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  | The following links are to different selections with explanations of mid 19th-century fibers and yarn types from the antique Needlework books in my personal collection. They are very helpful in trying to decipher mid 19th-century knitting patterns. I will add more as my collection expands. If you have any that you would like to share please Contact Us and I will add your credited information to this page.
Full Instructions in Needle-Work of All Kinds, Godey's Lady's Book and Magazine, November-December 1857 Wool
Berlin
Wool. –
Only procurable in two thicknesses, four thread and eight thread, commonly
called single and double Berlin. There are at least a thousand shades of this
wool. Fleecy.
– A cheaper wool than Carpet
Yarn.--
cheap wool, used much for comforters and other articles. Caruntille, a fine wire used in flowers
Silks Crochet Silk.-- A hard-twisted silk, used for knitting and crochet. The sizes vary from 1 to 5; the latter being the finest. Nos. 1,2, and 3 are the most common. Observe, there is an immense difference both in the quality and price of crochet silk. Some work into a substance with scarcely any more gloss than cotton. In all respectable Berlin houses, the maker's mane is attached to every skein. Pearsall's silks hold a high position, both for quality and tint. Nettings.-- not twisted so hard as crochet silk. The crochet silk is, however, often used for it. Soie d'Avignon.-- This is an extremely fine silk, sold in reels. It is suited for the very finest 9or fairy) netting. It is not generally obtainable, but is frequently mentioned in the periodicals. Chiné Silk.-- Netting or crochet silk shaded in more colors than one. Sold in reels or skeins. Ombre Silk.-- Silk shaded in tints of one color only Floss Silk.-- Sold in short twisted skeins. A very beautiful material, used in working flowers, &c. Dacca Silk.-- Used much in embroidery; is a sort of medium between the hard-twisted crochet silk and the floss, which it rather resembles; but it is put up in longer skeins. Filoselle.-- A coarse fabric, not of pure silk, although extremely brilliant, and capable of receiving the finest dyes. It is sold in large skeins, each weighing about a quarter of an ounce. Used much in tapestry and the coarser sorts of embroidery. China Silk.-- A very fine silk, sold on very small reels. Sewing Silk.-- Sold in long skeins. Chenilles.-- This beautiful substance presents the appearance of velvet. It is made in various thicknesses. Embroidery Chenille.-- is not much coarser than crochet silk. It is greatly used in embroidery on canvas, satin, or cloth. There are gradations from this size to the thickness of a finger. The very thick is called Rolio Chenille. Wire Chenille.-- This is made in as many thicknesses as the other. A wire is worked in the centre of it, so that it can be formed into loops, leaves &c.
Cottons Knitting Cotton.-- A soft, but twisted cotton; used for a variety of purposes. Sold by the pound Crochet Cotton.-- It is a particularly firm, even, and well-twisted material, and washes extremely well. The numbers run from 1 to 150. It is the cotton in which all the crochets and other designs in the different periodicals are worked, and therefore should always be procured if it is of consequence to produce articles exactly similar to the pattern. Tatting Cotton.-- A soft, yet strong cotton, suited for this work. Mecklenburgh Thread.-- This is a linen thread, used in many designs. It should also find a place in the workbox of every lady, as it should be used in mending linen, cambric, &c. Royal Embroidery Cotton.-- This is used for the very fashionable embroidering and Broidery Anglaise on muslin, long-cloth or French cambric. It is sold in packets, each containing a dozen skeins. Moravian Thread.-- is a soft, untwisted cotton, varying in the number of threads composing a strand. Patent Glace Thread.-- This thread has a perfectly smooth and shining surface, and is particularly adapted for sewing. Colored Cottons.-- These are French. They are scarlet, rose, greens, browns, lilacs, blues, and black; but the scarlet, rose, and black are the only colors that will really wash well.
