During a visit to Shetland in July 1997 with my mother-in-law, Betty Lindsay and father-in-law Joe Lindsay, we met Anna Bell Bray at the Islesburgh Exhibition, where she and a group of accomplished knitters and designers from the area exhibited and sold their work. As I've written elsewhere, Anna Bell Bray’s work is distinguished by couturier details that are difficult to achieve in knitwear made using traditional Shetland knitting techniques. She agreed to knit a vest for my husband -- to be sent to us whenever it was completed -- sizing him on the spot just by looking at him. We knew whatever she created would be amazing, and so it is.
The photos show many views of the vest, and capture Anna Bell Bray's masterful use of light and dark values and large Norwegian-style star motifs to achieve an almost kaleidoscopic visual effect. An unusual ribbing with checkerboard detail adds distinction. As shown in the inside-out photo, the neck ribbing reveals a patterned facing, while the hem and armholes have plain facings. These facings give the garment a more finished look by enclosing the raw edges, and allow it to better hold its shape. The facings also reduce the chance of excessive wear at these common stress points.
The subtle gradations in the colors, and their placement, serve to keep the eye moving over the design so that it always looks fresh and interesting. For example, one brown used in the ribbing is not used in the main body of the sweater, while the tweed yarns are used sparingly to point up the centers of the motifs.
]]>This is a man's vest made by Anna Bell Bray of Shetland, UK for my husband, Wade Lindsay, in late 1997 or early 1998. The vest is made of Jamieson and Smith Jumper Weight wool yarn in a combination of 11 dyed natural colors, solid colors, and tweeds in the traditional manner -- knitted from the bottom up, in the round, using no more than 2 colors per round. The V-neck and armholes are steeked and cut, with the edgings picked up and knitted after cutting. Anna Bell Bray typically knitted her garments using a traditional knitting belt and 5 long steel needles.
During a visit to Shetland in July 1997 with my mother-in-law, Betty Lindsay and father-in-law Joe Lindsay, we met Anna Bell Bray at the Islesburgh Exhibition, where she and a group of accomplished knitters and designers from the area exhibited and sold their work. As I've written elsewhere, Anna Bell Bray’s work is distinguished by couturier details that are difficult to achieve in knitwear made using traditional Shetland knitting techniques. She agreed to knit a vest for my husband -- to be sent to us whenever it was completed -- sizing him on the spot just by looking at him. We knew whatever she created would be amazing, and so it is.
The photos show many views of the vest, and capture Anna Bell Bray's masterful use of light and dark values and large Norwegian-style star motifs to achieve an almost kaleidoscopic visual effect. An unusual ribbing with checkerboard detail adds distinction. As shown in the inside-out photo, the neck ribbing reveals a patterned facing, while the hem and armholes have plain facings. These facings give the garment a more finished look by enclosing the raw edges, and allow it to better hold its shape. The facings also reduce the chance of excessive wear at these common stress points.
The subtle gradations in the colors, and their placement, serve to keep the eye moving over the design so that it always looks fresh and interesting. For example, one brown used in the ribbing is not used in the main body of the sweater, while the tweed yarns are used sparingly to point up the centers of the motifs.
"Sven & Helga" are hand knitted dolls created by Judith Lasch of Middletown, New Jersey, in the year 2000. Judith created the dolls for her daughter, Callie, following a trip they had shared together to the Scandinavian countries. Folkloric dolls were a staple in their home growing up and, as Callie and her sisters honed their own making skills, making their own dolls was further encouraged. Plans for the next doll to be shared as a surprise gift were made many months in advance. Sven & Helga were named in honor of Callie's father and grandmother.
The project of the Ballerina Bunny was created from a pattern I had found (but no longer retain). It spoke to me because it encompassed a lot of my favorite things all at once: my love of ballet; my work as a ballet teacher; my love of animals, knitting, and dolls. I was especially smitten with the tutu and the faux-toe shoes. It was also a good project for learning different knitting techniques and to be able to see results quickly.
Most importantly, I knew it would make my mom happy. She had been my knitting teacher and I wanted to show her how much she had taught me. At the time, my mother was battling the final stages of her illness. I had caught a cold and for 3 weeks it was unsafe for me to visit with her, so I was seeking a way that we could still do something together that made us both feel useful and happy. Making a knitted doll, with so much personal resonance, seemed like a good solution. We talked over the phone regularly about how to approach different parts and fix issues and share pictures of our progress.
