Two sonntags

Sontags -- or sometimes, though rarely, "sonntags" as here -- apparently had a revival in the 1910s, when Lion Brand Yarns included two patterns, one knitted and one crocheted, in their 1912 book A Manual of Worsted Work. Both featured the faux ermine border so popular with their grandmothers in the 1850s.  It's a shame that this useful garment didn't catch on (again), but perhaps that is because in 1912 it doesn't quite suit the very-fashionable "pigeon breast" puff at the waist of the S-curve figure as modeled by Miss Crochet in these photos -- but historical knitters now might appreciate the Lion patterns for their more explicit instructions than the earlier generation's!

What is a cephaline?

Esther Copley, in her Comprehensive Knitting-Book (1849), writes of the cephaline, "A very simple and useful article of this kind is merely a straight piece of knitting worked in wide ribs, and gathered in at the ends to ribbon strings, by which to tie it under the chin. It suits equally well as a ruff for the neck.  It may be made merely as a wide band to cover the ears, or to spread out as to cover the head.  The only difference is in the number of ribs" (p.146).  A netted version in Miss Lambert's 1840 The Ladies' Knitting and Netting Book ("second series"), notes that it is "to be worn on the head on leaving heated rooms", and various encyclopedias of the day (such as Alden's in 1888 and the Columbian of 1897), presumably having copied wholesale from each other in those days before copyright, defined it as "a knitted woolen band passing round the head and over the ears, as a preservation against cold, worn by ladies" (though note that these two at least were long after patterns for a cephaline disappeared from knitting receipt books!).

I have found a few instances of "Cephaline" used as a first name, for American girls born here and there throughout the 19th century (all in Southern states) -- in one instance at least, it was possibly a feminized version of her grandfather's name, Cephas, a Biblical name meaning "rock" in Aramaic.  However, the prefix cephalo-, used in another definition of "cephaline," means "head" -- Dictionary.com gives "<Greek kephalo-, combining form of kephalḗ head; akin to gable," so this seems the more-likely origin of the word for this particular garment.

The cephaline sounds quite like a melon hood or an opera hood except that the latter, at least in Godey's 1856 version, is longer, sort of a cap/muffler combination (though, to add to the confusion, sometimes it isn't), where Mrs. Copley says that the cephaline is tied "under the chin", much like Mrs. Weaver's melon hood of 1859.

In addition to Mrs. Copley's pattern, one for "A Sontag, or Cephaline" (sic!) can be found in Frances Lambert's My Knitting Book of 1843 (Ravelry link here), and one in Miss Watts's Selection of Knitting, Netting & Crochet Work (1844).

"A Manual of Worsted Work" from Lion Brand Yarns, 1912

An "automobile or aviation turban" (pp.74-75) for those exciting new modes of transportation! Note, too, this early use of chunky yarns.

Lion Brand Yarns' 1912 A Manual of Worsted Work for Those Who Knit and Crochet includes illustrated sections on how to knit and crochet, with useful and clearly-illustrated stitch dictionaries for both knitting and crochet (including crocheted borders), patterns for garments to suit babies, children, men, and women -- though do note that most of the women's patterns are sized to fit a 34 to 36-inch bust (86 to 92 cm) only -- and patterns for afghans, "couch robes," etc. and "novelties" from leading reins to a dog coat. A treasure trove!

The entire book is available free through Archive.org.

"My Knitting Book" by Miss Lambert

 From the introduction:

The examples of knitting, contained in the following pages, have been selected with the greatest care,—many are original,—and the whole are so arranged as to render them comprehensible even to a novice in the art.

Knitting being so often sought, as an evening amusement, both by the aged and by invalids, a large and distinct type has been adopted,—as affording an additional facility. The writer feels confident in the recommendation of "My Knitting Book," and humbly hopes it may meet with the same liberal reception that has been accorded to her "Hand-Book of Needlework."

The numerous piracies that have been committed on her last mentioned work, have been one inducement to publish this little volume; and from the low price at which it is fixed, nothing, but a very extended circulation, can ensure her from loss. Some few of the examples have been selected from the chapter on knitting, in the "Hand-Book."

