Morning Cap Godey's Lady's Book 1861

     This is my new morning cap, copied from the August 1861 issue of Godey's Ladies Book.  It is made of white batiste, the finest lace I could find (which still isn't comperable to the laces of the 19C), and blue velvet ribbon.  I followed the advice of the Sewing Academy and pleated the edges rather than gathering them and then whipped the pleats together.  The base pattern was adapted from Butterick 5663.

     Caps in the 19C were quite the accessory for the fashionable lady.  Some were worn as dress caps by married ladies, out of the house to dinner, dancing, the theatre etc.  Some, like this one, were worn around the house in the morning prior to fixing one's hair for the day.  These were usually worn in combination with a wrapper and were sometimes called breakfast caps as they made frequent appearances at that meal.  Keep watching the blog for pictures of  me dressed in my wrapper and caps.  I hope to dress up in them today for my quilting Christmas party.

     I thought I would update you all, as I realize I didn't include the information in the last post.  For the parasol, I plan to recover it as closely to the original as possible.  This will be a functional living history item for myself, and I want to maintain the accuracy of the parasol.  I am currently on the hunt for black silk taffeta as my local fabric shop doesn't have any.  Whatever happened to black being a wardrobe basic?  I'll probably have to resort to ordering a 1/2 yd online - oh brother.

It's Here!

My parasol was delivered last Wednesday and I'm still super excited about it.  When I opened the package I was very surprised at how tiny it is.  It would very nearly fit inside a standard shoe box, the canopy itself is about the size of a large platter (18" - 19" in diameter).  This is the cutest thing.  The ribs are completely intact, one is slightly bent, but should be easy to straighten out.  The fabric is completely shot and deteriorating quickly, but I think I have enough to create a pattern for a new cover.

 

This is a Marquis parasol dating from the early 1860's and is a very typical representation.  A Marquis parasol, from what I have learned recently, is a very distinct style of parasol.  They were almost exclusively manufactured mid 19c. and in the United States, with steel ribs and a wooden shaft with varying shapes for the finial and handle.  The covering itself was always black, though not indicative of mourning, and could have up to three ruffles.  Black was used for these parasols as brightly colored silks were hard to come by during the war and were quite expensive.  A parasol was almost a necessity in a fashionable lady's wardrobe of the time as bonnets were getting smaller and some protection was needed from the sun.  The Marquis style was easy to come by as it was sold in local department stores for sometimes as little as a dollar.  These parasols were definitely a functional, but fashionable accessory.  I would venture a guess (this could get me into trouble I know) that most women and older girls had one unless they were quite poor, or for reasons of locale such as remote farm wife etc.  Again I will stress the word fashionable; if they could, or wanted to keep up with fashion, even in a slight way, where they had occasion to dress up in their best a parasol was a very likely accessory.

Parasol Frustration

Oh, the delays of the mail!  Why couldn't things just work out one day sooner?  I won this parasol on ebay last weekend for a whopping $20.  Yes, it looks sad, but the frame is intact so all I need is a bit of silk taffetta to make a new cover - easy enough.  However, the mail is against me getting my parasol.  The little elves that make the post office work have turned into parasol trolls and are probably all playing with it as it has made it's way from NJ.   It was processed through the Federal Way, WA sorting facility early this morning (I'm stalking the tracking system), but there is no way on earth that it can be delivered in Blaine today.  It's scheduled for delivery tomorrow!  Tomorrow doesn't work, we have to go across the border today!  Now I have to wait another whole week, while my new toy sits in a dark, cold, lonely office waiting for me.  (Sighs)

