Shirley’s Dearly Departed

I want to share a cabinet card with you.  It isn’t mine.  My pal, Shirley, carries this one around as a prop when in costume.  You all know it is the props and accessories that make a dress look like an outfit.  Part of Shirley’s “story” is that this is a “dearly departed”.I found a reference for Bigelow in Dowagiac that says his full name was Bigelow, Hervey S. and he worked in that town from 1883-1902.  Since the card has scalloped edges, it would be from the 1890’s to 1902 (when he stopped working in that town).

There is some writing on the back.

I think the name is Mrs. J. E. De Grow.  The rest could be an address?  Directions?

HSF 2017: Challenge 5 literature

Gosh this is late.  And not really finished how I wanted! The plan was to knit a pair of stockings and use the quote from Jane Eyre.

” but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.”

As you can see, I only got one stocking done.  A little late I can handle, but over a month late is too much.  So I quickly switched to garters.  The pattern is from Godey’s Lady’s book from the civil war era.  The pattern is on line.  Those I finished.  I wore the one stocking with a garter to see how well they held up.  They didn’t.  They might work on knee highs but not on crotch highs.  Gravity is too strong a force.  I may resort to some sort of belt system or elastic for the socks and try the garter on shorter socks.

Here are the stats:

What the item is: Garters

The Challenge, and how this item fulfills it: Literature-see above quote.

Fabric/Materials: yarn-synthetic blend with a silky feel to it.

Pattern: Godey’s Lady’s Book

Year: 1860’s

Notions: double point needles

How historically accurate is it? The only thing that is off is the fibers.  I’d give it a 90%

Hours to complete: about 6

First worn: around the house last week

Total cost: I used scraps left over from the one sock I made.  Mere pennies.

Profit from the carnage

Look what I found on my morning walk.

Wing feathers from a Canadian goose who likely faced some sort of trauma. They aren’t lovely but they are okay in a clump.

I’m thinking they would be nice on a hat.

…a nice homage Canada’s 150th birthday… Using Canadian geese feathers…

Robbed again

We went for a train ride on Sunday.

The Prairie Dog Central Line really needs to get some Mounties guarding the train.  I think this is the 5th year in a row we’ve been robbed!  There was a sheriff but I think he was in on it. 

We were riding to the next town, enjoying the view and each others company.

Suddenly the train was stopped and we saw masked riders.

They boarded the train and robbed us.  They claimed they were donating it to cancer research but I think it went to the desperado’s whiskey fund.

Poor Lottie got the worst of it.  She was so destitute it was like seeing Anne of Green Gables waiting and forlorn.

 

One down, one to go

I finally finished the first stocking.  The second shouldn’t take as long because, hopefully, I wont be unknitting as many rows.

You can’t tell from the picture but they go quite high, ahem, very “ain’t gonna be any pictures of that high” high.

They don’t stay up on their own so I will have to whip up a set of garters as well but from what I have read on line, the knit ones work pretty well.

Heel!

Just a quick progress post…the first stocking now has a heel.  This is taking for ever!

Stocking progress

Mercy, these babies are long!  From the drawing that came with the pattern,I thought they would be knee high.

Not so.  Let us just say, I will have to put them on before the bloomers! Possibly instead of bloomers!  At least I won’t need to worry about chub rub.

Ignore the PJ’s in above photo.  I knit in comfort!

I have finally reached the heel so this is how long they get.  Any longer and they will be leggings.  Is it any wonder they are not finished yet!  I think the corset cover will have to be whipped up to meet May’s HSF challenge.

On a sweeter note, how about some bunnies.

These guys were waiting for me when I walked out of work last night.  Hubby hates them but I love bunnies.

I will hug them and call them George…