Weldon's Practical Knitter, Series 10 eBook

PieceWork magazine is pleased to present this exact reproduction (neither alterations nor corrections were made to the original published in the 1800s) from Weldon's Practical Needlework, Volume 4.

It is a fitting example of needlework and history, hand in hand. This electronic pattern book opens a window on another time and another place. The time is the turn of the twentieth century and the place is London, England. Needleworkers of that era would be amazed to see their favorite knitting patterns in a virtual format of which they could never have dreamed.

In an effort to bring needlework to the emerging middle class, Weldon's, a paper pattern company of the Victorian era, began to publish monthly newsletters devoted to various crafts (beading, knitting, crochet, patchwork, and the like). These newsletters were typically 14 pages and cost 2 pence. Later, they were collected into book form, titled Weldon's Practical Needlework.

We have reproduced for you here the knitting material from the Tenth Series into a convenient eBook. The 27 knitting patterns range from simple to ornate and include an adorable child's Jersey Jacket worked in Brioche Knitting; a quilt square in the Mulberry Leaf pattern; stylish men's socks, including one pair worked in Railway Stitch; a Fancy Basket; sweet booties for baby; and Cockle Shell Knitting. The instructions might perplex a contemporary knitter accustomed to detailed charts and succinct directions, but the patterns are often ingenious, and many of the objects transcend the century-plus span of years since they were devised.

This electronic book serves as a curiosity, an inspiration, a resource, and a link to a time beyond our memories. In using and enjoying it, you keep the craft alive.