Friday, February 4, 2011

Woolcraft

I got a "new" Paton's Woolcraft book today:


1920s - such a perfectly Deco cover, her knitting looks like a bungalow window. This is my oldest one by far, "New and Enlarged Edition" (so maybe 2nd edition? no - scrap that I've found a 1915 version on-line http://www.allfreecrafts.com/knitting/doubleblanket.shtml (love some of the patterns in that one!) that also says new and enlarged - so 3rd? 4th?...), still "recipes" rather than patterns for "serviceable garments for every-day wear" :







Sadly she's in very fragile condition so I'll have to be gentle on her. I'm enjoying the names of all the old yarns - "May Queen Lustre Wool", "Purple Heather", "Shetland Floss", "Cycle Double Knitting", "Super Wheeling" (wheeling seems to be a generic term for a heavier weight wool like a modern double knit), "Rose", "Bramble", "Kingfisher", "Moorland. No Totem or Bluebell in sight.

I seem to be attracting a bit of a collection of Woolcraft books, I have a bad habit of doing that ;-)


The top 4 are English editions, the rest Australian.  I really think the cover designs are fantastic, until the 70s, they are pretty unispiring.  The English and Australian versions are quite different, different styling, photos, illustrations and choice of patterns.  The English ones are the 14th, 15th and 17th Editions (50s-60s), and an un-numbered 1970s edition.  The Australian ones are from the 40s, 50s, early 60s, late 60s, and early 70s - check out how the changing fashions, while the patterns barely change at all: 






Which ones do you have?  Which ones did your mum and gran have? :-)

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