When I was finallly able to present it to Mom, her excitement was beyond what I had imagined. She loved it, for so many reasons, and certainly for more than just the accomplishment of knitting. That's what makes it a treasure - because it's an everlasting, irreplaceable, shared experience of the heart captured in each and every stitch.
]]>This Ballerina Bunny was created in celebration of many important apects of my life. I was raised in a household where giving and receiving handmade dolls was a very big part of our family culture. The joy of making them has never gone away and only increased with time.
The project of the Ballerina Bunny was created from a pattern I had found (but no longer retain). It spoke to me because it encompassed a lot of my favorite things all at once: my love of ballet; my work as a ballet teacher; my love of animals, knitting, and dolls. I was especially smitten with the tutu and the faux-toe shoes. It was also a good project for learning different knitting techniques and to be able to see results quickly.
Most importantly, I knew it would make my mom happy. She had been my knitting teacher and I wanted to show her how much she had taught me. At the time, my mother was battling the final stages of her illness. I had caught a cold and for 3 weeks it was unsafe for me to visit with her, so I was seeking a way that we could still do something together that made us both feel useful and happy. Making a knitted doll, with so much personal resonance, seemed like a good solution. We talked over the phone regularly about how to approach different parts and fix issues and share pictures of our progress.
When I was finallly able to present it to Mom, her excitement was beyond what I had imagined. She loved it, for so many reasons, and certainly for more than just the accomplishment of knitting. That's what makes it a treasure - because it's an everlasting, irreplaceable, shared experience of the heart captured in each and every stitch.
Knit from Venus Dodge's "Matinee coat" and "booties" patterns in her book, Doll's Dressmaker, using 2mm needles for the coat and 2.75mm needles for the booties, both with Schachenmayr nomotta Regia 4 faedig 4-ply, color 5033 Partie, fingering weight wool/synthetic blend yarn, for my Vogue Ginny baby doll.
When it came time to craft these holiday table mats, my received button collection came in handy. The plan was to use holiday-themed crochet applique to embellish a pair of shaggy felt rectangles.
I crocheted corrugated leaves, inspired by similar leaves in Irish Crochet lace. Crocheted with red yarn and arranged in a wide circle with stems pointing inward, the corrugated leaves made a pretty good approximation of a poinsettia flower. That was appropriate, because live poinsettia petals are specialized leaves. I tried adding crocheted green leaves, because poinsettias have those as well. No matter how I arranged them, they overwhelmed the red "petals." The piece needed green though, so I added green buttons, which probably came from the estate of one of my aunts.
A slightly altered, crocheted fern frond made a reasonable Christmas tree. My then five-year-old daughter Ella helped me choose the best red buttons to decorate the tree. Ella wanted to decorate her own tree mat, so we found a crocheted leaf, sewed it to a scrap of felt, and sewed button ornaments on it. Unfortunately, I could find only a very small photo of Ella's holiday mat.
The edges of the shaggy felt were wavy. Since the felt was synthetic, I was reluctant to press it with a hot iron. The edges needed a trim or something else to weigh them down and flatten them.
My sister-in-law's sister, Sharon, had worked in a fabric store and collected several half-gallon tubs of buttons. Sharon decided she would never use them all, so she passed them along to me. With a trove of buttons like hers, I could afford to be extravagant. I sewed a solid line of buttons just inside the edges of each holiday table mat. That flattened the edges.
I am grateful that people thought of me when they had sewing, knitting, and crochet supplies they didn't need. Naturally, I couldn't keep everything, so I passed along items I wouldn't use in a thoughtful and respectful way.
]]>Over the years, people who knew my love for knitting, crochet, and sewing entrusted me with related supplies they no longer needed, or those they inherited from loved ones and were unlikely to use.
When it came time to craft these holiday table mats, my received button collection came in handy. The plan was to use holiday-themed crochet applique to embellish a pair of shaggy felt rectangles.
I crocheted corrugated leaves, inspired by similar leaves in Irish Crochet lace. Crocheted with red yarn and arranged in a wide circle with stems pointing inward, the corrugated leaves made a pretty good approximation of a poinsettia flower. That was appropriate, because live poinsettia petals are specialized leaves. I tried adding crocheted green leaves, because poinsettias have those as well. No matter how I arranged them, they overwhelmed the red "petals." The piece needed green though, so I added green buttons, which probably came from the estate of one of my aunts.
