Stocking (1880-1920)

Knitted woman's stocking, cotton (1880-1920). Source: ModeMuseum Antwerpen, via Wikimedia Commons.

This lovely stocking has only the briefest of descriptions at the MoMu, noting only the initials JvL knitted in -- there are, however, more photos at the website, making it well worth a visit.

We can certainly assume that it is not meant to be worn, but is both knitting and darning practice!

A by-this-period popular hemming method, using a row of eyelets to making a turning line, thereby creating a "scallop" effect.

Note the three different methods of creating initials -- with reverse stockinette at the top, and with eyelets, some plain and some emphasized by purl stitches.

Darning sampler (1880-1920)

 

Darning sampler (1880-1920), Source: ModeMuseum Antwerpen, via Wikimedia Commons.

Quite a variety of shapings and stitches here!  There are more photos at the MoMu website --

Knitting sampler (18th century)

Detail of an 18th-century knitting sampler, probably German, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Elizabeth Day McCormick Collection, no.43.1022.

In the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is a knitting sampler of lace patterns.  Unusually, this particular sampler is all of circular pieces knitted in fine cotton yarn, each joined to the next by some kind of small ligature, presumably also knitted, and then the whole chain is bound with a length of silk ribbon, the piece at each end also decorated with fluffy bows of the same red ribbon.  Each piece is a little under 14cm (not quite 6 in.); there appear to be thirty-one pieces altogether.  The Museum's description also notes that the sampler is backed with paper, though whether this is original or a conservation backing is not stated.  

Presumably this is a selection by the maker of doily patterns?

The MFA is quite strict about usage of their photographs of objects in their collection, and so I have included only a small cropped part in order to give an idea of the general shape, but it is well worth a virtual visit to see this fascinating piece and the maker's selection of patterns!

Man's cap (18th-century Italy)

Detail of a "man's night cap" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, no,38.1281.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has in their collection what is described as a "man's night cap of natural linen knit in lace pattern," being a "conical cap with knitted ornament on top."  ("Ornament" is rather grand for the fairly-typical modest "tail" at the top of this cap, but there it is.)

The MFA is quite strict about usage of their photographs of objects in their collection, and so I have included only a small cropped part in order to show the lace stitch; it is well worth a visit even virtually to see the shape of this interesting cap, and to ponder whether it would be much use as a cap for sleeping in, or if perhaps "night cap" is a more general term for informal wear.

The cap looks, by the way, to have been knitted from the bottom up, possibly switching from right-side to wrong-side so that both the brim and the head sections show right-side-out.