Wooden Romanian spindles
These two antique wooden Romanian spindles were purchased in an antique shop in Brasov, Romania in 2007.
ca. 1900 (?)
One spindle is 14 in. long and the other is 13 in. long
2018.005
Women's Cardigan with Embroidered Flowers and Gathered Waist
<p>I made this cardigan in the late 1960s or early 1970s and cannot find the pattern source. The yarn is likely Red Heart or something similar from the period in a worsted weight. Small pink and green flowers are embroidered along the top of the gathered waist, the top of the three-inch ribbing on the puffed long sleeve, along the button band, and over the top of the ribbing going over the shoulders. </p>
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Huset, Marilyn
Ca. 1970
2019.028
Winterling, a knitted, embellished wall hanging
Winterling is a knitted, quilted wall hanging, embellished with crochet, embroidery, beads, and buttons. It was made by textile artist Suzann Thompson in 2017 for her Celebrate Doilies exhibit. The name Winterling refers to a now-closed chinaware factory in Schwarzenback an der Saale, Germany, where Thompson's great-grandmother worked. Among the many china patterns the Winterling factory produced was the popular blue and white Zwiebelmuster or Onion Pattern, which Thompson interpreted on the vase in the picture, using a combination of knitting, applique, crochet, embroidery, and beading. The crocheted flowers are Thompson's own designs. The background of the picture is reverse stockinette stitch, knitted with many different yarns, stabilized with fusible interfacing, cut and pieced back together, and machine sewn to a fabric foundation.
Thompson, Suzann
2017
28" x 38"
2018.009
Two 1940s Cable Vests
<p>Two matching handknit vests made from an original 1940s pattern. The yarn used was Purl Soho Linen Quill held double. Yarn content is a blend of wool, alpaca, and linen, and the colorway is Juniper Green. Pattern was retrieved from a hardcopy vintage magazine copyrighted 1942. </p>
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<p>These vests were made for two of my very dearest friends who live in Sweden. I met them both via instagram in 2012, and we met in person for the first time in 2018. We knew in an instant that the three of us were soul mates, fated to know each other and be life long friends. The two friends are a couple, now married, and love to wear vintage clothing. Even more so, they love to match. I wanted to make something for them that evoked their personal styles, and allow them to perfectly match with vintage items (something that is very difficult to do). These took almost two years to finish, but it was worth it. </p>
Crabaugh, Sydney
2020
JPEG
2020.024
Trick or Treat Doily by Bella Crochet
Designer Ann White of Bella Crochet (bellacrochet.blogspot.com) designed the Trick or Treat Doily to accompany another Halloween-themed doily in her design collection. Suzann Thompson crocheted the doily in 2019 with No. 10 crochet cotton from her collection (another term for "stash"). She said that watching the pleats form was fun. They fall into place naturally when you have finished three or four rounds. The first round of the lacy border more-or-less locks the pleats in place. Suzann starches doilies with a mixture of one part liquid starch and one part water. Suzann and her daughters enjoy creating holiday displays on the family's sideboard. It's a good excuse to clean off the items that mysteriously accumulate there in-between times.