The Hand-Book of Needlework, by Miss Lambert, 1842, Wiley & Putnam, New York Wool Wool from the frequency of its employment in needlework, becomes the most important of those materials whereupon we have to treat. The readiness with which it takes and p4ermanently retains the most splendid colours that the art of the dyer is capable of imparting, renders it superior to every other; it is essential, therefore, that we enter fully into a description of its various qualities and uses. Wool is the soft filamentous substance which covers the skins of some animals, more particularly those of the sheep; the term - which is not very well defined, and is rather arbitrary than natural - has been applied alike to the soft hair of the beaver, the goats of Thibet and of Cachemir, and to that of the llama and ostrich, and even to fine vegetable fibers, such as cotton; "The trees of Ethiopia, white with soft wool." Sheep's wool appears to be the product of cultivation; on the wild mouflon (ovis aries) to which genus all the varieties of the domestic sheep have been traced, and which is still found in a wild state upon the mountains of Sardinia, Corsica, Barbary, Greece, and Asia Minor, - wool is a coarse hairy substance, mixed with soft down close to the skin. When the animal is placed in a temperate climate, under the fostering care of man, and protected from the inclemency of the weather, the coarse fibers gradually disappear, while the soft wool round their roots becomes singularly developed. The domestic culture of the sheep, for the sake of its wool, has long occupied the attention of civilized nations, and has produced the highly-valued merino species, (The term merino, in the Spanish language, is derived from the corrupt Latin merinus or majorinus. At the period when the transhumantes, or traveling flocks in Spain, were established, they became the object of police, and were placed under the exclusive jurisdiction of mayors, with public walks and large districts allotted for their sustenance, and were termed merinos ovejas, or the sheep under the care of the merino or mayor.) from which our best wool is now procured. Sheep's wool of good quality is never found except in those countries that have been the seats of the arts, and where a considerable degree of luxury and refinement exist, or have once prevailed. The history of its cultivation and preparation, like most of the useful arts of ancient date, is involved in uncertainty. The Greeks attribute the invention of spinning and weaving wool to Minerva; it is, however, supposed to be of Asiatic origin, and is referred to by Moses, which proves it to have existed at least fifteen hundred years before the Christian era. The discovery of the wheel and spindle is also veiled in obscurity, but they were obviously used in the most remote ages. In the infancy of the art of weaving, and for many centuries after, the working of cloth was merely a domestic occupation, principally of women; the fleece was gathered from the sheep, washed, opened, spun, and wove under the same roof which witnessed the preparation and grinding of corn. In proportion as society advanced, and a division of labour became convenient, an improved knowledge was acquired, not only of spinning and weaving, but in that of breeding and selecting those animals, whether sheep or goats, which gave the finest fleeces. The produce of white wool from sheep is said to be entirely the result of cultivation, and is unknown in those countries where it is not employed as an object of manufacture or commerce. We may imagine that in the earliest state of the woolen manufacture, when cloth was merely a substitute for the skins of beasts as an article of clothing, little attention was paid to the colour or fineness of the wool; but as luxuries were introduced, coloured garments were required, and the wool could no longer be indifferently taken from sheep of every kind, whether white, brown, or black. The grower, therefore, began to pay more particular attention to the whiteness of his fleece, which was essential to render the cloth susceptible of the brilliant dyes, which even in a very remote period, were certainly given to it. "In oldest times, when
kings and hardy chiefs German wool, unquestionably the finest description of sheep's wool which we possess, is the produce of the fleece of the merino breed in their highest state of cultivation, from the flocks of Saxony and the neighboring German states. As prepared for needle work it is manufactured at Gotha, from whence it is forwarded to Berlin and other parts of Germany to be dyed. To the late king of Saxony, when elector, is due the merit of having first introduced the Spanish breed of merino sheep into Germany, and the valuable trade in fine wool has since been transferred almost wholly from the Spanish to the German soil, The flocks were brought into his dominions in the year 1765, and again in 1778, and were chosen for the elector from the finest of those in Spain; they were placed under the care of a Spanish "majorinus," or mayor, at Stolpen, seven leagues from Dresden, on the frontiers of Bohemia. From this period until 1814 these flocks were gradually spreading themselves throughout the kingdom of Saxony, and when the continental trade was entirely thrown open by the events of 1815, the Saxon wool dealers began to embark in a regular trade with England in their fleeces, and they soon discovered the real value of this new branch of German commerce. The improvement both in fineness