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night

I made it home from knit night last night at Black Sheep Yarns just before the storm hit.   The weather man had been foretelling throughout the day that this storm was coming, but like most people I can be a little sceptical of his actual foreknowledge.  He was very correct yesterday, right down to the approximate time the storm would hit - near midnight.
     I had just settled into my recliner, after starting a load of laundry and starting the dishwasher, to work a little more of the hat I had begun at knit night.  [It's the Bramble Beret from Vintage Modern Knits]  I was having a bit of trouble getting the gauge right for the band so that the hat would fit correctly, but after changing needle sizes and knitting a few rounds I was able to try it on.  It fit great.  The pattern calls for the band to be knit on sz 5 (3.75mm ) needles, but after looking at the band, I could tell it would be just too small so I went up to sz 6 (4 mm) and bingo.
    Suddenly, the doors on our fireplace began to rattle and I heard a suspicious tapping on our front window.  Sophie's ears were perked up and she was starting to growl.  As I sat, nice and warm and cozy with some ohh so soft yarn in my lap, I could hear the wind and the rain begin to pick up.  It absolutely howled down the chimney and under the eaves, sounding nearly like a freight train.  (If you've never been in Vancouver for one of our windstorms they are certainly an event.)  The wind and rain continued through the night making sleep a much desired commodity.  Hubby went to sleep downstairs on the couch, and Sophie soon followed him.  At one point, I had to make a dash into the front yard to rescue two small climbing roses from  an arbor that the wind decided was ill placed.
    This morning I awoke to quiet.  The rain and wind had all but stopped and it looked like the clouds were beginning to lift.  Taking a look around the yard, tarps are blown off objects they were meant to protect, the canopy of my swing was lifted and set back askew, the garbage can was blown open and moved, and there is tree litter everywhere.  The forecast I'm hearing for today is for a bit more rain, but the sun is slated for a cameo appearance later tomorrow afternoon.  Maybe then I'll get out and clean up some of the wind's destruction.

Remembrance Day 11/11/11

I love the fact that Canada takes Remembrance Day so seriously.  For a week now, service men and women have been standing outside of many different stores and buildings selling red poppies to aid our veterans.  I can't help but recall the men and woman in my family that have fought, served, and continue to serve to establish, secure, and preserve the freedoms that I enjoy.

Abraham Ream, Pennsylvania Militia, Revolutionary War

John Cox, died at Cheat Mtn Virginia 1861 US CW
Joel Line Cox,  US CW
Jesse T. Cox, US CW
Joseph Cox, US CW

Burnette O. Bower "Pete", WWI

Gaylord "Jack" Ream, WWII
Lindley Cox, WWII

Don Ream, Vietnam Conflict Pacific
Marilyn Ream, Vietnam Conflict Pacific

Cpt Matthew Ream, USAF JAG

I'm calling my Veterans today, how about you?

Circular Sock Knitting.

Recently I have been learning to knit socks on a CSM (circular sock knitting machine) that a friend of mine is refurbishing for the owner.  Circular sock knitting machines were originally manufactured in the late nineteenth century and continued to be produced up until the second world war.  Sock knitting became a cottage industry early in the twentieth century as women began turning out socks from home, with the machine being purchase by an "employer".  Some machines were purchased by a community and passed from house to house through the year as a housewife would produce socks for her family.  A friend of mine recalls a CSM at home when she was a child, and remembers the fun of turning the crank.  They are quite fun to use and almost magically produce socks, though I think I still prefer to knit them by hand.

 The guide feeds the yarn into the top of the carrier.  (At the bottom of the cylinder in the picture)  This carrier is moved counter clockwise around the cylinder by turning the crank.  As the yarn is carried around the cylinder, it is caught by tiny latch hook style needles that pull the yarn through each previous stitch creating a knit tube.  Each sock size is determined by 1) the size of the cylinder (60 sts, 80 sts etc - number of needles it will hold) and 2) the number of rounds between the heel and toe.  The heels and toes are shaped in a similar manner, by only knitting on half of the needles. When you are finished you end up with a long, funny shaped scarf, like this:

The yellow yarn is waste yarn that is used to start the sock, the white yarn to the left is the division between the first and second sock, and you can see a heel at the center top of the picture.  All that's left is to stitch down the top hem, and graft together the toe. (On my second pair of socks we were able to do the hem at the cuff in one step on the machine, eliminating the extra finishing step.)

My friend brought the knitting machine to knit night at our lys (local yarn shop) Black Sheep Yarns to let everyone see how a CSM worked.  (I had forgotten to take pictures to show you all while I was making my socks, so I sat and posed for a shot.)

Sweater Weather

The temperature is definitely dropping here in BC.  We've had frost on the grass for a couple of mornings, and there is a definite chill in the air.  The beautiful leaves and sunshine are an added bonus this year.  All of this means I'm ready to start pulling out my sweaters.  There's only one problem with sweaters while living where we do.  It's usually too warm to keep them on all the time.  When we moved here from Nebraska, my winter wardrobe consisted of several really warm pullover style sweaters that I'd wear with turtlenecks, this was great in Nebraska.  Here, I was too warm.  I have had to modify my woolies significantly.  My sweaters now are much lighter affairs, sometimes blended with cotton, and usually cardigans that are easy to layer.  Here is my newest finished sweater,February Lady, she is just perfect for our BC winters, and I know she will see a lot of use.