WW1 Memorial Quilt - Horace

While I was away at my Mother’s last week – I knitted the next piece of my memorial quilt.

This piece is called Horace after Horace Edwin Willmett who was my second cousin, three times removed.  He was a private in the 7^th battalion of the Queen’s Royal West Surrey Regiment who died on 7 March 1917 aged 26.  In civilian life he was a printer. 

The husband of my third cousin twice removed: Robert Bramall Dives also died in 1917 on 28 February.  He was a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery but in civilian life he was a compositor.

I nearly forgot to mention another printer – my third cousin three times removed – Henry George Cann who was in the Rifle Brigade.  He died on 30 June 1916 aged 32.  He is a recently discovered member of my family tree.

This was probably one of the easiest designs to think of and to knit.  It was obvious to choose words for a printer.  For this piece I cast on 134sts and worked 99 rows in stocking stitch.

I decided to use the trades and to knit them using the fair-isle technique.  I tried to use light colours with a dark background and dark colours with a light background. Some of them stand out better than others.  In the photos some are hard to read – eg Fireman – but it is not too bad in real life.  Also the end of Clerk looks a bit odd because of the flecks in the yarn.  I have done it right – but the K looks a bit warped.

Over the years, I have knitted lots of tea cosies with slogans on – so this idea was just an extension of that.  I hope I haven’t spelt anything wrong!  Once the letters are set up correctly they are fairly easy to knit.  When I was designing the pattern – I had to write the words on graph paper and then cut them out and stick them onto the blank pattern piece.  I couldn’t just mark them straight onto the pattern as I didn’t know how much space they would take up until I had written them (if you see what I mean).  I could have written them again instead of using glue but I am lazy! 

I also admit – that I have not exactly stuck to the pattern – sometimes I have started the words in a slightly different place – but it doesn’t matter.

I am now knitting the next piece.