Thompson, Suzann
2019
9 inches in diameter
2019.010
Tatted Christmas Stars
<p>My grandmother, Esther Curry, tatted these stars for me, at my request, when I was a girl of about 10 or 11 years old (early 1970s); they may well mark my very first personal acquisition in what has become a lifelong fascination & enjoyment of fiber arts. I remember Grandma was hesitant to make them, because as she finally admitted, she was unsure how to work them; as far as I know, she rarely - if ever - worked from a pattern, and I think she generally made edgings, rather than motifs. Nevertheless, she figured it out, and gave me 12 stars, which my mother showed me how to block & stiffen with starch for use as tree ornaments. They have been a cherished part of my Christmas tradition for about 50 years.</p>
<p>The stars are worked in what my grandmother called "tatting cotton"; I'm unsure of the size, possibly size 40 tatting thread. Tatting is worked with a shuttle, and my grandmother had two that she favored: a small silver one that she used for finer work and a larger shuttle, which might have been made of bakelite, that she used with larger gauge thread. I think these stars would have fallen into the "finer work" category.</p>
<p><span>Grandma always wore a dress, or apron, with a pocket, and she always kept a bit of handwork there, usually tatting (or a quilting square she was hand-piecing for one of her many quilts). If she had a few minutes, whether waiting for her yummy cinnamon rolls to bake, visiting with the neighbor or waiting for her bus, you'd see her reach into her pocket & draw out her latest project – this is how I always remember her.</span></p>
<p><span>These simple stars are not her fanciest work, but they do speak to her aesthetic – cheerful & homey, a soft personal touch that could raise a humble cuff, collar or hem out of the ordinary. </span></p>
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Curry, Esther
circa 1971
A dozen stars, approximately 3 inches in diameter, tatted in cotton thread
2022.001
Spindles, Peru
<p>Spindles, Peru, 2017. </p>
<p>As an avid spinner, I was eager to bring home some spindles from our hiking trip to Peru in 2017. Our guide helped me find them during a visit to a weaving and textile cooperative called the Asociacion Civil Apu Salkantay, Warmicuna de Mollepata, in Mollepata, Anta Province, Peru. <br /><br />Spindles were not offered for sale in the weaving shop, but upon learning of my interest in spinning, one of the women went home and came back in a few minutes with a plastic grocery bag filled with loose shafts and whorls. We fitted a few together and I purchased 3 spindles, with some raw Alpaca fiber to spin. I understood that she made the spindles herself. </p>
<p>These spindles are "low whorl" spindles. The shafts are sticks that, according to Abby Franquemont (https://abbysyarns.com/2011/02/peruvian-spindles-my-spindles/) are peeled and whittled into shape. The whorls are turned on a lathe, with ornamental lines burned into the wood. The tag pictured is for a beautiful handwoven gray Alpaca shawl I purchased from the shop; I include it because it identifies the name and location of the Warmicuna de Mollepata weaving and textile cooperative.</p>
<p>During our travels I saw men and women using spindles like these to spin Alpaca and wool yarns. I enjoy having and spinning with these working momentos of our trip. <br /><br /><br /></p>
Unknown
2017
Shafts: 12.5" Whorls: Height 3/4", Diameter 2" tapering to 1.25"
2019.035
Set of baby garments in rainbow yarn
This is a set of baby garments, a sweater with buttons and a soaker, made for a newborn baby in 2018.
The yarn is urth uneek worsted. The garments were both knit from a single skein of yarn to make a complete set of clothing.
The set was knit for the first born child of the maker’s closest friend.
The sweater was knit from Gabrielle Danskknit’s Winter Sunset pattern, and the soaker was knit from Rebecca Krolikowski’s Frantic Mama Knitted Soaker Pattern.
Keyel, Rebecca
2018
2019.002
Scandinavian Style Hat
My grandmother, Doris Scovill, gave me this hat in the late 1960s or early 1970s. At that time, she worked as a travel agent planning tours to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. On her own travels there, she collected textiles and other decorative objects for the home that she used every day, and that still remind me of her. At that time, architecture, interior design, home furnishings, fashion, and jewelry from Scandinavian designers were extremely popular and influential in the United States.
It is likely that my grandmother knitted this hat for me herself -- she was an accomplished knitter, and the hat has no label and looks handmade. I also recall her giving me a child’s cardigan with silver buttons in a similar style at about the same time, but I do not now recall if it matched the hat.
Commercial patterns were widely available for Scandinavian-inspired knits in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps someone will recognize the source of this hat design!
Construction Notes:
The hat is knitted in the round using wool yarn in five colors – natural white, dark brown, red, yellow, and blue. The colors are dyed -- the yellow, red, and blue are especially bright and intense -- a 1970s take on a color palette traditionally derived from plant dyes and natural fibers. The patterned hat brim folds up along a picot edge. There is a large, tricolor "pompon" or "pom-pom" on the top -- a popular accessory in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Condition: Excellent.
