The German periodical Der Blatt had a leading role in the publication of variant forms of the “ordinary Tunisian crochet stitch.” The first two appearing there are described in the post before last and depart markedly from what is now know as the Tunisian simple stitch (TSS). A variant presented in the 1 January 1862 issue differs from it… Continue reading Tunisian crochet with two hooks
Category: Tools
The shepherd’s hook in mid-19th-century fancywork
I’ve used quite a bit of blogspace discussing slip stitch crochet and the flat hook used for it in widespread regional traditions. The stitch is termed “shepherd’s knitting” when first attested in the English language in 1812. The “little hook” described with it, is a “shepherd’s hook” in subsequent 19th-century sources. The initial English description… Continue reading The shepherd’s hook in mid-19th-century fancywork
From shepherd’s knitting to shepherd crochet
Sweden is a good place to be located for someone researching the historical and contemporary use of flat hooks for slip stitch crochet. It’s only a thirty minute walk from the desk where this blog is maintained to a folkcraft store in central Stockholm that regularly stocks such hooks, so it was easy for me to… Continue reading From shepherd’s knitting to shepherd crochet
Crochet with an eyed needle
Schematic drawings of the slip stitch structure, identical to the ones seen in the preceding post, appear in published descriptions of other objects said to be nalbinding rather than crochet. Before considering individual such objects, I’m going to take a look at another way to use an eyed needle for producing not just crochet-type slip… Continue reading Crochet with an eyed needle
Knitting sheaths and their handedness
The knitting sheath has a prominent position on the list of tools that were once ubiquitous but have since dwindled into restricted regional use. Although the sheath is only one of a number of devices used to anchor the passive end of a knitting needle, its name is often used as a collective designation for… Continue reading Knitting sheaths and their handedness
Hooked knitting needles in the French parlor in 1817
I’ve noted the significance of “The art of knitting in its full extent” (Die Kunst Zu Stricken in ihrem ganzen Umfange) by Johann Friedrich Netto and Friedrich Leonhard Lehmann in several previous posts (but have yet to find a good way to vary the introductory paragraph). This was published in 1800 and reflected in German texts… Continue reading Hooked knitting needles in the French parlor in 1817
A stilted perspective on hooked knitting
The shepherds in Landes, the northernmost part of the French Basque Country, were a subject of popular attention during the 19th century for two traits. One was their use of stilts to deal with the marshy heathlands on which their flocks grazed, and the other was their practice of knitting while watching over them. A chapter on… Continue reading A stilted perspective on hooked knitting
