This is definitely showing its age; I had to carefully remove mildew powder from most of the pages, many of which are still slightly stained. At some point someone cut out pages 15 to 18; going by the contents list, they were cutting out the patterns for "The Gem Lace". Unfortunately this means that the patterns before and after it are now incomplete.
I found it fascinating that the patterns for the knitted coat and knitted 'ladies blouse' have no sizing measurement. So not only is it one size for all, until you've knitted it up, you don't know what size that it. This also has something I've not seen before, and I'm not sure why it was done - the photographs of the model for the fascinator and the theatre wrap and bonnet have her face replaced with a drawing. It's subtle, and surprisingly easy to not notice that the rest of the picture is actually a photograph. I wondered if it was a social status thing - actresses at this stage were more socially acceptable, but there was still a sense that theatre people were not exactly "nice" and it's possible that being photographed for commercial purposes may have has a similar ambiguous status. But there are other models in the issue, and their faces are able to be clearly seen, and I'm certainly not aware of any social stigma associated with photographic modelling at the time.
Another mystery thrown up by this publication comes from one of the adverts, which introduced me to an art form I have never heard of before: French pen-painting. Searching online has not been too enlightening so far; as far as I can tell, it uses oil paints with a 'special pen', and was done on a variety of materials, including ceramics and silk. There is a book in the Australian National Library from 1919 that describes the technique, so I'll have to see if the State Library can arrange an interlibrary loan for me to look at. I will keep you posted on this lost Edwardian art form!
This was printed in England - the back cover gives "Printed for the Proprieters, MacDonals and Martin, 6 Essex Street Strand, London, W.C. by the Classic Colour Press, Reading, aand Published by Horace Marshall & Son, 125 Fleet Street London E.C." but looks to have been sent to Australia by subscription. As well as patterns, it has an "Editorial Chat" - this time it is a discussion about the difficulty of writing crochet patterns so as to be clear and easy to follow.
Contents are:
- Editorial Chat.
- Headrest for a chair back - crochet in cotton.
- The Spider Web Lace - crochet, with the suggested use of Peri Lusta no. 50.
- Scallop-shell Lace d'Oyley - crochet using Peri Lusta no. 50 or Ardern's Crochet Cotton no. 30 (pattern is incomplete due to missing pages.)
- The Gem Lace - pattern is missing as pages were cut out.
- Shell Lace for Window Blinds - the beginning of this pattern is missing due to removed pages.
- Wheel Lace for Window Blinds- crochet, with suggested use of Ardern's Ivory Crochet Cotton no. 20.
- Crochet Beading - oddly, this does not involve beads; "this insertion makes a pretty addition in mounting tea cloths, bedspreads, etc. Coming between the linen and the lace, it gives the appearance of drawn thread work. It is also useful for repairing drawn thread, or hemstitching that has worn out."
- Antique Greek lace - crochet in Ardern's Lustrous Crochet Cotton no. 26, and with no indication of what makes it antique or Greek.
- Knitted Acorn Lace in Wool - says it "looks well made in Baldwin's Beehive 'Ivorine'".
- Acorn Insertion - matching pattern for lace inserts rather than edging.
- How to Make Crochet Flowers for Hat or Dress Trimming
- The "Celesté" Lady's Blouse in Honeycomb Knitting - using Faudel's Peacock 2-ply fingering. This is very tightly fitted and buttons up the back, and the photograph showing it from the back very clearly outlines the edge of her corset, which surprised me a little.
- The "Warmanlite" Knitted Coat - "the body of this coat is made in one piece to avoid unsightly side seams". Specifies to use Paton's Super-Petticoat in brown and grey.
- Knitted Hat to Match the "Warmanlite" Coat.
- The "Lattice" Fascinator Scarf - knitted in Beehive "Ivorine" wool
- Two Motor Comforts in the new Furry Wool: Theatre Wrap and Bonnet - knitted using Faudel's Furry wool.
- Gentleman's Golf Stocking - knitted in Cock-o'-the-North 4-ply fingering (knee-high long socks with a decorative turn-over cuff, for those wondering.)
- Lady's Vest - knitted in Cock-o'-the-North 4-ply Vest Wool
- Baby's First Shirt in Plain Knitting - worked in one piece, in Beehive Eider Wool.
- Knitted Pillow Cover for Pram or Cot - requires 8 reels of Peri-Lusta Teneriffe; the pillow cover is knitted, but it includes a crocheted lace edge.
- The Wild Rose Tea Cosy - an embroidery pattern, with a photograph of the finished design and stitch instructions, but you need to send away for the design transfer, costing 6½ pence, "post free".
- Eno's "Fruit Salt"
- Paton's Khaki Wools - 'For Soldiers' and Sailors' Comforts!' One of the very few indicators that what would be known as The Great War had begun.
- Three Useful Books of Beehive Receipts - obviously Patons and Baldwins had not yet merged. Receipts is not cooking, by the way - they are pattern books for 'Lady's Cutaway Coat, Cap and Scarf', 'Outdoor Garments for Boys and Girls' and 'Sports Sweaters and Jerseys'.
- Salome Brillianté - "the new artificial silk" is presumably rayon.
- Allenburys' Foods - Milk Food No. 1 (birth-3 months), Milk Food No. 2 (3-6 months), Malted Food No. 3 (from 6 months) and Rusks (Malted) (from 10 months), with an offer of a free pamphlet "Infant Feeding and Management"
- Thomas Hunter, Art Needlework and Scotch Yarn warehouse in Newcastle-on-Tyne. This is the ad that made me aware of the existence of "the fashionable French Pen Painting." Also, "Orders by post have immediate attention".
- "Sirdar" Cable Rug Wool from Harrap Bros. Oh my goodness the hat!
- Carter and Parker advertise Khaki and Military Grey Wools in their brands Cock-o'-the-North and Paragon. The first is represented by a rather striking illustration of a bagpiper with a dashing moustache. Just what you'd expect from yarn made in Yorkshire.
- Harker's Loose Strip Specialities make crochet mounting easier, apparently, but I have no idea what they actually are.
- The Farmer and Stockbreeder admittedly seems like an odd publication to advertise to refined ladies, but as they say, they are the "best and largest 1 pence Farm paper in the world".
- Ridge's Food is advertising baby food with an illustration of what can only be described as a baby that knows it will grow up to be a Tory politician who will resign in a 1970s bondage and discipline sex scandal.
- Dr. J. Collis Browne's Chlorodyne is "the best known remedy" for coughs, colds, asthma, bronchitis, diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, spasms, hysteria, palpitations, neuralgia, toothache, rheumatism and gout. If the word 'Chlorodyne' didn't tell me this was a quack remedy, the name 'Collis Browne' certainly did!
- Deighton's Improved Transfers - I was quite surprised to see they were established in 1870, as I assumed transfers were a comparatively modern thing.