Scarf Construction

[GWilson]

With winter already here, I was thinking of some ways to keep warm. What I really need is a scarf. I was wondering if anybody knew the correct stich and what the length would be. Also, does anybody suggest any vendors with good scarfs? Thanks

[Kate Vogel]

Re: Scarf Construction

Natalie Baur makes excellent knitted goods and has wonderful customer service. I live in the stockings she knit me during cold Michigan winters. Contact me off forum and I'll put you in touch with her if you would like. Karin Timour and Terre Lawson are two other highly reputable knitters that jump to mind and they both frequent the forums.

[Spinster]

Re: Scarf Construction

Grant,

We've got 2 scarves on the needles right now. All wool.

The first is handspun, and the yarn was dyed with black walnut to a medium chocolate brown (at Shiloh no less, back last spring), and knitted in the brioche stitch, a popular period stitch.

The second is a double crochet, made from yarn done on an electric spinner, out of a nice natural grey wool, and is dyed with indigo in an ombre manner--this means the yarn shades from blue to grey and back again, in the manner described in "Mothers of Invention" . A certain amount of lanolin remains in this yarn, aiding in the water repellancy.

Other colors from period dyes are available, as well as sleeping hats and socks. We are currently organizing our winter knitting projects. You can contact me at thlawson@bellsouth.net for both ready made and custom orders.

All forum members are required to sign their full names to all posts. Please create an auto-signature in your profile. 1st Warning. Failure to do so by 12/10/03 will lead to your post being deleted.
Dusty

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: Scarf Construction

Here is a photo of a Confederate wearing a scarf. The detail is pretty decent and you can get a good idea of the length of the item.

[Kate Vogel]

Re: Scarf Construction

Maybe it's just my computer screen, but does anyone else think it looks like it is entirely worked in garter stitch?

[Spinster]

Re: Scarf Construction

Maybe it's just my computer screen, but does anyone else think it looks like it is entirely worked in garter stitch?

Could be Garter stitch, could be English Brioche. German Brioche can give the diagonal look visible up higher on the scarf. My period patterns call the item a gentleman's comforter, and makes a much shorter garment, one that lays across the chest under the closed coat and extends down to about the navel.

Any of these stitches can give a similar appearance, and a similarly lofty warm scarf. The garter stitch is especially endearing though, as it was often the indicator of a very young or very inexperienced knitter, struggling with the first stitches to make a warm and practical item for some best-loved person. For a totally off-period reference to garter as a beginner's effort, look to the book "Mary Poppins" for a description of the beloved nanny's knitted scarf

[Kate Vogel]

Re: Scarf Construction

The garter stitch is especially endearing though, as it was often the indicator of a very young or very inexperienced knitter, struggling with the first stitches to make a warm and practical item for some best-loved person.

Hey now, I'm rather fond of my first few items I ever knitted. ;) Terre, please email me if you get the chance. I'm starting to think AOL has a personal vendetta against your email account.

[Spinster]

Re: Scarf Construction

Hey now, I'm rather fond of my first few items I ever knitted. ;) Terre, please email me if you get the chance. I'm starting to think AOL has a personal vendetta against your email account.

Would you believe I have an "unfinished knitting project" in garter stitch, begun when I was 8 years old! :o

Kate, I can't email you directly because your AC board preferences are set that you don't wish to receive email from the board--give it another look and send me a private message through the board. Miche' Todd and I can't communicate directly either, and have to speak through a list serve.

[KarinTimour]

Re: Scarf Construction

Katie you might want to try checking this picture out with a more finely detailed monitor. Mine is not very sharp -- when I bought it I wasn't planning to be looking at pictures -- the salesman kept saying "but you won't be able to play computer games" and I kept saying "I'm not buying this to play computer games"..... Then he'd say "but you won't be able to play computer games...." growing ever more pained and wistful. Little did I know that six months after buying it I'd be obsessed by trying to observe textiles!

Anyway, up by his second or third button it looks as though there are three or four parrallel cables. I could be wrong, but it looks like some strong veritical work through there.

With regard to width and length of scarves, or "gentlemen's comforts" I believe it was Carol Ann Schmidt who posted a reference of 60 inches long and 7-8 inches wide from one of her period knitting books.

Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Domestic Arts and Honorable Trades Society
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[58th C]

Re: Scarf Construction

Grant,

We've got 2 scarves on the needles right now. All wool.

The first is handspun, and the yarn was dyed with black walnut to a medium chocolate brown (at Shiloh no less, back last spring), and knitted in the brioche stitch, a popular period stitch.

The second is a double crochet, made from yarn done on an electric spinner, out of a nice natural grey wool, and is dyed with indigo in an ombre manner--this means the yarn shades from blue to grey and back again, in the manner described in "Mothers of Invention" . A certain amount of lanolin remains in this yarn, aiding in the water repellancy.

Other colors from period dyes are available, as well as sleeping hats and socks. We are currently organizing our winter knitting projects. You can contact me at thlawson@bellsouth.net for both ready made and custom orders.

All forum members are required to sign their full names to all posts. Please create an auto-signature in your profile. 1st Warning. Failure to do so by 12/10/03 will lead to your post being deleted.
Dusty

Would plain double crochet have been a commonly used scarf stitch? I'd like to make a few scarves and I crochet much faster than I knit. Any suggestions as to which stitches to use would be appreciated.

Lauren Kaye

[Clark Badgett]

Re: Scarf Construction

Speaking of knitted goods, who makes some nice mittens or wrister types.

[DougCooper]

Re: Scarf Construction

Brian - what a fantastic photo! Is it identified? Date? Scarf is great but I am all over the uniform and overcoat as well...

PEC violation - has a musket sling, overcoat and probably even has a hat cord :-) (tongue firmly planted in cheek).

[Kate Vogel]

Re: Scarf Construction

Karin,

After using a friend's monitor to view that picture (now I'm officially nuts in his book) it does look like it has a set of parallel cables. I think it's a combination of bad eyes and a bad computer screen. Sigh.

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: Scarf Construction

Doug,

The photograph is unidentified. It was scanned from page 191 of William C. Davis's Touched by Fire Volume One. You are right about it being great for things more than just the scarf. I especially like his belt buckle. Looks to be a two piece? Another PEC violation?:D

[cwbelle]

Re: Scarf Construction

Hello,
I handspun (from a fine natural brown wool--Corriedale/Merino mixture) and knit a scarf for another reenactor (military) last spring, but didn't make it nearly as long as the one pictured (more similar to the length you've described from your period patterns), I was wondering about it at the time and am glad to hear about the pattern. I have a spinning wheel which I love to use and though I'm not proficient at knitting (the scarf would probably fall into the "loving thought" category more than the "professional") I was wondering if you could give me some guidance as to where I could find other period patterns for knitting? I'd also like to try some natural dyeing techniques (walnuts etc) for my spun yarn, but am quite new to that aspect. Any help you could/would be willing to offer would be greatly appreciated. If you'd prefer to email me off the forum that's fine.
Respectfully,
Lisa-Marie Clark
Civilian, 10th IL