Well then, here's the extent of what I know about these needles. They were made specifically for the war effort - WW2. With that info - and the US' beginning of involvement in the war - it would date these to about 1942 - 1945.

I don't know if they were sold or given to people (families, men or women, etc - everyone knitted then!) perhaps by the Red Cross to use for knitting for the cause.

As I mentioned above, the set is made by Susan Bates. It was made possibly as part of the "Knit your Bit" campaign by the Red Cross.

I'd sure love to know its story and how it ended up in Canada and donated to a thrift shop in 2015. Actually, I'd love to find any information about these sets because it's really slim pickings out there! :)

The original "Knit your Bit" patterns are here: http://www2.redcross.org/museum/exhibits/knits.asp



Tessagin, that sounds really close to what the process is when I find a sneaky little thread under a top. Sneak in with a tiny hook and snag it and pull it through. Not fun on loose weave, nerve wracking on a tighter weave.

I'm sure all of use would be willing to hear your story,.. you know for therapeutic purposes. ;)

My projects have been pretty basic so far but I want to work up to these 2 that were both in the Fall 2014 issue of Interweave Knits:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr...eret-and-mitts
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/meadow-tunic

I'm just hoping I can learn well enough on my own to do it. :) I've found as I drive less (and passenger more) I feel like I'm wasting time. Tying and burying threads makes me motion sick, so I'm hoping I can keep my head up more with knitting.

Cool. I knitted a little in high school; mom only crocheted. As an adult I took a class and learned to tat. Love the war era phrases for posters. Thank's for sharing!

Tammi, I'm not that knowledgeable about knitting, but I've done a fair amount. I cannot count the number of knitted slippers, men's, women's and children's, that I've made. When I was recovering from my back surgery a couple of years ago, I had to keep my hands busy, but I couldn't stand to cut out quilts or anything like that for a couple of months. The shorter double-pointed needles look like (but may not be) cable knitting needles that I've seen in much more recent years than what the others in your set are. I started out knitting back at the time we lived on the Florida Space Coast and knitted several pairs of slippers for family members, then I knitted a three-piece suit for myself which I wore, I knitted a sweater for my husband, and I've long lost count of how many baby sweaters and sweater suits I've done. I know of three I did for my nephew who is now 30, plus a knitted afghan (baby). When I get where I can't be on my feet I need to keep my hands busy, and since I didn't have anything ready to quilt, I knitted slippers. All of my sisters, sisters-in-law, nieces, etc. got a pair of new knitted slippers Christmas of 2013. As I said, I'm certainly no expert, but I did win a blue ribbon on some slippers my cousin submitted in a fair in tiny Alene, Oklahoma. It wasn't even a typical ribbon ordered specially for the occasion -- that's how small it was -- they cut pieces of blue ribbon off a spool! That's a tiny fair. I didn't know she was even submitting the slippers until it was all over! I do enjoy knitting to some extent for short-term projects, but I don't deal very well with knitting large projects -- the reason for that being carpal tunnel and ligament damage many years ago for which I had repair surgery. My hands and arms don't bother me normally, but if i knitted a large project, I think I would pay for it. So, I don't. I try to concentrate on what I can do and not worry about the rest.

Jeanette

This is an addendum to the above post. For the slippers, I use the short, half-length needles, which are lighter in weight since the slippers are not large and there is no need for the long needles to carry the knitting project as you proceed.


Jeanette

I had to look up tatting. I'd heard of it, knew it had something to do with lace but I don't know that I would have recognized it for what it was before Google educated me. :) Gorgeous!

My mom tried to teach me to knit but I didn't live with her so there was little time spread between large absences and no reinforcement from my dad (the same dad who wouldn't let me take home ec class or take me for the classes that came with my sewing machine... I think I'm noticing a trend here! ;)) Eventually, I think both mom and I gave up teaching me. Her because it was too infrequent and me because I was always picking up stitches and neither of us could figure out how I was doing it. I figured out today how I was (am) doing it, and can stop to now that I know what to look for. I cast on 27 stitches and I still have 27 stitches after about 12 rows. I know the feel of it when I'm about to double my stitch.