ca. 1970s
Circumference 20”, Height (with brim folded) 6.5”, Brim 3”
2018.011
Rippling Rainbow Shawl
<p>This is the shawl made by designer Robert Powell for the book <em>A Gathering of Lace</em> (Meg Swansen & Elaine Rowley, XRX Books, 2000), pages 23-25.</p>
<p>It is a center-out shawl worked in Jamieson & Smith Jumperweight Shetland. The pattern is a relatively simple center-out design — easy to understand and memorize. The colorwork gives it visual appeal. To prevent an obvious jog at the color changes, Robert Powell used an ingenious trick. He back-spliced the color changes and did so at a yarn-over. This results in no ends to weave in and no obvious jog in the color pattern.</p>
<p>I was introduced to Robert Powell by our mutual friend, Marilyn Hastings. At the time, both lived in Asheville, North Carolina. I had mentioned to Marilyn that I used Robert's clever trick in my Level 1 Master Knitter submission. Robert was downsizing his home. He surprised me by giving me this shawl! Alas, I don't remember which year this was. I passed Level 1 of Master Knitter in Janunary 2010.</p>
<p>The rainbow has become an emblem for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). The knitting community has sometimes been a safe space for gay men. Considering the maker and the time period, this shawl could be understood as an expression of gay pride. The Supreme Court made same sex marriage legal in the United States in 2015.</p>
Powell, Robert
circa 2000
64 inches point to point
2019.034
Reversible Crocheted Snood
<p>This was made for late autumnal wear. Has lots of holes for crocheting connecting diamond shapes. It’s reversible; mixed colors and solid red. </p>
Teruko Hattori
1990s
12cm x 102cm
2019.025
Register to Vote quilt with doily "O"
"Registering voters isn't the most visually exciting thing in the world, so I made this quilt to lure people close enough to ask them if they need to register. I had the perfect doily to make the O in VOTE. Yay, doilies!!" wrote maker Suzann Thompson on her Facebook page. The 17" doily trim dictated the size of the letters in the word VOTE, and the size of the quilt. The patchwork was pieced from scrap fabric, mostly cotton. Thompson composed the lettering on Adobe Photoshop Elements and printed them full-sized. She cut out each letter and used it as a pattern to cut the letters from fabric. The letters are attached to the quilt top with temporary spray adhesive, and Thompson zig-zag stitched around the raw edges to attach them permanently.
The O in VOTE is from a vintage doily with a cloth center. Thompson starched the doily, cut out the damaged center, turned under the cut edge, and finally machine-stitched the turned-under cloth and crocheted trim to the quilt top. After quilting she added mother-of-pearl buttons to the crocheted trim. The obvious message of the quilt is "Register to Vote." Semi-hidden letters in the patchwork change the message to "Register us to vote automatically." Button groupings in the border spell the word VOTE using the Braille alphabet.
Thompson, Suzann
2019
63 inches wide, 49 inches tall
2019.003
Red wool crocheted lace from girl's petticoat
<p>This wool lace was made by Alice E Cleland (1864-1938) in Middletown, Dauphin Co., PA, USA in the 1890s and was used as an edging on a petticoat (a long skirt) worn by her daughters Lottie E Cleland (1892-1905) and Louella Cleland Weirich (1895-1983). There are still traces of the thread (a buff color) which attached the lace to the petticoat.</p>
Cleland, Alice E
1890
Crocheted wool, 97" diameter, 3" width
2020.015
Red Cross Sweater for Navy Use
<p>This is a Navy sweater knit by Rebecca Keyel in 2016 from a sweater pattern originally designed by the American Red Cross in the late 1930s. The pattern (designated ARC 400-3) appeared in a Red Cross pattern book issued by the Milwaukee Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1941, and was reprinted numerous times between 1939 and 1965. The garment is knit all in one piece and finished by sewing the sides of the garment to close. The contributor knit the sweater using worsted weight wool yarn (Quince and Co Lark) and US size 8 casein needles as part of a doctoral dissertation on women's volunteer knitting during the First and Second World War. It is one of 13 other objects knit for the project.</p>
American Red Cross
2016
2019.001
Pussyhats
<p>Some of these pussyhats were made for women across the country to wear at the Women's March in Washington D.C. </p>
<p>Others were made for local women to wear to local marches. My daughters and I participated in a march in Morris Minnesota.</p>
