? Mary Todd Lincoln's inaugural gown, which we know was deep purple is now cream.

2. Read knitting instrucitons, which often say things like "use two bright colors";

3. Look at pictures (everything was black and white and the collodian process turned certain colors from light to very dark (canary yellow photographs as black);

4. Read the descriptions in words in yarn ads, women's magazine descriptions of items, etc.

5. Read period listings of dyestuffs and dye instructions;

6. Read passing references in newspapers, period stories, diaries, memoirs, plays, etc.

7. Look at the colors in surviving sewn and woven clothing to see what colors were common, and get some idea of what they considered "normal clothing colors."

I do all of the above, and I think I've developed a fair idea of what colors they might have used. I'm under no illusion that I "know definatively what they would and wouldn't have worn" or that my sense of 1860s color choices is anywhere near as well developed as my sense of 1990s color choices.

I've not seen what I would consider "a lot of" modern reproductions among reenactors. Most of them don't knit or crochet -- but their ggggrandmothers were far more likely to do one or both. We commonly substitute woven or sewn items for shawls, gloves, outerwear while they would have made their own through knitting or crochet.

This is one of the places where our modern "eyes" and color sense have an impact on our impressions. Much of the surviving clothing we have seen is dark or has faded. This leads some of us to think that their colors were dark and faded. In fact, what we are seeing is often the faded remnant of an item that might have been much brighter when first made. The Victorians gloried in "beauty through contrast" and were famous for combinations like purple and yellow, orange and blue, red and green, etc. But few of us would feel comfortable wearing some of these combinations today.

A people who is going to make it financially feasible to import South American beetles (cochineal -- sic?) so that they can dye their fabric and clothing red is a group of folks who (by and large) are into glorious color when they can get it.

When in doubt, you can always go with the natural gray, brown, cream, beige, taupe, black of the natural wool off a sheep, as people were certainly wearing undyed wool as well as dyed.

Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting, Socks, Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Jenna N.]

Re: Yarn

Yes Karin, I think that does help (well, it helps me at least... can't speak for the others). Thank you for your insights.
Jenna Neilsen

[Outrider]

Re: Colors and the Victorians

Yes very helpful thank you Karin.
Patrick McAllister
Critters

Dear Clark, Jenna and Patrick:

To be able to say that something is "over-represented" means that a) we have a secure basis for knowing how common it was in the 1860s and b) we are able to measure it in the current reenacting public; c) compare the two and spot where they differ.

In terms of period knitted goods, the only ways that I can think of to determine what was common in the 1860s is to look at the following:

1. Surving originals (relatively few), and if they were dyed how do you know whether the dye has changed over 140 odd years? Mary Todd Lincoln's inaugural gown, which we know was deep purple is now cream.

2. Read knitting instrucitons, which often say things like "use two bright colors";

3. Look at pictures (everything was black and white and the collodian process turned certain colors from light to very dark (canary yellow photographs as black);

4. Read the descriptions in words in yarn ads, women's magazine descriptions of items, etc.

5. Read period listings of dyestuffs and dye instructions;

6. Read passing references in newspapers, period stories, diaries, memoirs, plays, etc.

7. Look at the colors in surviving sewn and woven clothing to see what colors were common, and get some idea of what they considered "normal clothing colors."

I do all of the above, and I think I've developed a fair idea of what colors they might have used. I'm under no illusion that I "know definatively what they would and wouldn't have worn" or that my sense of 1860s color choices is anywhere near as well developed as my sense of 1990s color choices.

I've not seen what I would consider "a lot of" modern reproductions among reenactors. Most of them don't knit or crochet -- but their ggggrandmothers were far more likely to do one or both. We commonly substitute woven or sewn items for shawls, gloves, outerwear while they would have made their own through knitting or crochet.

This is one of the places where our modern "eyes" and color sense have an impact on our impressions. Much of the surviving clothing we have seen is dark or has faded. This leads some of us to think that their colors were dark and faded. In fact, what we are seeing is often the faded remnant of an item that might have been much brighter when first made. The Victorians gloried in "beauty through contrast" and were famous for combinations like purple and yellow, orange and blue, red and green, etc. But few of us would feel comfortable wearing some of these combinations today.

A people who is going to make it financially feasible to import South American beetles (cochineal -- sic?) so that they can dye their fabric and clothing red is a group of folks who (by and large) are into glorious color when they can get it.

When in doubt, you can always go with the natural gray, brown, cream, beige, taupe, black of the natural wool off a sheep, as people were certainly wearing undyed wool as well as dyed.

Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting, Socks, Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Clark Badgett]

Re: Yarn

Karin, I agree. I wish us soldiers would incorporate more brightly colored civilian stuff than all the normal earth shades, when we do incorporate civilian items. Now if I could just decide on what color I want to make my scarf from. Any suggestions?

