Two Knit
Edging
While cleaning out some book shelves at the BCCD Roger
Gustafson Nature Center, Boone County Conservation District staff came across a
cookbook from the late 1800’s. The name of the book was The True Blue Cookbook by the Ladies of the Central Presbyterian Church,
Terre Haute, Indiana.
Inside the front cover was an inscription written in
ink; Mrs. D.C. Cuming, Christmas 85. Since the book was published in 1885 it is likely
that it was given as a gift.
Over time Mrs. Cuming pasted hand written receipts
(recipes) household tips and health care remedies onto the existing pages.
There were also recipes and notes written directly on the pages. As a knitter the entry shown below was
interesting and a challenge. Could the
knitting language be translated into today’s terms? Could this lace edging be
produced and what would it look like?
The first step was to type out the exact wording of
what Mrs. Cuming had written, then decipher what she was saying into today’s
knitting terms. It took several tries at
knitting from the pattern and finding mistakes in the translation until it
finally clicked: there was a definite and easy to memorize pattern here. Once the pattern is memorized, the lace
edging can be knit without having to look at the written pattern. Below is a
picture of the original handwritten pattern that was pasted into the
cookbook. This is a wide trim and would
have been used at the bottom of an underskirt.
Today it can be used to trim a pillow or edge a blanket.
Two
Knit Edging- Modern Translation
Use
wool lace weight or fingering yarn.
Size
0 or 00 knitting needles
Terms-
k- knit
K2
tog- knit 2 together
yo- yarn over
Cast
on 14 stitches using the long tail cast-on.
Knit row.
Beginning
of pattern
Row
1-knit 2, yarn over, knit 2 together, repeat till last 2 stitches of row. Yarn
over, knit 2 (15)
Row
2- knit
Row
3- K2, yo, k2tog, * Yo, k2tog, k1 (repeat from * till 2 stitches left in row)
yo, k2 (16)
Row
4- knit
Row
5- k2, *yo, k2 tog, yo, k2 (repeat from* till last two stitches) yo, k2 (20)
Row
6- knit
Row
7- k2, *yo, k2 tog (repeat from* till last two stitches) yo, k2 (21)
Row
8- knit
Row
9- k2, yo, k2tog, *yo, k2tog, k1 (repeat from * till last two stitches) yo, k2
(22)
Row
10- knit
Row11-
knit (you should end up on the end that has a tail from the cast on)
Row
12- yo, k2tog, knit
Row
13- knit 1 bind off 8 stitches, knit remaining 13 stitches (14)
Row
14-knit
Repeat
rows 1-14 till edging is length desired.
Block
and pin to open up the lace pattern.
Note:
Bottom edge will have a slight arc as you knit and will lean on the
diagonal. This can be straightened when
blocked.