<p>The marches took place around the world on January 21, 2017.<br /><br />They were made with Lion Brand Hometown bulky yarn and knit in the round on size 13 needles. I could make a hat in about 30 minutes, and made 20+ hats inspired by the pussyhat project. <a href="https://www.pussyhatproject.com/">https://www.pussyhatproject.com/</a></p>
Grandy, Ann
2017
2020.019
Pink wool crocheted baby blanket
<p>Pink crocheted baby blanket made by Alice Eichelberger Cleland (1864-1938) of Middletown, Dauphin County, PA, USA, possibly for her youngest daughters Lottie Cleland (1892-1905) and Louella Cleland Weirich (1895-1983). Louella probably also used the blanket for her own daughters, Gloria Weirich Milspaw (1922- ) and Mitzi Weirich Caldwell (1927-2018).</p>
Alice Eichelberger Cleland (1864-1938)
1880
36" x 40"
2020.014
Pineapple crecheted edge on round, worn cotton doily
<p>Doily with crocheted pineapple edging made by Alice E Cleland, (1864-1938) in Middletown, Dauphin Co, PA, USA, probably for her own use, and probably in the 1880s.</p>
Cleland, Alice E
1880
Worn thin cotton doily, 23" diameter with 5" ivory crocheted pineapple edging
2020.018
Photo of crocheter Maria Antonia ("Antoinette") Ludovici Martinez, San Bruno, California, USA
<p>I took this photo of my grandma on her birthday--we had made the cake, and I had used for it what were in my opinion the best candleholders, the ballerina candleholders. My grandma was an excellent crocheter, as were most of the Italian and Italian-American women in my family; crochet was considered something that the women in the family did. They could all embroider, do at least basic sewing, and some did more--my grandmother crocheted beautiful things her whole life, moving to crocheting with only thicker yarns as her eyesight and arthritis in her hands made working with thinner yarns and threads more difficult. Her mother, and perhaps she as well, also tatted. My grandmother could also sew anything.</p>
Photo by Heather Hernandez
ca. 1975-1979
Scan of color photographic print
2021.014
Phone cases, a pouch, a tissue case
My mother’s made mobile phone cases when they were folding types. Also a mini tissue paper cover, and a small pouch with floral ornaments.
All from cotton lace threat, white or beige, adorned with flowers, beads, woven cloth with a pompon, and crocheted in floral patterns.
Teruko Takahashi
1990’s
Maximum 15x10cm small bags and pouches
2019.009
Nantucket jacket by Heather Hernandez, Berkeley, California, USA
<p>My version of the Nantucket Jacket designed by Norah Gaughan and published in the Winter 2006 issue of Interweave Knits, pages 62-64; Ravelry pattern page here: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nantucket-jacket">https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nantucket-jacket</a>, and my Ravelry project page here: <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/projects/igel/nantucket-jacket">https://www.ravelry.com/projects/igel/nantucket-jacket</a> Like many who have knit this pattern I altered it, but I only extended the sleeves, adjusted the trim to place the scallops over the buttonholes, only used four buttons, and tacked the collar down in the back over the seam between the collar and the body (further details on my Ravelry project page). It is knit of Jupiter Moon Farm Sabine yarn, worsted weight, 40% Cotton, 30% Llama, 30% Merino, modeled by myself.</p>
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Hernandez, Heather
2016
Smallest size, 34"
2022.003
My First Knitted Sweater
<p>I knitted my first sweater, a pullover, at age 17. The pattern appeared in <em>Ladies Circle Needlework</em> magazine's Fall-Winter 1968 issue. It was likely made in Red Heart or a similar yarn of a worsted weight. I still have the sweater and the magazine. I'd been knitting for almost 10 years by then and doing a sweater was certainly a learning experience. I've made many sweaters since, but this one has a fond spot in my knitter's heart.</p>
Huset, Marilyn
1968
2019.029
Mr. Elsner's Knitted Kitties
<p>Mr. Elsner was one of few men who arrived in my hometown of Schwarzenbach an der Saale, a town in Northern Bavaria, Germany, from the Russian Prisoner of War camps after World War II.</p>
<p>He couldn't go to his home in East Germany, which was newly occupied by the Russians. His wife managed to arrive in Schwarzenbach before he did. They were among many refugees in the town.</p>
<p>German soldiers were known to knit their own socks, and Mr. Elsner may have learned to knit during his military service or in the POW camp.</p>
<p>Soldiers received a cigarette allowance, but Mr. Elsner didn't smoke. Instead, he bartered his allotted cigarettes for knitting supplies and other goods.</p>