A slightly altered, crocheted fern frond made a reasonable Christmas tree. My then five-year-old daughter Ella helped me choose the best red buttons to decorate the tree. Ella wanted to decorate her own tree mat, so we found a crocheted leaf, sewed it to a scrap of felt, and sewed button ornaments on it. Unfortunately, I could find only a very small photo of Ella's holiday mat.
The edges of the shaggy felt were wavy. Since the felt was synthetic, I was reluctant to press it with a hot iron. The edges needed a trim or something else to weigh them down and flatten them.
My sister-in-law's sister, Sharon, had worked in a fabric store and collected several half-gallon tubs of buttons. Sharon decided she would never use them all, so she passed them along to me. With a trove of buttons like hers, I could afford to be extravagant. I sewed a solid line of buttons just inside the edges of each holiday table mat. That flattened the edges.
I am grateful that people thought of me when they had sewing, knitting, and crochet supplies they didn't need. Naturally, I couldn't keep everything, so I passed along items I wouldn't use in a thoughtful and respectful way.
Design adapted from one in the book Ouvrages de Dames edited by Jules Trigoulet, available on the Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/MAB.31962000791123Images ; a chart that I made is also available at http://www.imagists.org/knitting/crochetpillowcover.pdf . Crocheted out of size 10 DMC Cebelia cotton with a 1.4mm steel crochet hook, I then sewed the crocheted piece onto one side of peach linen.
The snowflakes were crocheted using white Aunt Lydia's brand #10 cotton crochet thread using a #8 or #7 steel hook. Once completed, I blocked and starched the flakes so they would hold their shape as ornaments on the Christmas tree.
Growing up in Mississippi, snow was a rarity. After that, I continued to live in the southerly climates of Florida & Texas. A "White Christmas" has never really been a possibility (except during the couple of years I spent living in Germany). Around 2014 or so, I decided to kick my crochet skills up a notch by learning to use the tiny steel hooks & cotton thread. Doilies didn't really appeal to me, but snowflakes! ❄ I could have a White Christmas -- without the cold...or the need to shovel!
For a time, I was addicted to making these. Each one was a small, compact & quickly finished project. Because no two snowflakes are alike, I felt free to make variations & create totally new designs. I made so many snowflakes that I started giving them away. Eventually, all my snowflakes had new homes, and my passion for making them melted away just like the snow...but I still have the memories.
]]>Some of the designs pictured here are probably by Deborah Atkinson (Ravelry); I learned a lot from studying & making her snowflake patterns. Others in the picture are of my own design. I entered these pictures in CraftStylish's "Dare to Make it: Holiday, 2014" contest -- and won the top prize!
The snowflakes were crocheted using white Aunt Lydia's brand #10 cotton crochet thread using a #8 or #7 steel hook. Once completed, I blocked and starched the flakes so they would hold their shape as ornaments on the Christmas tree.
Growing up in Mississippi, snow was a rarity. After that, I continued to live in the southerly climates of Florida & Texas. A "White Christmas" has never really been a possibility (except during the couple of years I spent living in Germany). Around 2014 or so, I decided to kick my crochet skills up a notch by learning to use the tiny steel hooks & cotton thread. Doilies didn't really appeal to me, but snowflakes! ❄ I could have a White Christmas -- without the cold...or the need to shovel!
For a time, I was addicted to making these. Each one was a small, compact & quickly finished project. Because no two snowflakes are alike, I felt free to make variations & create totally new designs. I made so many snowflakes that I started giving them away. Eventually, all my snowflakes had new homes, and my passion for making them melted away just like the snow...but I still have the memories.
Shown here are some of the characters, props, and sets that Jennifer crocheted for the book.
]]>The Big Acorn Race is a 72-page crochet story and pattern book by Jennifer Olivarez that was published in 2016. The story follows the amigurumi characters from the crochet blog, Squirrel Picnic, as they compete to see who can get an acorn out of a tree first. It sounds simple, but there’s a catch: they aren’t allowed to climb the tree. They each must use their wit and imagination to find an alternative solution. The Big Acorn Race also includes 15 crochet patterns and projects to make the items featured in the story.
Shown here are some of the characters, props, and sets that Jennifer crocheted for the book.
