Dogwood Mountain Arts

As we approach fall and the colder months of the year, it seemed appropriate to turn towards winter wear books as the first to review at DMA. So, today we will be looking through “A Winter Gift: for ladies” published by G. B. Zieber and Co in 1848.

 Unfortunately the only author listed for this particular book is that it is “revised and enlarged by an American lady” and taken from the “newest and most fashionable patterns from…London”.

 It is found on the online resource Antique Pattern Library as a free download as a pdf. Link at bottom of the page.

Baseline Information:

The patterns are listed as for: Knitting, netting, and ‘crotchet’. As a Winter Wear book there are patterns for: mittens for babies, muffatees, purses, collars, fringe, scarf, columns for quilts, and socks. And for Gifts: pincushion, kettle holder, curtain, doilies. However they turned out to be 70% knitted, 25% netting, and approximately only 5% crochet. And none had pictures for me to include or reference. If you wish to try any of these, it will be quite an exciting experiment especially as we do not use “muffatees” anymore and cannot clearly picture them in our minds (They are basically fingerless gloves for anyone curious).

The teaching referenced in the opening statements are knitted stitch and terminology definitions, as well as an attempt to write clearly the patterns in the book (which is not what you normally see in 1800’s patterns). There are no beginning instructions for learning netting, which unfortunately has not been passed down through the years as well as knitting or crochet.

Crochet definitions start on page 53 with a definition of “single crotchet stitch” (modern slip stitch in US terms) and page 54 recommends the “double crotchet stitch as “very pretty for bags” with a foundation of 80-120 ch. 

Further Information and Analysis:

Method of increasing in crochet is to chain 1 after a certain number of stitches, as in the “Plain Double Crotchet Stitch Purse” on page 55.  That is very typical for the time however as a method of increasing stitches. It is very interesting how, in the Gentleman’s cap on page 56, the way to use the two colors of wool is to “fasten [the next color] on a few stitches before you want to use it” by holding it over the first finger of your yarn hand and to crochet stitches “passing the needle over the scarlet wool, in the next stitch pass it under, and proceed in this manner until you want it” and effectively weaving in the new color on the backside of the work. My analysis is that it is more like the way knitters have certain floats in their colorwork patterns, rather than crocheting over the unused yarn with every stitch as most crocheters do. This method also will hide the contrasting color much more than putting it under every stitch.

After these very few crochet patterns, there is no specific mark that it has moved back to knitted patterns, and mostly looks like very confusing possible crochet patterns until the pattern states to “slip and bind” and “leaving the stitches on the other needle”. That clearly defines it as a knitted sock pattern, and no more crochet patterns are to be found in the book. 

The beginning statements declare that the crafts “are so carefully explained, that a person totally unacquainted with their mysteries, may become a proficient with very slight pains.” However, that is only true for the knitted and crocheted patterns, especially as we still have the tradition of those crafts continuing today. 

Unfortunately I cannot speak on the subject of 1840’s definitions of knitting terminology or what style of terminology is used. Please message if you have insight, I’d love to learn! 

Crochet terminology is antique US, which is also UK terminology. The definition of “double crotchet stitch” is a current US single crochet.

Personal Review:

Overall I really enjoy the opening the best out of the entire book. There is a charming little essay on the “indispensable accompaniment” of a light handiwork project when meeting with friends or groups. “Many an hour which would pass tediously if [the group] were forced to find topics of conversation, may be whiled pleasantly and profitably away, by the assistance of some agreeable employment, which interests without engrossing the attention.” 

If I were to try any pattern or stitch from the book I would like to try the “Muffatee stitch” for crochet listed as the recommended stitch for mittens and baby shoes, but I would not get this book as a crocheter. There are many other winter crochet books I would get, even antique 19th century crochet books (sending love to Mlle Riego always) rather than this pamphlet. I am, however, intrigued by the advertisement at the end for “The New Ballroom Guide or Dancing Made Easy” by “A  Man of Fashion” or “Housekeeping Made Easy”… maybe for another day. These show that “made easy” is not a new trend in American culture, but again… maybe that’s for another day.

• A Winter Gift: for ladies- 1848 https://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/html/warm/crochet.htm