The Black Hole in Cyberspace!

Try as I might there are some people my emails just won’t go to! There must be a black hole in cyberspace between me and them. One of those such people is Debbie Taylor! I have tried to reply to the really nice emails and comments I get from her and they all seem to bounce right back to me!

So I thought I would answer her latest one here! (I hope she doesn’t mind since I can’t email her to ask!) Besides it will be of interest to all of you … I think!

Debbie wrote:

“I’m so glad I happened on your blog on the Lion’s Brand web site and you let me know about your personal site. Now this historic find of yours on ebay! This is truly incredible.

Have a little news myself. Was asked to serve on the board of directors of the historic site here and was elected Vice President this past week. Yikes! Anyway, your discoveries are so interesting and helpful as I delve further into this adventure.”

Debbie is a textile demonstrator at a historical site which I belive focuses on the French and Indian War She is highly interested in frame knitting and was excited to learn that it was done in the 1700’s and as you read really excited about my find of the 1884 book!

Here is my responce!! Sorry Debbie I tried to email it!! But it just kept coming back!

Debbie,

I got your comment on the other blog and I think you emailed me before! You do the reenactment of the French and Indian war right?

It almost seems that the knitting looms as they are now really emerged in the 1700’s I have a firm belief that Native Americans especially in the west.. particularly the Navajo and the cliff dwellers developed stick knitting, and that evolved into loom knitting. There is a lady in one of our groups that has had contact with an older Navajo woman who has a knitting frame. She said that the Navajo have been doing this for at least 200 years.

I came across a copy of a 1861knitting frame book online last night you will find it interesting. .Treatise on the art of Knittng: History of the Knitting Loom Comprising an Interesting Account of it’s Origin and it’s most recent wonderful Improvements. (boy they sure did like long titles back then!)

It seems that the European references may be all in regards to machine type frames. But it is however where naal-binding was so frame knitting may have evolved over there from that for people to get the idea of automating it!

Have fun looking over the book! Another place to look is the US patent office the modern classification of knitting looms and frames is 66/4 alot of interesting items come up when you do an advanced search.

So there you go! The book on line is a really quite interesting one!

We also found out that the Library of Congress has a copy of the Stewart Manual as a book and on microfilm! But the bad news is is looks like it is the only book he ever put out. Perhaps!

Knitting Without Needles

Comments

2 responses to “The Black Hole in Cyberspace!”

Debbie

11/12/2006

Hi Denise,

Yep, it’s me!! That black hole in cyberspace seems to get us all! Hopefully this will reach you. Thanks so much for contacting me this way. Don’t mind a bit.

You’re right; my focus is on textiles from the French and Indian War. I’m an avid knitter and learned to crochet about 5 years ago. Happened into textile demonstrating quite by accident this past Spring. Thought I’d be helping with a group of school children visiting our site. Less then a week before their visit the lady who was supposed to demo spinning couldn’t so I was asked to talk about textiles. Little aside — I purchased a Walking (or Great) Wheel about two years ago and am hoping I will learn how to use it for demo purposes. In the meantime I’m attempting to learn how to use a drop spindle to at least demonstrate that.

It was baptism by fire! Thanks to the internet and local libraries I was able to research quilting, knitting, spinning and weaving so I could be fairly accurate. Now I’m hooked (pardon the pun). Stumbled on the facts about loom knitting in June and ordered my first wooden one from Isela. My round, blue plastic one just wouldn’t do. Amazing how we’ve all become connected electronically.

Denise, you are a wealth of information. Hardest part of this is making certain facts are correct since there’s tons of misinformation out there. Thanks so much for this information. Can’t wait to get this off to you so I can do a little online reading. Did purchase Richard Rutt’s A History of Hand Knitting. It’s been very helpful.

Will keep you posted.
Kris

11/12/2006

That happens to me sometimes. One person who I kept having this happen with did tell me that she actually got all my emails and was surprised that I was getting bounce notices. Then I felt a bit sheepish since I would try to send each email three and four times. She got every single one of them. *sigh*. I’ll bet she thought I was crazy, inept or both.

The Black Hole in Cyberspace!

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2 responses to “The Black Hole in Cyberspace!”

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