common knitting needle sizes

[edwardwatson]

Folks,

I am attempting to assemble a basic knitting kit for my wife. I've downloaded the Workwoman's Guide, purchased a bell gauge on ebay, purchased some yarn from Ms. Lawson, and now I need some needles. I'm watching ebay for antique needles and wondered what are some common needle sizes for knitting socks and scarves? Can anyone suggest sources for quality reproduction knitting needles? My wife's impression is poor farmer's wife so she doesn't need anything too fancy.

I've searched the forums and couldn't turn up much on needle sizes. Thank you in advance.

[KathyBradford]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

Karin Timour has researched and refined an authentic sock pattern in which she described the needles and compared the historic and modern sizes for needles and stitch sizes. She generously shared it on the AGSAS website. http://www.agsas.org/howto/patterns/knitting_sock.shtml

Check Virginia Mescher's website for more good research by Colleen Formby, as well.

http://www.raggedsoldier.com/

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

Check Virginia Mescher's website for more good research by Colleen Formby, as well.
http://www.raggedsoldier.com/

The article on knitting by Colleen Formby and various period knitting patterns with translations are in the Needlework Necessities and Novelities section of the webpage.

[Edwin Carl Erwin]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

Cast an eye on the website of William Booth Draper for period needlework tools: www.wmboothdraper.com. Also, yarn, fabric, & thread.

Regards,

[col90]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

Folks,

... what are some common needle sizes for knitting socks and scarves? Can anyone suggest sources for quality reproduction knitting needles? My wife's impression is poor farmer's wife so she doesn't need anything too fancy.

If you're assembling a basic "kit", then I'd try and get DPs in sizes 0, 1, and 2. You can use those that are wooden for this, but I find I break waaay too many tips on those, and so I go with the steel. That is documented to be correct as well, so either route you go is fine, and that is not necessarily just for someone who has money...needles were not all that expensive. As far as other sizes, I"d probably get 5, 6, 7, and maybe 8s, since those sizes seem to show up a lot. We have sources listed in Karin's article on our website, as well as in mine on the ragged soldier site.

Try to stay away from any yarns larger than a modern DK weight for you scarves, etc., and Karin talks at length about the sizes for socks.

Happy knitting!

Colleen

[Deborah Hyland]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

If you're assembling a basic "kit", then I'd try and get DPs in sizes 0, 1, and 2. You can use those that are wooden for this, but I find I break waaay too many tips on those, and so I go with the steel.

Have you been able to find a source for steel needles in 1 & 2? I've picked up from 0000 through 0 on ebay, but haven't had luck finding steel needles in 1 & 2.

What a kind gift for your wife. You can find new sets of the smaller steel knitting needles on ebay. I recommend buying them new, as the antique ones can be quite rusty and/or have very dull points.

You may also want to look for some bone or steel crochet hooks in the smaller sizes. They're very useful for picking up dropped stitches and for adding a crochet border as was so common during this period.

[col90]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

Have you been able to find a source for steel needles in 1 & 2? I've picked up from 0000 through 0 on ebay, but haven't had luck finding steel needles in 1 & 2.

http://www.jklneedles.com/html/productdetail.cfm?ProductID=2779&&productlineid=58

JKL needles ( www.jklneedles.com ) is one of my favorite places to get needles...and if you ever do any lace knitting, you can get DPs from 5/0 down to 11/o at http://www.bugknits.com/gallery/patt...oves_socks.htm

Colleen

[edwardwatson]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

Thanks folks! I've ordered a selection of needles I hope will get my wife started. Perhaps she will make me some socks or scarf for next winter.

[KarinTimour]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

Mr. Watson:

As has been noted, you've got a fine start with the materials you've already assembled -- and Mrs. Lawson's yarn will get her started on the right place, with some very period colors!

Deborah:
I've had quite a bit of success with buying steel needles of various sizes on ebay -- often you've got to buy a larger collection with many non-period needles to get a smaller bunch of the steel double points, but with persistence you can find what you're looking for. It's hopeless to try and get sellers to tell you what size they are, so I spent a fair amount buying needles of ranges of sizes in order to assemble my current collection. While there are some significant differences in point configuration, some of the less tapered ones have very sharp points.

I agree wholeheartedly with Colleen's assessment of both JKL needles and bugknits -- the folks at JKL are especially a pleasure.

Colleen's article on the Vinatage Volumes/Ragged Soldier site has a lot of great information for knitters who are trying to "translate" period patterns.

A note about using a bell gauge to measure needles: Except with the very largest needle sizes, you don't just "poke the needle in the hole" as we do with modern needle gauges. In the notes that preface the pattern on the AGSAS site (www.agsas.org) you'll find directions for how to use a bell gauge to measure period needle sizes.

If Mrs. Watson is looking for period patterns, Polly Steenhagen and Silvana Siddali have translated two pamphlets of knitting and crocheting patterns from a French source (La Mode Illustree) which was published in our time period, "Knitting A La Mode" and "Knit Two A La Mode". These are both available through the Vintage Volumes/Ragged Soldier site (http://www.raggedsoldier.com ). Mrs. Watson may also be interested in asking further questions, and Polly and Elizabeth Stewart Clark are the co-moderators of a yahoo group of knitters and needleworkers interested in our time period (cwneedleworkers@yahoogroups.com).

In looking over the list of resources that have been posted on this thread, I was struck with the range of help that is now available to needleworkers who want to "do it right." As with anything else worth doing, this didn't happen by accident. Mrs. Lawson has been quietly and steadily been producing properly spun and period dyed yarns. Colleen Formby, Virginia Mescher, Polly Steenhagen and Silvana Siddali have been quietly leading by example, and striving behind the scenes to get a range of resources marshalled and up on the internet to encourage more period knitting.

We're really starting to see it pay off as more period knitting is making it's appearance at events.

Sincerely,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Warm. Durable. Documented.
Come see me at McDowell in May -- I'll have "the sockline" with me.
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Drygoods]

Re: common knitting needle sizes

For me, this is a very timely thread as I hope to get some of the women in our group knitting. I thought to purchase a lot of materials (needles and yarns) and then give them lessons making simple things at first. This will teach them an interpretive craft as well as increase their period wardrobe. My initial thought was I'd much rather see a group of women knitting socks or sontags than seeing a gathering of civilians sitting drinking tea or lemonade.:confused_