and softness in the quality of wool, from the German flocks, over those of Spain, is considerable. The harshness of the wool does not depend solely upon the breed of the animal, or the climate, but is owing to certain peculiarities in the pasture. It is known, that in sheep fed upon chalky districts, wool is apt to get coarse; but in those fed upon a richer soil it becomes soft and silky. The scorching sun of Spain renders the fleece of the merino breed harsher than it is in the milder climate of Saxony. The great quantity of grease, or yolk (as it is technically termed), which is much more abundant in the wool of the merino breed of sheep, is also, doubtless, one of the great causes of its superiority. There are four distinct qualities of wool in the fleece of the same animal; the finest growing along the spine from the neck, to within six inches of the tail; including one third of the breadth of the back; the second covers the flanks and the shoulders; and the third, the neck and hinder parts; and the coarsest the breast to the feet. These it is the office of the wool sorter to separate, which he generally does immediately after shearing. The best wool is that shorn from the sheep at the proper seasons; that which is taken from the skin after death is inferior. Wools again differ from each other not only according to their coarseness and fineness, but also in the length of their filaments. Long, or combing wool, varies in length from three to eight inches; it is treated on a comb with long steel teeth, which opens the fibers, and arranges them horizontally like locks of flax; such wool when woven is unfit for felting. Short, or clothing wool, varies in the length of its staple from three to four inches; if longer, as is the case with the best Saxon wool, it is broken down by carding, to adapt it to the subsequent operation of felting, where the fibers are convoluted or matted together. It is only within the last few years (in fact since the introduction of coloured paper patterns) that German wool has been used for the purpose of needlework; previously to that time our only resources, with the exception of silk, were English lambs wools, worsteds, and crewels. The beauty of German wools and the perfection to which the "science," of dyeing them has been brought, is an era in the annals of our art; and has, togehter with the invention of Berlin patterns, contributed in rendering it a more enticing and facile amusement than when Helen
"Guided by love, All kinds of wool are more or less characterized by a degree of harshness when compared to the "Zephyr Merino." the fineness, softness, and flexibility of the fiber of which renders it decidedly superior for all kinds of tapestry work with the needle, and embroidery in wool, especially where great numbers of colours are required. We shall now proceed more particularly to notice -- German Wool - German wool, or, as it is termed by the wool staplers of Germany, Zephyr merino, is prepared of various sizes. That commonly know as "Berlin" or "German wool," is adapted for working all kinds of Berlin patterns; and from the manner in which it is skeined, or notted, in small quantities, it is rendered the most convenient, and, comparatively speaking the least expensive description of wool for this purpose; recommendations sufficient, were they not more fully enhanced by the unequalled brilliancy and variety of shades in which it is dyed, and its above-mentioned superior qualities. This wool may be split and worked on the finest canvas, and also doubled and trebled on the coarsest; its beauty, however, can be best appreciated when worked in a single thread on a canvas suited to its size, where it should form an even and uniform surface of pearly stitches, thoroughly covering the threads of the canvas, yet not so tightly ranked as to be deprived of its beautiful elastic appearance. Like every other material, German wool requires to be well understood as to its qualities and capabilities, in order to produce that degree of excellence which it is the wish of the needlewoman to accomplish. When worked on cloth, either with a canvas over the cloth, or an embroidery, it should be used with a needle sufficiently large to form a passage through which the wool may pass without "dragging." It is applicable for working flowers, figures, and every description of work in imitation of paintings; also, for fine crochet, knitting, and netting. When of the best quality, German wool should retain but little of the smell of the dye; it should be soft and curly in its texture, and round in its make, and free from all particles of vegetable or mineral substances which may have been used in its dyeing. This wool should not be wound, as, by being compressed, it may be partially deprived of its elasticity. A quantity of German wool is brought into Great Britain in a raw state, where it is combed, spun, and dyed; the greater part undergoes these processes in Scotland. Some of this wool is equal to that imported in a manufactured state, for the purposes of needlework, from Germany; but the dye is generally very imperfect and perishable, except the blacks, which are certainly much cleaner - an important desideratum in needlework. The best German wools, and those which command the highest prices, are dyed in Germany, and imported into England ready skeined for use. Great quantities, however, of German wool, manufactured in this country, and also of very inferior wool imported from Germany, are daily sold; and it