3, New Burlington Street,
November 1843.

The full text (with typographical errors corrected) of Miss Lambert's My Knitting Book (1843) is available on Gutenberg.org.

Miss Mary Campbell's Shetland shawl

Shetland shawl of cream wool, in the collection of the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The National Museums of Scotland write, "This shawl of handspun and handknitted wool was made in Shetland. It was given to Miss Mary Campbell of Jura on the occasion of her marriage in 1863 and is a copy of the shawl presented that year to Princess Alexandra of Wales by the Shetland Islanders."

The dimensions of the shawl are given as 2400 mm x 1230 mm (about 95 in. by 49 in.).

For a modern interpretation of this shawl, see "The Princess Shawl" by Shannon Miller.

(It seems to me, by the way, certainly not an expert on Shetland lace, that the triangular shape is rather unusual, perhaps even wildly so.  Most of the "traditional" lace shawls I've seen, and certainly the ones blocking in this well-known period photo --

are square, and so I will tag this post with the "earliest known" label until further notice ...!)

Prince Harald's knitted jumper

The knitted jumper worn by little Prince Harald when his family fled Norway just ahead of the Nazi invasion in 1940 inspired many a patriotic Norwegian, and Norwegians in spirit, to knit their own. The stitch pattern is a traditional Norwegian one, possibly from Hallingdal; it is also found in traditional Faroese designs and Latvian mittens.  Arne and Carlos, in the video below, call the pattern "Dovre," explaining that they do so because of a 1960s-era booklet for a cardigan using that name, which name "stuck in their heads" but that is not the traditional name for it, if there is one at all.  It is sometimes called the "chess" pattern in English, for its resemblance to the game board.

Laura Ricketts published a version of Prince Harald's red-and-white jumper in the January/February 2015 issue of "PieceWork" magazine, and there is also one (in Norwegian) by Nina Granlund Sæther, both available for purchase via Ravelry.

Tasha of By Gum, By Golly came up with a more feminine version that she calls "The Princess Harald Sweater" and blogged about it here.

The then-three-year-old Prince Harald of Norway. The pin on his cap was one of those sold by the Foreningen Norden (The Nordic Associations) at the Holmenkollen ski festival that year in support of war-torn Finland. Photos by Anders Beer Wilse, 1940; both photos, Wikimedia Commons.

In this video, Norwegian knitwear designers and educators Arne & Carlos talk about the "Dovre" stitch pattern --

 

"Victorian Slum House"

Adrian and Wiebke Bird.

A portrait from episode 2 (1870s) of "Victorian Slum House" showing a crocheted shawl, worn by shopkeeper Mrs. Bird with the ends wrapped around her waist and tied at the back.

"London Eyre Shawl"

 

(There may have been two shawls used in the film, as this one looks considerably smaller than the one in the photos below.)

The London Eyre Shawl free pattern by Donna Strom recreates the shawl worn by Mia Wasikowska as the title character in "Jane Eyre" (2011).  Strom notes,

The London Eyre Shawl pattern was created and named solely by me as a replication/copy of a shawl which appears briefly in the 2011 Focus Features film production of "Jane Eyre" -- costume design by Michael O'Connor. According to Focus Features the original shawl was free-knitted by the owner of a company near London, England which produces custom pieces for period films. The name of the pattern is my way of paying tribute to the talented original knitter -- whose name is not known to me. To the best of my knowledge, no written pattern exists for the original shawl.

Note that Charlotte Brontë's novel was published in 1847, though is set somewhat earlier. Most film adaptations tend to use fashions of the 1840s for the main part of the story.

Short rows contribute to much of the shaping in this shawl.

Ladies' travelling cap (1847)

This pattern for a ladies' cap appeared on pages 25-30 of Miss Lambert's My Knitting Book, Second Series (1847). The transcription below is from the Gutenberg.org edition.

