Maire Colclough

Month: July 2020

  • Junk in the Trunk?

    Junk in the Trunk?

    Edwardian Family Photos and Capsule Wardrobe

    I inherited my Great-Grandmother’s ornate steamer trunk sometime in the late 1980s. Squirrelled away inside were a few oddities. The most interesting were the photographs.

    They’re the subject of this week’s video.

    A Trunk Full of Inspiration

    I tried to decide which fashion era I want to tackle first. I asked Mum if she still had the original contents of my trunk. Perhaps they would be the inspiration I need?

    I worried. Were they lost in a move? We also had a basement flood in Yellowknife.

    Safe as a Box of Bran Flakes

    Thankfully, the contents were safe. Together, we sifted through pictures taken over 100 years ago in the Edwardian era. We even discovered an entirely forgotten branch of the family tree!

    Hand-made lace on collars, lapels and cuffs. Fur accessories. Extravagant hats. These are just a few of the treasures we discovered in our family photos.

    Join me as I start my journey into the Canadian Edwardian Era. Take a look at the inspiration for my upcoming Edwardian capsule wardrobe!

    Contents:

    00:00 – Introduction
    00:54 – YouTube and Project Management
    01:55 – Too Many Hobbies
    03:56 – Getting it Together
    05:22 – A Little Backstory
    07:40 – A Simple Chemise?
    09:05 – But seriously, what do you want to do?
    12:24 – A Potential Plan of Attack

    Music:

    Butterflies in Love – Sir Cubworth
    Divertissement – Kevin MacLeod
    Friendly Day – Kevin MacLeod
    Theme for a One-Handed Piano Concerto – Sir Cubworth

    Divertissement by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
    Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100256
    Artist: http://incompetech.com/

    Friendly Day by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
    Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100223
    Artist: http://incompetech.com/

  • Bloody Wee Stitches: Crocheting Vintage Lace

    Bloody Wee Stitches: Crocheting Vintage Lace

    (and doing some planning)

    a linked string of lace stars crocheted from tiny stitches.

    You would think I’d be done with lace after the shetland wool scarf, but you would be wrong. This week I’m working on some very fine crochet lace and using a podcast style to talk about plans for upcoming projects.

    Grab whatever you’re working on, whether it’s knitting, crochet, or sewing, and have a listen. This lace won’t crochet itself, you know!

    Lace pattern from:

    The Priscilla Yoke Book – Crochet and Tatting
    Courtesy the Antique Pattern Library

    00:00 – Introduction
    00:54 – YouTube and Project Management
    01:55 – Too Many Hobbies
    03:56 – Getting it Together
    05:22 – A Little Backstory
    07:40 – A Simple Chemise?
    09:05 – But seriously, what do you want to do?
    12:24 – A Potential Plan of Attack

    Music:
    Butterflies in Love – Sir Cubworth
    Two of Us – Saidbysed
    Sangria – Saidbysed

  • Knitting a Victorian Shetland Lace Scarf Pattern (in 2020)

    Knitting a Victorian Shetland Lace Scarf Pattern (in 2020)

    A 144-year-old Mystery Scarf

    Update: The pattern for this scarf is now available on Ravelry. I hope you find it as fun to knit as I did!

    In this week’s video, I delve into the world of vintage knitting patterns to make myself a Victorian Shetland Lace Scarf.

    The Victorian Shetland Lace Shawl, or Wedding Ring Shawl, is an iconic part of knitting lore. The more practical Shetland lace scarf, less so.

    The Victorian and Edwardian era(s) have seen a surge of popularity on costube recently. While everyone else is sewing corsets and combinations, I’ve been knitting a scarf. The Victorian Shawl is fairly well known, in both knitted and woven varieties, but scarves seem a more practical garment, meant for both prestige and warmth.

    A Victorian Shetland lace scarf, nestled amongst a parasol, teacup, fan and silver cigarette case. Or maybe that case is for calling cards?

    I found myself wandering through the Richard Rutt Collection on the University of Southampton’s knitting archive. I found myself intrigued by a scarf pattern in a book attributed only to “A Lady”.

    Could this be a pirated or missing Frances Lambert or Jane Gaugain pattern? Or could this be a traditional pattern contributed by a local knitter?

    I picked up my Addi Turbo needles and a skein of silk/wool blend, and determined to find out for myself.

    A Victorian Shetland lace scarf, nestled amongst a top hat, cane, and silver cigarette case. Or maybe that case is for calling cards?

    Along the way, I found myself wondering…just who is this scarf meant for? And what does knitting have to do with Gilbert and Sullivan, and Courtney Love? The answer might surprise you!

    Bibliography:

    Lovick, Elizabeth. The Same, but Different: Shetland Lace in a European Context. KBTH Lace Virtual Conference, March 2006 http://www.knittingbeyondthehebrides.org/lace/SameButDifferent.pdf

    Lady, A. The Home Knitter: A Manual For Making Useful Articles for the Family. Edinburgh: Johnstone, Hunter, & Co, 1876 https://archive.org/details/krl00376334/mode/2up

    Sowerby, Jane and Alexis Xenakis (Photographer). Victorian Lace Today. USA: XRX Inc, 2006. https://www.amazon.ca/Victorian-Lace-Today-Jane-Sowerby/dp/1933064102

    “The Richard Rutt Collection.” In the Loop – Knitting Collections, University of Southampton https://www.southampton.ac.uk/intheloop/collections/richard-rutt.page

    Sources for tracking pattern authorship & notes on IP piracy in the arts:

    Sowerby, Jane and Alexis Xenakis (Photographer). Victorian Lace Today. USA: XRX Inc, 2006. Knitting terms developed by Jane Gaugain: Page 15 Diamond Border Pattern by Jane Gaugain: Page 37 Piracy of Frances Lambert’s intellectual property: Page 41 https://www.amazon.ca/Victorian-Lace-Today-Jane-Sowerby/dp/1933064102

    Gilbert & Sullivan IP piracy (via Wikipedia page linked below) Rosen, Zvi S. The Twilight of the Opera Pirates: A Prehistory of the Right of Public Performance for Musical Compositions. Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal, Vol. 24, 2007, accessed 21 May 2007. See also Prestige, Colin. “D’Oyly Carte and the Pirates”, a paper presented at the International Conference of G&S held at the University of Kansas, May 1970 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_and_Sullivan#cite_note-37

    Love, Courtney, “Courtney Love does the math.” Salon. June 14, 2000. https://www.salon.com/2000/06/14/love_7/

    Misc. Image Sources:

    Kendrick, C. – https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/var1993000413/PP/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1235342

    Andrea Fleming – Courtney Love, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67962433

    Sidney Paget (died 1908) – http://www.artintheblood.com/twis/twis9.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11274194

    David Shankbone – flickr, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10273439

    NASA/JPL-Caltech – NASA, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19525315

    Music:

    Music: Butterflies in Love – Sir Cubworth
    C Major Prelude – Bach
    Two of Us – Saidbysed
    Sangria – Saidbysed
    Dancing Star – Aakash Gandhi
    Divine Life Society – Jesse Gallagher
    Kiss the Sky – Aakash Gandhi

    Social Media:

    Web: http://www.inkyblack.net
    Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/people/Maire
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/StringchroniciT
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stringchronicity/
    Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/stringchronicity
    Ravelry Group: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/stringchronicity