One of my treasures is a 1958 edition of the Lux Knitting book. My grandmother gave me her copy many years ago, and it’s a treat.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

So, to find an even earlier edition just had me over the moon.

The 1951 edition is particularly poignant,

because of a statement from the editor.

The un-named editor explains

that it is the first edition in more than 7 years,

because of a paper shortage from ‘the war’.

Apparently, the previous Lux Knitting book

sold out in a few short weeks,

and could not be reproduced

because there was no paper for it.

Yikes….. I had no idea!

I absolutely love many of the baby and toddler patterns in the Lux books, and am working on some of them for our daughter’s baby.

(Wheeeeeeeeeeee and hee hee hee- I am still giddy with delight about the new baby… wheeeeeeeeee)

I’d love to know more about the history of the Lux Knitting books…. bless the Lux soap company for sponsoring these wonderful books that give a window on domestic life in the 20th century.

Here’s a link to a blog that has posted images from a New Zealand edition from 1942.  Lux NZ

I searched on the net to see if there was any history of the Lux knitting books, and checked Wikipedia, too… but didn’t find any info.

Do you know anything about them? When did Lux start the series? How long did they publish them?

It may seem trivial, but, they are an accurate and valuable reflection of our history of yarn crafting- so  I’d love to know more…..

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

I’ve been making lace ever since. I started crocheting lace when I was a teenager, then learned how to tat in my 20’s. And, I’ve been knitting lace ever since I learned to put those holes where I wanted them!

But, that was lace making in the 20th C, and the title of this posting is about the 19th C!

When I was trying to find an article about a lacemaker in the 19th C, I was disappointed to see that the link I had bookmarked had disappeared. So, I did a little googling, and found some fascinating stuff…..

Emily Clare, lacemaker

I was enchanted by the liveliness and animation in Emily Clare’s face…. I bet she was a charmer!

Being a lacemaker in the 19th C was not an easy life. I’m glad that the internet can help us to remember those lacemakers of long ago! Bless ‘em!

Post from: Hankering for Yarn

I just did a quick google search about tatting shuttles and other needlework tools.

One of the neatest things that came up was a site that has a copy of a book called:

‘Old Time Tools and Toys of Needlework’ 

It’s such a charming read that I found myself getting totally absorbed in it!

I loved reading about the Lady Hoare shuttles.  The quotation about the joys and pleasures of needlework is just lovely. I don’t want to break copyright, so I won’t quote it, but definitely recommend a quick browse (or leisurely schmooz ).

Interesting that the poet Chaucer wrote about ladies doing something he called ‘pearling’ or ‘purling’, but it sounds like tatting, not knitting…..  hmmmm…..

intriguing…..

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay 

Post from: Hankering for Yarn