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Opinions? This says it's an 1885 pattern, but how do the toes, heels, and techniques compare with 25 years earlier? The picture is fascinating.
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Re: sock pattern
Many of the toes and heels are common to our period, including the Dutch and Double Knit, as well as the various ethnic varieties. Same thing applies on the various star toes.
Now, depending on how you like your books, for about $30 you can purchase a high quality reprint in hardcover of any one of 12 volumes in the Weldon's series from these nice folks:
You'll get a lot more than sock knitting in that particular volume. The 'sold out' volumes are available on Amazon.
If you are already accustomed to working with period steel needles and appropriate yarn sizes, you'll be able to make most anything in the Weldons without a great deal of fussing. Even the more fitted knitted items have a great deal of give and fit a wide variety of folks.Terre Hood Biederman
Yassir, I used to be Mrs. Lawson. I still run period dyepots, knit stuff, and cause trouble.
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Wearing Grossly Out of Fashion Clothing Since 1958.
ADVENTURE CALLS. Can you hear it? Come ON. -
Re: sock pattern
Mrs. Lawson,
I would much rather admire your handiwork than take up knitting at this point, but I was curious about the details of the pictures. Yours is a skill that I appreciate immensely.
This Weldon pattern looked intriguing, too. To my eye, though, some of them look too modern. I'm always curious about the finer points of what is correct. A picture is worth...
For anyone who hasn't yet seen it, Karin Timour has generously offered her correctly interpreted Sanitary Commission pattern here. http://www.agsas.org/howto/patterns/knitting_sock.shtml The new, detailed directions make it even more enticing and possible.
Bless you all, adventurous knitters!Last edited by KathyBradford; 08-06-2007, 08:17 PM.Comment
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Re: sock pattern
Oh piddle, I thought we had another knitter coming along:p
Alrighty, lets talk specific features.
On your second link, the socks are more clearly illustrated--essentially the publishers have taken the Weldon's illustrations and clarified them--they are darker and more defined than often seen in the original books. This makes it much easier to see the various feature, so we'll talk about that item.
The "Young Child's stocking" and the left illustration of the "Boy's Kickerbocker Stocking" both feature the double knit heel. This was an ordinary heel in our period, and one that's a bit stronger, since the pattern produces a near to double thickness on the back of the heel. I think the AGSAS pattern offers this heel as an alternative to the common heel. I'd look to make sure, but I'm on a slow connection.
Both the Ladies Ribbed Stocking and the Mans Ribbed Winter Stocking feature a shaped leg. Those of a certain age will recall that silk stockings also had a shape to the leg and a specific size to the foot. When fitted properly, such things were delightful---but if the leg shaping does not match the leg wearing it , one gets a droopy, ill-fitting stocking. These shaping features in stocking go back at least into the 17th century, with increasing and decreasing stitches centered around the 'seam' stitch in the back of the leg. Still popular in our period, but not commonly seen in the various patterns for 'soldiers socks'---simply because the sock was not long enough in the leg to require shaping.
All socks patterns but one feature a 'gusseted' heel---the inverted V shape on the side of the leg. This makes for a sock that fits well. It has also become one common hallmark of a hand knitted sock, as machines don't make a sock in this manner. Machines commonly make a 'short row' heel, characterized by a diagonal line down the side of the heel, and lacking a heel flap or its accompanying picked up stitches. Today, reenactors may think they are acquiring a proper period sock, but the presence of a short-row heel is a giveaway that the item is not from a period pattern.
The bulk of the items seem to have a common toe, except that one of the boys stockings may have a type of star toe. Both were used during our period. Karin Timour knows much more about toe styles than I do.
The first linkage, once you get to the 'supersized' image within the auction, shows some of the wide variety of star toes. These tend to provide a more snug fit than common toes--I prefer them, but then, I've got bitty little feet--anything made for me looks like the intended wearer has a club foot.Terre Hood Biederman
Yassir, I used to be Mrs. Lawson. I still run period dyepots, knit stuff, and cause trouble.
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Wearing Grossly Out of Fashion Clothing Since 1958.
ADVENTURE CALLS. Can you hear it? Come ON.Comment
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Re: sock pattern
Thank you both for your kind words about my "translation" work on the Sanitary Commission sock!
