"Block for a slumber robe" (1891)

 

This "block for a slumber robe" is the earliest-known appearance of what later became known as the granny square.  It is from Butterick's The Art of Crocheting (1891).

Thanks to Hannah at HanJan Crochet for her post on the history of the granny square!

Ladies' knitted square shawl (1892)

This pretty shawl from the 1892 "Delineator" magazine has a center field worked in blackberry stitch, still a popular choice for shawls etc. today. Somewhat unusually, a measurement for a finished section is given -- on the other hand, eighteen inches (45-46 cm) for the center, even allowing maybe half again for the borders, seems on the small side for a shawl, but perhaps it is meant for the shoulders.

Blackberry stitch is known by many names: trinity, bramble, raspberry, cluster. Slight variations abound, as one might expect!

Blackberry Stitch à la The Delineator

Over a multiple of 4 sts.

Row 1 (RS): *(K1, P1, K1) all in the same st, P3tog, rep from * to end.

Row 2: Purl.

Row 3: *P3tog, (K1, P1, K1) all in the same st, rep from * across. 

Row 4: Purl. 

Repeat these four rows for pattern. 

(A "Delineator" reader was apparently confused by this stitch, as a paragraph appeared in the "Answers to Correspondents" column of a later issue, viz., "[To] Miss M. R. : In knitting ladies' square shawl, first row knit 1, purl 1, and knit 1 out of 1 or next stitch, thus making 3, which you will find take the place of the 3 stitches purled together. This will neither widen nor narrow, but keep the shawl square. Treat the third row in the same manner" [v.41, p.xvi].)

"Ladies' and Misses' Sweaters" (1897)

This 1897 sweater pattern is from the American magazine "The Delineator" (v.49, pp.700-701), available free from the Hathi Trust, via Google and the University of Iowa.

This pattern, in two variations, is presented in what was then a rather modern way, with photographs showing what the finished garment looks like when laid flat and when worn, as well as having (basic) instructions for making it larger or smaller than the single size given.  The only different between the two versions is the generosity of the upper part of the leg-of-mutton sleeves.

 The Met in New York has in their collection a wool sweater that looks remarkably like the Delineator one in its shape --

Sweater, ca. 1895, probably American. Casual wear such as this, the Museum notes, "is rare in museum collections because of the nature of its use and the intrinsic value people placed on more formal attire." Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.2009.300.1111.

 The Met sweater, though, is worked in a brioche stitch on the body and upper sleeves, with probably a single rib at the waist and lower sleeves, with accents in an interesting zigzag stitch.

"Knitted Yoke for a Corset Cover" (1897)

This 1897 pattern for a lacy yoke for a corset cover is from the American magazine "The Delineator" (v.49, pp.590-591), available free from the Hathi Trust, via Google and the University of Iowa. The yoke would be sewn to a fabric bodice, buttoned in the front.

A corset cover was a garment worn over a corset to smooth the lines under one's dress, and also to protect the inside of the dress from the hardware of the corset.  Corset covers began to be worn in the 1860s, when smoothness of the close-fitting bodices became the ideal, and they continued to be worn through the Edwardian period, presumably as long as corsets themselves were worn.  See the post at Historical Sewing for examples.

The young lady on the left has a smooth bodice, whereas the young lady on the right has a slight "dent" from her undergarments just above the bust. Images via Flashbak.