[KarinTimour]

Re: Yarn

Dear Clark:

In thinking about what color to make your scarf, I'd recommend starting with some information about the guy you are portraying most often. When he's at home (aka before he enlisted) does he live in a city, small town, farm? Is he married and if so, is his wife in this country or waiting for him to send the money for her to cross the ocean (in other words is she living in Ireland, Germany or some other foreign country)?

Is this going to be a scarf that he made in winterquarters? Or is it to be a scarf that she made him and mailed him from home? Or is it a scarf that he had at home before he enlisted and she mailed it to him the first winter of the war?

A related question is whether you portray both Confederate and Federal at different events, or one or the other and don't have a dual impression? If you only portray one side or the other, you could incorporate your country's colors. If you have a dual impression, probably you should avoid patriotic colors so that you can use the scarf when portraying either side.

What is the class status of the soldier you portray? If the maker of the scarf were living in an Eastern city, they probably had access to several stores that stocked a wide variety of colors of commercially spun and dyed wool. If you lived in a rural area but were upper class, such as a family living on a plantation in South Carolina, you could order a very wide range of wools by mail from the larger stores either in ports (Charleston, New Orleans, Philadephia, New York, Baltimore) or from England or France.

If the maker has more modest means and is located in a smaller town or more inland, she/he might have access to locally grown and spun wool, and wool dyed locally as well as a smaller range of colors and textures of wool.

If located on the Northwest frontier (Minnesota, Wisconsin, etc.) every small town general store would have stocked at least primary red and primary blue, and if they had a local wool producer/spinner might have had wool yarn that said person had bartered. If there was a dyer locally they might well have dyed locally produced wool with varying levels of expertise.

So if you post the background of the impression you are protraying -- we could brainstorm from there what options would be available to choose from for your scarf.

Sincerely,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soliders' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Clark Badgett]

Re: Yarn

Ok this is what I've made up so far. I am using my real name (since everyone not in the unit uses that anyhow). I was born and raised in Shelby County, of a farming family. Learned to read from the Bible. Volunteered for service in J.C. Breckinridge's artillery unit during the Mexican War (mustered too late to see action). Befriended the Articifer, and convinced him to apprentice me in the mechanical arts in Louisville, therefore I'm a machinist (I have a wartime reference here that this trade did exist). Still need to research a place of employment before the war, as well as the economic status that I would have, I'm guessing lower middle class as a skilled laborer. My wife is a first generation American of German ancestry (lots of Germans in Louisville by this time), been married 6 years and have 2 youngens. I am still deciding what trade I wish to have the wifes father holds (possibly a meat packer, brewer or tailor)

Just to show you how I developed this. I was born, and raised in a rural area, worked farm work all my youth it was the only job my father would allow me to have while I was in school. I left home after school and joined the military, (12 years and running now) I've been in for 2 seperate "wars" and 1 invasion and as of yet have yet to be sent to any of them. I am a machinist, and lower middle class. My wife is an immigrant (though certainly not German, I couldn't use Asian), and I've got a son and a daughter on the way. An easy way to a convincing firper. Now to fill in the gaps with some local research.

I intend to do federal almost exclusively.

[KarinTimour]

Re: Yarn

Dear Clark:

I'm assuming we're talking Shelby County, Kentucky? If so, you're close enough to Frankfort that there would be at least a yarn store there to visit. It's not so very far from Louisville and the river that merchants might not have ordered a wide range of commercially spun and dyed wools. Also being at least partially a rural community in northern Kentucky, it wouldn't be at all out of the question that there might be farmers who had at least a few sheep, and might very well barter or sell the wool locally.

To my mind, given the resources of a skilled laborer, your wife might very well have thriftily spun her own wool (whether it was raised by your family or bought from a neighbor), or bought commercially spun and dyed wool in the nearest store, or sent for wool from Frankfort when someone was doing a run to "town."

If you're planning to do almost exclusively Federal, you might consider seriously using red/white/blue as the colors of your scarf, and you have the option of using home-dyed wool (Mrs. Lawson is your best bet there -- she gave me some beautiful indigo dyed wool when I caught up with her in Chickamauga last September), or commercially spun and dyed wool from any of the providers that others have mentioned.

Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Drygoods]

Re: Yarn

The only person that I know of that uses real cochineal bugs when dying is Cheryl Kolander who is a master dyer. I went to one of her workshops once and she had all of us dying with logwood, weld, cochineal, indigo, fustic, brazilwood, and madder. She grows her own silk and so silk dying is her business, however, I went to the class and took swatches of all of my fabrics; wool, silk, hemp, linen, and cotton to dye each one tied together to see how each fabric reacted to the dye bath. She also did a vaariety of tests with different mordants, discharge, or resist dyes. It was terrific.

If you want to reach her, the last email I have for her is silkhemp@teleport.com

I have her address too, but do not know what is allowed to post on this board.

Good luck,
Judith Peebles