Mrs. Lawson has covered much of that I would have wanted to say about the Weldon's publications. In the first one, from the 1880s, there is one heel that they label the "Niantic Heel" which would be recognized by a modern knitter as the "Short Row Heel" that Mrs. Lawson mentioned. These are the heels that are on our modern machine made socks from Wallmart today -- easy to recognize by the diagonal line of stitching, and absence of a triangular gusset on both sides of the foot.
The earliest I've been able to date the "Niantic/short-row heel" is the mid 1870s, so I'd definately avoid that one. The shaped common heel is the one I've most often seen on period sock and stockings, followed by the Dutch or Round heel.
With regard to the length of socks/gentlemen's stockings in the 1880s and especially 1910s -- this was the era when bicycling, hiking and especially golfing were beginning to drive men's leisure wear. And the wearing of "plus fours" or "knickerbockers" became a snappy cutting edge male look. When wearing these much shorter pants, it became a fad of the late 1800s and early 1900s to have fancy doubled over tops to your stockings -- there is a great example of one on the front of the 1910s publication. Lots of fair isle colorwork patterns, and fancy stitches. Also, because these stockings were designed to go all the way to the knee or longer, so that the plus fours could button over them, they were much, much longer than men's socks or stockings in our period. You could still use some of these patterns, just shorten the legs considerably, and substitute a simple ribbed top for the fancy folded over top.
I'd also avoid leg that is ribbed to the ankle. I've never seen an original 19th century men's sock/stocking that had a ribbed leg. There are directions in an early 1860s Godeys for a "Winter sock" that is ribbed to the ankle, but I"m not entirely convinced that this sock is meant to be a men's outerwear sock. In our time period there were many directions printed for special, shorter, socks for women (especially older ladies) to wear to bed. Most of these are ribbed to the ankle, and I strongly suspect that the "Winter Sock" in Godeys would have been recognized (without especialy needing to be identified as such) by readers as being intended for wear as a bed sock. But that's just my suspicion -- your milage may vary.
With regard to the "shaped" or "unshaped" legs -- I have seen originals from our time period with shaped legs, but this shaping is much milder than the "shaped legs" of the 1700s or even the very early 1800s." Mrs. Lawson, you are knitting and reenacting through many more time periods that I am -- when I've seen "shaping" in the 1850s and 1860s, it's a matter of only a few decreases, not the very tailored look of fine silk hose.
Hope that's helpful,
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Come see me at September Storm -- I'll have the sock line out.
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.comComment
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Re: sock pattern
Well thank goodness--that explains it. In looking at period printed patterns, I kept wondering where all the shaped leg stockings had disappeared to. They are a deuce of a lot of work to replicate for the 18th century, and don't lend themselves to 'mindless knitting' at all.Originally posted by KarinTimour View Post
I'm working on a pair of over the knee stockings for myself right now that I just resolved would be baggy and shapeless---hoping that there were slovenly knitters who could not see to count the rows in 1860 as well. :p
I'm thinking that by 1860, a good deal of this sort of work had been consigned to knitting machines, despite the lack of tailoring ability inherent in the very construction of the machines. It may be that women could accept a bit of bagginess around the ankles for everyday wear, if the price in time and money was right. The period sock knitting machine that I continue to discuss matters with (in a less than patient voice) wants me to eschew a heel entirely and simply rely on the tension screw to tighten the stitches and make a tighter ankle than leg.Terre Hood Biederman
Yassir, I used to be Mrs. Lawson. I still run period dyepots, knit stuff, and cause trouble.
sigpic
Wearing Grossly Out of Fashion Clothing Since 1958.
ADVENTURE CALLS. Can you hear it? Come ON.Comment
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another sock pattern
I found a mens stocking pattern under The Work-Table in The What-not;or Ladies handy-book (1861) on page 58, "Gentleman's Knitted Stockings"
One part I found interesting is it says to knit three rounds after the welting then begin the "seam" stitch. A few weeks ago I was looking at a pair of stockings that did just that.
Susan ArmstrongComment
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Re: sock pattern
Thank you, Mrs. Lawson, for your source information for the Weldon's books.
I have purchased individual patterns from Dakota Prairie Treasures (cited in the auction that began this thread) and they are pretty legible. They send a period-to-modern conversion chart with each pattern that is not as comprehensive as I would like. However, the chart is useful for determining yarn weights.
Has anyone used Dakota Prairie's CD "republications"? I would like to know if the patterns reproduce more clearly, and if one can zoom in on the drawing for detail.Comment
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