requires the eye of an experienced person to detect them. Much more might be said as to the qualities and dyeing of these wools; but it remains with the "sorter," or selector of colours for working, to give them their final luster, by the knowledge and care bestowed upon their choice, and the proper appropriation of them, each to their several purposes; and, like the colours on the painter's palette, in mixing the various shades so delicately, that they shall seem but as one; carefully avoiding all harshness, yet, by contrast, giving a proper spirit to the whole; and, above all, avoiding that gaudiness of coloring, and glaring want of taste, so generally exhibited in the coloured-paper patterns of Berlin, and which are but too frequently complained of in the productions of the needle. English Wool - "If any wool peculiar to
our isle English lambswool, or embroidery wool, though much harsher than the preceding, yet retains its superior qualifications. The dye of scarlet lambswool is quite equal to that of the German, as are also several of the shades of blue, green, and gold colors browns, clarets, and some neutral tints. On coarse canvas, either for tent, or cross stitch, it is decidedly preferable, both in working, and in appearance when finished. It may be sometimes used in the same piece of work with German wool; such as for instance, in needlework for carpets, large chairs, sofas, ottomans, &c. the gold colors, scarlets, olives, and some of the blues, as also the grounding, may be superiorly worked in English wool, whilst the whites, grays, pinks, lilacs, &c. may be introduced in German wool. For grounding, English wool is generally preferable to the German, as being more durable, and less apt to soil; nor is it impoverished by brushing like the later. If good, English wool is cleaner in the dye of the darker colours; and has, also another recommendation, that of being more economical. Worsted - "The grain of brightest
tincture none so well Worsted is a still harsher description of English wool, manufactured from the coarser parts of the fleece, but it is capable of taking a very fine dye, and may be advantageously used for working carpets and rugs. If it be good, and well dyed it has a more glossy appearance than the other descriptions of wool. It is much cheaper than either German of English lambswool, and is the best and only proper material for making the raised borders of urn-rugs, and the various kinds of patterns and borders in moss and rouleau, &c.; it being, from the length of its filaments, greatly improved by combing, assuming that downy appearance which distinguishes a well-finished rug border. Worsteds, though so little used in needlework at the present day, were formerly the principal materials employed both for tapestry and embroidery. For these purposes, they were much in vogue in the latter part of the last century, under the form of crewels, a fine description of worsted, tightly twisted like netting silks. The poet Cowper has immortalized their use, in "The Sofa," where he says; "here and there a tuft of
crimson yarn, The whole of the beautiful works executed by the celebrated Miss Linwood, are in worsted, the dyeing of which was an object of her especial care. Yarn is a still coarser description of worsted. It is used for making nets for fruit trees, and other similar purposes. It may be prettily applied, when cut into short lengths, and knit with coarse cotton, or fine twine, for carriage-rugs, mats, &c. Fleecy - "Leicestrian fleeces,
what the sinewy arm Fleecy is another description of wool, principally grown and manufactured in Leicestershire, for which this country has long been celebrated. "Rich Leicestria's marly
plains, for length It is made of two qualities, superfine and common; they both vary in size from an eighth to a quarter of an inch in diameter, according to the number of threads they contain; thus, there are two, three, four, six, up to twelve threads, fleecy. Those in common use are from three to six threads. They are all equally good and useful for crochet, knitting, netting, &c. according to the purposes for which the work is designed. Hamburgh Wool - Hamburgh wool so called, or German worsted, is a common kind of wool, usually containing four threads, but is made as thick as to contain twelve threads; it is very brilliant in colour, and glossy, and for working on coarse canvas is extremely good. It is, however, difficult to be procured in all shades; and, hitherto, has not been much imported into this country. An imitation of this wool has been made, and much sold in England, under the name of Hamburgh worsted, but it does not possess any of the merits of the real Hamburgh wool, except its size. German Fleecy - German, or merino fleecy, is but little used or known in England. It posses a decided superiority over the English, both in appearance, and pleasantness for use; the colors like the German wool, are exceedingly brilliant. It is usually made in sizes of eight or ten threads; and, for the purposes of crochet or tricot, cannot be surpassed. It must, however, be borne in mind, that it is a more costly material than the English fleecy.
This web site is maintained by Robin Stokes, and was last updated 12/28/2005 . All text and images are copyright 2005 by Robin Stokes, who is solely responsible for the content and reserves all rights. |
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Shetland.
– A very fine wool, used for veils, scarfs, shawls, &c. It is not very
much twisted.