For those knitters with less time on their hands in which to work from early knitting instructions (!), Franklin Habit gives an updated version of this pretty cap in the Deep Fall 2010 issue of Knitty, as part of his "Stitches in Time" series.

A Travelling Cap.

This cap may be knitted with double German wool, in five shades of any light colour, and white.—Needles, No. 8.

Cast on one hundred and two stitches, with the darkest shade of colour.—Knit one plain row to form an edge. Then, commence the pattern (formed of four rows) as follows.

N.B. The first stitch of each row is always to be knitted.

First row—knit two together.

Second row—make one between each stitch, by taking up the wool between the stitches of the preceding row;—except between the two last stitches.

Third row—plain knitting.

Fourth row—pearl knitting.—The change of shade is always to be made in this row.

Repeat the above, four times, taking a lighter shade of wool for each pattern. Then work one pattern in white,—and repeat the five coloured patterns, reversing the shades, by commencing with the lightest. The fourth row of the eleventh pattern is to be omitted, in place of which one row must be pearled in white,—in order to bring the knitting on the outer side of the cap.

The front, or roll part, is now completed, which, when the cap is finished, should be turned over from the centre pattern of white.

Knit one pattern in white, leaving twenty stitches unknit, at the end of the fourth row.—Knit a second pattern, the same, leaving twenty stitches unknit, at the end of the first row; and, in the succeeding rows, making a stitch between the last two stitches; also, at the end of the second row, leaving twenty-two stitches unknit; and, at the ends of the third, and fourth, rows, leaving twenty-six stitches unknit.

Knit a third pattern in white, leaving twenty-six stitches unknit at the end of the first three rows; but, in the fourth row, pearl all the stitches to the end of the needle.

Knit a fourth pattern in white;—in the first row of this, knit all the stitches to the other end of the needle; but, at the end of the third row, leave twenty stitches unknit. Pearl the fourth row, with the third shade of the coloured wool, leaving twenty stitches unknit, at the end.

Knit three more patterns in colours,—(the centre being darker than the other two) leaving one stitch more unknit, at the end of each row. The fourth row of the third pattern is to be pearled in white.

Knit seven patterns in white, leaving one stitch unknit at the end of each row; and also, omitting to make a stitch between the first two, and last two, stitches of the second row.

When the seventh pattern is completed, there should be only eight stitches on the needle: with these eight, knit one pattern; and, at the end of the pearled row, pass the last stitch, before knitting, on to the other needle; then knit it, together with two of those before left unknit,—three in one.

Proceed in the like manner, at the end of the next, or double stitch row, and continue the same, until seven patterns are finished, from the above eight stitches.

Before commencing the last pearled row, fasten on the third shade of coloured wool, and pearl to the end of the row. Then, knit the last stitch, together with three of the unknit stitches,—four in one. Repeat the same, at the end of the next row.

In the next pearled row, knit again four together, as above, and three single stitches beyond, at the end of the double stitch row: also, knit four together, and one single, and two double beyond.

When two patterns, in the third shade, are completed, fasten on the white wool, and pearl a row;—at the end of this, knit three single stitches of the unknit beyond. In the next row,—knit, alternately, a double and a single stitch, throughout the row;—knitting the last stitch, together with one row of the unknit, and two single ones beyond.

In the next row, make a stitch between each, as usual; and, at the end of the next pearled row, knit three single stitches beyond. Work the three next rows as follows:

First—three double, and one single stitch, alternately:—the last must be a double stitch, and a single stitch beyond.

Second—a stitch between each, and three single stitches beyond.

Third—plain knitting, and three single stitches beyond.

Before commencing the next pearled row, fasten on the darkest coloured wool; knit a pattern quite to the end of each needle, and fasten off,—omitting the pearled row.

The cord for tieing this cap may be made by plaiting one light-coloured, and two dark-coloured, threads of wool together; each thread consisting of four plies of German wool. One cord passes across the front of the cap, under the chin, and another round the caul, with a bow at the side: the ends finishing with a tassel of white wool.—Ribands, which are prettier, may be substituted.