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: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nantucket-jacket, and my Ravelry project page here: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/igel/nantucket-jacket 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Spindles, Peru, 2017.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Others were made for local women to wear to local marches. My daughters and I participated in a march in Morris Minnesota.
The marches took place around the world on January 21, 2017.
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. https://www.pussyhatproject.com/
Some of these pussyhats were made for women across the country to wear at the Women's March in Washington D.C.
Others were made for local women to wear to local marches. My daughters and I participated in a march in Morris Minnesota.
The marches took place around the world on January 21, 2017.
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. https://www.pussyhatproject.com/
I ran across it several times over the next 30-some years, but didn't crochet it again until 2017. Our daughters' piano teacher and our good friend remarried, and she and her new husband didn't need anything at all. I tucked a crocheted picot heart in a card for the couple, writing that I hoped they would think of the heart as a symbol of all the good things to come. "It was perfect!" my friend said.
In 2020, I needed to write a bunch of extra-special thank you notes. Crocheted hearts might be just what I needed to help me not just say, but show my gratitude.
One recipient was a life-long fan of The University of Texas at Austin, so he received a burnt orange picot heart. He also enjoyed iced tea, and I thought he might use his crocheted heart as a coaster. The yarn was Brown Sheep Company's Cotton Fleece, crocheted with a U. S. size H-8 (5mm) hook.
Friends who raised buffalo gave me a big box of buffalo fur and hair plucked from bushes, trees, and barbed wire fences. Their picot heart was crocheted with buffalo fur which I spun and plied with a hand spindle. The yarn was bulky and was crocheted with a U. S. size K-10.5 (6.5mm) hook.
What will people do with the crocheted hearts? Maybe they will add a piece of thread to hang the heart as an ornament, glue the heart into a scrapbook, or give it to their Valentine. Maybe they will just leave it lying around where they can see it from time to time, and let it remind them that their efforts were appreciated.
The red hearts are crocheted with No. 10 crochet cotton and a Susan Bates aluminum hook, U. S. steel size 4 (2mm). They are about 1.75 x 1.75 inches.
]]>I designed this sweet crocheted picot heart in the 1980s, envisioning it as an applique motif to embellish handmade or purchased items.
I ran across it several times over the next 30-some years, but didn't crochet it again until 2017. Our daughters' piano teacher and our good friend remarried, and she and her new husband didn't need anything at all. I tucked a crocheted picot heart in a card for the couple, writing that I hoped they would think of the heart as a symbol of all the good things to come. "It was perfect!" my friend said.
In 2020, I needed to write a bunch of extra-special thank you notes. Crocheted hearts might be just what I needed to help me not just say, but show my gratitude.
One recipient was a life-long fan of The University of Texas at Austin, so he received a burnt orange picot heart. He also enjoyed iced tea, and I thought he might use his crocheted heart as a coaster. The yarn was Brown Sheep Company's Cotton Fleece, crocheted with a U. S. size H-8 (5mm) hook.
Friends who raised buffalo gave me a big box of buffalo fur and hair plucked from bushes, trees, and barbed wire fences. Their picot heart was crocheted with buffalo fur which I spun and plied with a hand spindle. The yarn was bulky and was crocheted with a U. S. size K-10.5 (6.5mm) hook.
What will people do with the crocheted hearts? Maybe they will add a piece of thread to hang the heart as an ornament, glue the heart into a scrapbook, or give it to their Valentine. Maybe they will just leave it lying around where they can see it from time to time, and let it remind them that their efforts were appreciated.
The red hearts are crocheted with No. 10 crochet cotton and a Susan Bates aluminum hook, U. S. steel size 4 (2mm). They are about 1.75 x 1.75 inches.
I live in a small community 30 miles east of Madison, Wisconsin. I wanted to do something to show my support for the Black Lives Matter movement. There hasn't been any protests here, but that doesn't mean people don't care. So I made this. It's not much, but it's what I can do with my voice.
]]>This knitted yarn bomb hangs inside my front porch window. I designed and made it in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in July of 2020. I used size 13 needles and employed intarsia technique.
I live in a small community 30 miles east of Madison, Wisconsin. I wanted to do something to show my support for the Black Lives Matter movement. There hasn't been any protests here, but that doesn't mean people don't care. So I made this. It's not much, but it's what I can do with my voice.
