During the two World Wars, the United State’s Government asked the folks at home to help out and do what they could from home. Women went to work in the factories in the jobs abandoned by the soldiers who headed off to fight. There were collection drives for anything that could be of use for the war effort. People even collected urine during the Revolutionary War because there was a shortage of gunpowder and someone thought they could make it with urine, soil, ash, and sticks. It didn’t work from what I gather.

One of the most productive things the good folks back home could do was knit sock, sweaters, hats, and gloves for soldiers. Prolific knitters had patterns had patterns in their heads, handed down orally from generations before them and they just knitted them over and over. But not everyone had someone to learn from so printed pattern books were a necessity. 

The first printed knitting pattern was found in a medical book from 1655. Pattern books became far more popular during the Victorian Era, but mostly focused on needle arts like embroidery, cross stitch, lace, weaving, and others. These skills influenced knitting and the first knitting book was published in 1837.

I went to knitting group yesterday. I forgot my wallet in the truck, so there was no shopping for yarn at 75% off…which was REALLY hard to take. But God was looking out for my bank account so I was happy to just sit in the white rocker in the corner of the room and chat with the other knitters there. One is a gal named Susan who graduated from my high school three years before me. She pulled something out of her bag and said, “Have I ever shown you this?” It was a pattern book by Bear Brand and Bucilla Yarns. Most yarn companies publish pattern books for use with their yarns. This one was a delight! I had never seen one so I took pictures of the front and most of the patterns. I might try them one of these days! You can read an interesting article about the history of knitting HERE.  

I love things like this. When I had my needlework shop, I ran across a stack of Needlearts Magazine and just loved looking through them. Some were in poor shape and I used cutouts of the ads in some of my art jewelry when Marshmallow Ranch first started. Some of you may have purchased some of those pieces.

We only have one more gathering in the shop…next Tuesday then Pat and Mack close down for good. I wish I would have found the shop years ago when I first came to West Virginia. It would have been nice to spend more time with these fun, intelligent and talented women. 

Mr. FixIt worked on the steps some more but ended up needing more cement and boards so another trip to town was warranted. I sat and knitted all afternoon and watched Tipper’s “Celebrating Appalachia” videos on YouTube. When he got home, I needed to help him hold some boards in place. It finally started raining and that was the end of the job for the day. I toyed with the idea of going to the farm for a couple of days, but my sweetheart needs me here to help with this project. There will be other days to go to the farm when we don’t have so many pressing chores. It will be winter before we know it!

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“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.””

Genesis 8:22 ESV