<p>In Schwarzenbach, he knitted little toys, like these garter stitch kitties. He gave them to children, and the white kitties were gifts to my two older children, Suzann and Eric.</p>
<p>My youngest son Van and I stopped by Mr. Elsner's apartment for the last time, when we visited Germany in 1974. I never knew his or his wife's first names. They were very nice people.</p>
<p>Mr. Elsner's work inspired Suzann, then around 8 years old, to try her hand at knitting a kitty herself. The blue kitty was the result.</p>
<p>The white kitties by Mr. Elsner are about 6 inches tall, with features embroidered in black and knitted black tails. One is stuffed with foam rubber, which is deteriorating and may soon be replaced with polyester fiberfill. The blue kitty is the same height, with a tail braided with yellow, coral, and blue yarns, probably from a variegated skein.</p>
Mr. Elsner
1960s
about 6 inches tall
2019.033
Mismatched Shetland Mitts
<p><span>Two right-handed, mismatched, fingerless mitts, ca. 1997 or later. Shetland wool, hand knitted in Shetland, UK. Maker or makers unknown at this time, pending further research. Possibly by the same maker, or not. </span></p>
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<p><span>Traditional colorwork based on “XO” patterns. Tan mitt is knitted in a palette of natural colors. Blue mitt is knitted in a palette of blues and purples. Condition: Good, with tan mitt requiring repair to the bound off edge of the third finger. Thumb style is traditional.</span></p>
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<p><span>These mismatched mitts were once pairs of mitts </span>purchased by my mother-in-law, Betty H. Lindsay during her travels to Shetland, UK. Betty Lindsay was co-owner of Yarns International in Bethesda, Maryland, and a co-founder/co-creator of Yarns International’s <em>Shetland 2000</em> yarn – a joint venture with Jamieson & Smith Woolen Mills of Lerwick, Shetland.<a>[1]</a></p>
<p>During our first family visit to Shetland in 1997, when Betty was initially inspired to create <em>Shetland 2000</em>, we shopped at the Islesburgh Exhibition in Lerwick, a cultural center where we met many Shetland knitters, including Anna Bell Bray. My husband and I joined my mother-in-law and father-in-law, Betty and Joe Lindsay, a week into their stay in Shetland that summer, and Betty had already visited many shops in the area, including the Islesburgh Exhibition, making some purchases of the beautiful knitwear -- a tradition she continued in future years. These mitts may have been purchased in 1997, or later. She wore them with love and enthusiasm. Finding these mismatched mitts after her death, I had a strong and vivid memory of her ceremoniously drawing her Shetland mitts out – one from each pocket of her coat – and pulling them on as she left the store. </p>
<p>The mitts show two different expressions of the Shetland knitting tradition – the "XO" patterns here are interpreted in traditional natural colors, and in a more contemporary palette featuring tonal blues and purples. All yarns used are likely overdyed Shetland Jumper Weight yarns, as shown in the accompanying color card.</p>
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<p>Please stay tuned for my forthcoming blog post about Betty, these mitts, and her passionate efforts to save the Shetland sheep!<span></span></p>
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<p><a>[1]</a> https://jamiesonandsmith.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/yarn-series-shetland-supreme-jumper-weight/</p>
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Maker or Makers Currently Unidentified
Ca. 1997-2000
8" long x 3.5" W (both mitts)
2019.017
Miniature crocheted pillow by Heather Hawkins Hernandez, Berkeley, California, USA
<p>A dollhouse scale cushion. <span style="font-family:'Bookman Old Style', serif;">Green = Coats & Clark tatting-crochet size 70, black = DMC Retors special dentelles size 80, made with a .4mm crochet hook, pattern is "</span><span style="font-family:'Bookman Old Style', serif;">Crocheted cushion" by Venus Dodge, from the book <em>Dolls’ House Needlecrafts : over 250 projects in 1/12 scale</em>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:'Bookman Old Style', serif;"> </span></p>
Hernandez, Heather Hawkins
ca. 1995-2005
2.5 x 2.5 cm
2022.005
Maria Antonia Ludovici Martinez's crochet hooks
<p>All the crochet hooks that were my grandmother's, that I inherited, along with the containers she kept them in, a plastic Polident Tablet container (the tablets were used to clean dentures) and a Robert Burns Black Watch cigar case (presumably my grandfather's, although he smoked White Owl cigars most often).</p>
ca. 1910-1979
Hooks ca. 12-13 cm with containers up to 16 cm
2021.015