Object Record
Images
Additional Images [2]
Metadata
Object ID # |
1965.028.001 |
Object Name |
Case, Needle |
Title |
Scottish Knitting Needle Sheath & Belt |
Lexicon category |
4: T&E For Materials |
Date |
19th-century |
Made |
Unknown |
Place of Origin |
Scotland, United Kingdom |
Description |
This is a woman's 19th-century Scottish knitting needle sheath. It is a brown, stuffed tanned leather item, meant to be worn at a woman's waist. The sheath part has two pieces of leather, that appear to be machine-stitched, but more likely they were stitched by a skilled leatherworker who made even stitches. The front of the sheath has intentional perforations, whereas the back side is solid. The small perforations are where a woman could rest her fine steel knitting needles, some of which often were like stiff thick wire, and double-pointed. It has an adjustable buckled leather strap. The ten strap holes originally had brass grommettes, and the iron buckle has one tine to it. There is no maker's identification. The sheath is stuffed with some sort of fibre, very likely horsehair. The leather seams are loose and it appears someone mended the sheath in the past, with a little bit of the stuffing now exposed. The sheath looks like it was used a lot in the past, and has some of its perforations ripped. |
Makers mark |
None |
Provenance |
This 19th-century item was originally owned and used by Helen Saunders. It was later owned by Mrs. Thomas Mason and daughter. |
Collection |
Textiles, Needlework & Accessories Collection |
Material |
Leather/Hair, Horse/Thread/Iron/Brass |
Dimensions |
W-7 L-16 cm |
Found |
Keppel Township (formerly), Township of Georgian Bluffs, Grey County |
People |
Saunders, Helen |
Subjects |
Scotland Knitting Scottish Settlers |
Search Terms |
Keppel Township |
Function |
Many Victorian women did knitting, and would take their knitting needles with them and when they had time, would work away on a piece of knitting. It was often a case where knitting was just another chore to accomplish, rather than something you did for fun. Fine gauge knitting needles might get lost, so having a sheath to rest them in kept them handy. Having a portable belt-style sheath like this one allowed a woman to knit while she was walking outdoors, or watching and gathering the livestock. Some knitters could put a double-pointed needle into the sheath and it would act like an extra hand , so that the knitter could use her right hand to manipulate the yarn more smoothly, especially when she was on the move or carrying something (e.g. walking and knitting one-handed as she did so). This type of knitting belt with a horsehair-stuffed pad was best known in Shetland, where it was called a "makkin" (making) belt. They were a traditional tool in northeast Scotland, and in Northern England. There were also rigid vertical style wooden holders that were attached to belts or tucked into a waistband to hold one's right needle in place for one-handed knitting. |