First knitting sheath

[tombear]

Having seen them in various museums I fancied making herself a knitting sheath. Took about 2 hours, it would have been a lot less but I was clumsy with the band saw and it took a while to carve out the bodged bit.

Its about a foot long, woods some ancient beech I salvaged from a beyond saving workbench. The turned bit is drilled to take the knitting needle.

atb

tom

 

[crosslandkelly]

Looks good, how does it work?

 

[tombear]

Not being a knitter I've only the sketchiest idea. The sheath it tucked under a belt on the right hand side and a needle is inserted. It's supposed to make knitting faster and less strain on the wrists especially when doing fisherman s jumpers.

im sure someone can put it better! I've looked for a video but had no joy.

Made a change from another spoon!

atb

Tom

 

[John Fenna]

Ah - you need to find one of the "terrible knitters of Dent" to show you the technique of "throw knitting"

 

[cranmere]

Nice! You tuck the "goose wing" part of it under your belt on your right side (if you're right handed). You use needles with points at each end rather than the ones with a knob at one end. Stick one end of the needle into the hole in the turned part, then that supports the knitting. Because your right hand doesn't have to hold on to the weight of the knitting you can use your fingers to knit faster. Also, it produces a spring effect so the tip of the needle dips and rises a small amount and that helps to lift the stitches from one needle to the other as you work. Much easier to do than to describe.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Thanks cranmere.

 

[cranmere]

Is your lady on Ravelry? There is a group there which talks about using knitting sheaths and there is a lot of useful stuff there. I'm Cranmere on Ravelry too, get her to message me and I'll point her to the right place.

 

[tombear]

I do believe she is, i'll pass your message on, thanks!

She had a go just before sloping off to bed but she was trying to do it like normal knitting so it was a bit awkward. 'should have left it until she had time to look it up but I was egging her on to see my handiwork in use.

ATB

Tom

 

[cranmere]

It's definitely a different technique. If she knows anyone who tucks their needle under their arm it's a similar technique.

 

[Toddy]

I knit with my needle under my arm, (apart from short pins, I don't know anyone round here who doesn't) but the sheath I found to be trickier. It's a 'rigid' thing at the base end, and while that does allow the tip to 'flick' it's sorer on the hands and the shoulders sit differently somehow. It does allow loads of stitches on the pin though, and it allows one to knit in the round unlike a headed needle.
Useful for the big lace shawls, the baby shawls knitted on the round, etc., and I think one could become very quick indeed using wires like that.

M

 

[cranmere]

I'm not good at it, I've played just enough to work out how it works. It really comes into its own with things like ganseys where you need to knit relatively tightly because it helps in getting the tension even.

 

[tombear]

It's all beyond me, I have a selective cack handedness so can't knit. I just enjoy making simple devices.

The middle son brung a scarp of I think oak home and some was left after he'd done the project. I shaved the mouldings off and knocked up this variation on the theme.

It's about a foot long again. I'll wait until herself is home before I add the rudimentary decoration that's on the original it's sort of based on

http://www.past-caring.co.uk/Antique-knitting-tools.html

she may want to keep it plain. Or stab me with it.

If I'd used the belt sander it would have taken me 15 mins to make on the band saw.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Lots of potential for small projects here

http://gansey.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/diversity-of-knitting-sheaths.html

i have a natural tendency against decoration unfortunately.

ATB

Tom

 

[cranmere]

That's more like the one that I've played with. The goose wing shape is specific to the Yorkshire Dales area although it's occasionally found elsewhere. Most places use a straight turned stick or something like the one you've made there.

 

[cranmere]

Be a little cautious about using Agres/gansey.blogspot as a source. He's clearly very knowledgeable in theory but is highly opinionated and has a tendency to make claims without the evidence to back it up, in particular claiming that if something works then it must have been done in the past despite there being no archeological or other extant evidence. Also, for all of his claims about his experiments, as far as I am aware nobody has ever seen any photographs of the yarn that he claims to produce or the sweaters he claims to have knitted.

 

[tombear]

Truth be told I'd much rather copy a photo of one from a reputable museum. I'd not actually got around to reading his site! Sounds all a bit dodgy.

i suppose I should find what sort of sheath they used round here in Pennine Lancashire first.

ATB

Tom

Just remembered I picked up a copy of Rutts " a history of hand knitting " in a charity shop for a quid, ill see if outs in that!

 

[cranmere]

Lancashire mostly did straight sticks and ones with a hook like the one you made as far as I know. Stick "knitting sheaths" into a Google images search and it comes up with a lot of useful stuff.

Agres can be a useful source but you need to take his pronouncements with a pinch of salt sometimes especially when he gets on to historical claims.

 

[tombear]

The straight turned sticks look like fun things to turn.

I know some of the folks who run the Weavers Cottage Museum in town. I'll have to ask them if they hold any local made ones. There's also the Whitaker Park museum. They hold some interesting treen I'd like to copy and who knows what they have in storage.

Once the mother load of beech and sycamore I've been promised turned up ill be able to make loads of stuff. At the moment I'm using up what scraps I have.

Cheers!

atb

tom

Ps copied the simple decoration, will do initials if herself takes a liking to it.

 

[tombear]

Found a scrap of hawthorn left over from making the walking sticks and there was just enough to make a blank just over a inch in diameter

Once I have done a drawing from a original ill make up a stick type sheath.

i really need to source some wood!

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Well I won't turn anymore of that! Even with really sharp tools it ripped like balsa! Still good practice. I fitted it with a brass tube liner as the whole things remarkably light/ flimsy.

Definitely need to get some wood worth using!

ATB

Tom