photo above: knitted Victorian Silk Reticule, 1863 instructions interpreted and knitted by the incomparable Sara Lamb. See more photos, including the original 1863 illustration, in the gallery below.
Sara Lamb, a very talented fiber artist, was inspired to recreate "Bag-Purse in Silk Netting" by Mrs. Jane Weaver, originally published in Peterson's Magazine, January 1863, page 81.
Victorian knitting instructions are open to a lot of interpretation, so Sara set out to knit the reticule and develop "modern" knitting instructions. Sara's instructions are published in Knitting Traditions, Fall 2015 issue, pages 96-97.
WHICH YARN
Sara's first challenge was to determine what Mrs. Jane Weaver meant when her directions said to use "a rather coarse knitting-silk." Silk typically isn't "coarse" so Sara decided a dense or heavy silk yarn was appropriate. Jorie II was perfect for the task, as it's a 20/2x5 cabled yarn. This means 5 strand of 20/2 silk are plied together.
WHICH NEEDLE SIZE:
Sara knew the reticule would need to be a "densely" knitted fabric, so she knitted swatches using four different sized needles: size 1 or 2.25mm, size 1-1/2 or 2.5mm, size 2 or 2.75mm, and size 3 or 3.25mm.
Studying the four knitted gauge samples, Sara focused on the smallest needle--size 1 or 2.25mm--and began knitting. The reticule has openwork, so the areas of "plain" knitting need to be firm enough to support the body of the bag, especially when filled with small essentials.
After knitting a few repeats, Sara knew the fabric wasn't sturdy enough. She switched to size 0 or 2mm needles and began again.
THE INCOMPRABLE SARA
I think it's important to understand the work and effort behind any pattern. Even after knitting four gauge swatches, another change was needed when actually starting the project's open work stitch. Some people would say "not another change" and proceed. But Sara is a professional and is always willing to go the extra mile to get the project "just right." You can have confidence in ANY pattern (knitted, woven, hand-spun) that Sara Lamb has created.
COLOR CHOICES:
However, once the needle size was determined, there were still decisions to be made. Mrs. Jane Weaver said to use "two or more colors" but she didn't indicate where the color changes would be.
The talented Sara decided to knit the open work in the lighter color and the plain knitted stripes in the darker accent color.
Mrs. Jane Weaver's color suggestions were "blue and brown, or violet and scarlet, or pink and black." Sara selected color #214 Glacier for the blue and color #33 Tiramisu for the brown. These colors complement each other well--great choices, Sara!
Thank you Sara, for gifting Treenway Silks your beautifully knitted Victorian Silk Reticule
KIT DETAILS:
60g Jorie II in color #214 Glacier
25g Jorie II in color #33 Tiramisu
The instructions are in the Fall 2015 issue of Knitting Traditions. If you don't have the issue in your library, then you can order the yarn + magazine option in the drop down box.
Knitted reticule is 85g; 8.5 inches knitted length (plus tassels) and 14.5 inches in diameter.