This version is Biggie 2.0, knit in bulky superwash wool (Cascade 128) and in a smaller needle size (US 8/5mm) to help make him sturdier. He's stuffed with polyfil and has a knit heart inside. Future Biggies may be needed, so the heart can be transferred if necessary into his new regenerated form.
]]>This bear was knit as a replacement for the original "Biggie Bear," a knit bear created using Bobbi Intveld's Baby Bobbi Bear pattern. Rebecca made it for her niece, and he became its owner's favorite stuffed bear. Unfortunately, the cotton yarn and loose knit construction of the original made him less able to withstand the elements. He is still very well loved, but is now more of a bear blanket, as his child pulled all of his stuffing out.
This version is Biggie 2.0, knit in bulky superwash wool (Cascade 128) and in a smaller needle size (US 8/5mm) to help make him sturdier. He's stuffed with polyfil and has a knit heart inside. Future Biggies may be needed, so the heart can be transferred if necessary into his new regenerated form.
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.
]]>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.
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.
The project consists of a five small creatures made from single ply wool yarn from the creator's stash and a log also made from stash yarn. Both components were fulled (felted) in the washing machine and by hand, then stuffed with polyfil.
]]>This is a set of Woodins, knit from the Woodins pattern by Anna Hrachovec that appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Knitty. The creator knit it for her niece's second birthday and added felt birthday hats for each creature.
The project consists of a five small creatures made from single ply wool yarn from the creator's stash and a log also made from stash yarn. Both components were fulled (felted) in the washing machine and by hand, then stuffed with polyfil.
This jacket is hand knitted in pure wool individually dyed. It is an Alison Ellen design, and a modular knit. It has a small peplum at the waist and hand made buttons. It was knitted by Betty Dobson.
First, I knitted the yellow piece, which was about 5 inches wide at the start. As many beginning knitters do, I accidentally added stitches, so the width at my last row was 6.75 inches. The piece measured 4.75 inches from bottom to top. The yarn was probably wool.
I had watched my mother knit slipper socks for my father. They were blue with a wondrous stranded pattern in red. After the heel, she worked two sets of 2 x 2 stranded checks, for a total of four rounds. Then came a decorative diamond shaped pattern, and finally another 4 rounds of 2 x 2 checks.
"Mom, I want to knit checks," I told her. She gave me more wool, and told me how to knit checks. I offer written instructions, all these years later:
Following her spoken instructions, I created a (mostly) checkerboard pattern with textures. But, "Mom, I want to knit colors!" I said, thinking of the checks on the slipper socks she made.
She gave me multi-color yarn in the Fiesta colorway. I guess that satisfied me for a time. The finished piece was 5 to 6 inches wide and 10-ish inches from cast on to bind off.
My mom influenced the course of my life by teaching me how to knit. I am glad she did.
]]>My mother, Anna Wirth Thompson (1936- ) learned to knit, crochet, embroider, and sew in school in Germany, where she was born and grew up. She taught me to knit when I was seven years old. I was in Mrs. Stone's second grade class at Edgemere Elementary School in Plainview, Texas, at the time.
First, I knitted the yellow piece, which was about 5 inches wide at the start. As many beginning knitters do, I accidentally added stitches, so the width at my last row was 6.75 inches. The piece measured 4.75 inches from bottom to top. The yarn was probably wool.
I had watched my mother knit slipper socks for my father. They were blue with a wondrous stranded pattern in red. After the heel, she worked two sets of 2 x 2 stranded checks, for a total of four rounds. Then came a decorative diamond shaped pattern, and finally another 4 rounds of 2 x 2 checks.
"Mom, I want to knit checks," I told her. She gave me more wool, and told me how to knit checks. I offer written instructions, all these years later:
Following her spoken instructions, I created a (mostly) checkerboard pattern with textures. But, "Mom, I want to knit colors!" I said, thinking of the checks on the slipper socks she made.
She gave me multi-color yarn in the Fiesta colorway. I guess that satisfied me for a time. The finished piece was 5 to 6 inches wide and 10-ish inches from cast on to bind off.
My mom influenced the course of my life by teaching me how to knit. I am glad she did.
An antimacassar for the back of a chair, made in filet crochet by Alice Eichelberger Cleland (1864-1938). She produced an extraordinary amount of fine crochet during her married life. She was born and lived in Middletown, Dauphin County, PA, USA. This piece was probably made somewhere between 1890 - 1900.