I think the most fun about the war era research is the posters and other communications. It's like there was more "fun" had with some of it but tastefully and intellectually not the base irritating "humor" now.

Jeanette, I'd say if you were winning ribbons and making whole suits, you're way more knowledgeable than you're giving yourself credit for! There's a lot to learn in knitting as in sewing or fixing machines and you got past the techniques, the tensions, the yarn types, weights, etc!

I can completely believe people even just used a regular dpn for cables. Really, the ones that we have now - the v shaped ones and the U shaped ones I think are just for extra security... I would think a good knitter could get away with securing the stitches on a spare dpn. (I've looked over the process very briefly but not tried it yet but it's one of the things I'll have to learn to do the hat and gloves I want to do.) I'm quite sure I saw a straight cable needle in Walmart when I went looking for one. There's the V shaped one I grabbed and the straight one that was for chunky yarns?

I have some carpal tunnel as well (18 years in computers will do that) and I can't go for long but I figure even 30 mins here and an hour there while we travel somewhere is enough to accomplish something eventually. ;)

Wow! From World War II. That is pretty cool. What a special find.

That's pretty cool! I've never heard of these or the story behind them before. How cool that you found it and found out about it!

Tammi, I was thinking about the knitting program at the onset and during WWII. I seem to remember that the soldiers' socks were falling apart due to extremes in climates. As a result the soldiers would acquire what was rather crudely known as "foot rot" because there was nothing between the harsh leather of the boots and their feet when the socks gave out. This may just be hear-say, but the patterns you linked to would seem to indicate something of that nature and also many of the refugees from WWII had no clothing, including warm clothing. As to how the needles got from America to Canada, well I can again only theorize. During the 60's and early 70's America was involved in a war in Viet Nam where many (some 58,000) Americans lost their lives fighting the communist regime of North Viet Nam. At that time, the draft or call from the government agencies for young men in America to serve their country, including service in Viet Nam, was mandatory. I remember that thousands of Americans fled to Canada and other countries in attempts to avoid the draft for military service, and subsequently made their homes in those countries. That ought to tell you about how old I am -- like almost anyone, sometimes I feel a LOT older than I really am. I, too, have worked on computers/typewriters for more years than I can count. In fact, March 18 marked 30 years that I have worked for the same employer. I've been working in office work, typewriters/computers, etc., since June 1963, which makes about 52 years! Oh, my, it must be getting time to retire! LOL! Who can afford to??? Not me!

Jeanette

Tammi, I was thinking about the knitting program at the onset and during WWII. I seem to remember that the soldiers' socks were falling apart due to extremes in climates. As a result the soldiers would acquire what was rather crudely known as "foot rot" because there was nothing between the harsh leather of the boots and their feet when the socks gave out. This may just be hear-say, but the patterns you linked to would seem to indicate something of that nature and also many of the refugees from WWII had no clothing, including warm clothing. As to how the needles got from America to Canada, well I can again only theorize. During the 60's and early 70's America was involved in a war in Viet Nam where many (some 58,000) Americans lost their lives fighting the communist regime of North Viet Nam. At that time, the draft or call from the government agencies for young men in America to serve their country, including service in Viet Nam, was mandatory. I remember that thousands of Americans fled to Canada and other countries in attempts to avoid the draft for military service. That ought to tell you about how old I am -- like almost anyone, sometimes I feel a LOT older than I really am. I, too, have worked on computers/type-writers for more years than I can count. In fact, March 18 marked 30 years that I have worked for the same employer. I've been working in office work, typewriters/computers, etc., since June 1963, which makes about 52 years! Oh, my, it must be getting time to retire! LOL! Who can afford to??? Not me!

By the way, I've never done cable stitch and am not sure I want to try!

Jeanette

There is a Knitting Paradise Forum similar to this one. You might join that and post there. Someone may know more about them.