WW1 Memorial Quilt – Herbert – Fireman

For the last couple of weeks – I have been struggling with this piece, but it is finally finished.

It looks fairly simple now – but this is my second attempt. I decided that for a fireman I wanted to use orange and a design which included ladders and hoses.  I cast on and started knitting but I couldn’t work up any enthusiasm for the design.  It seemed too big and I kept putting off doing it.  I realised this was because it wasn’t right.  So I swopped it with another piece – in fact I have swopped several pieces around – so that the size of the piece better reflects the complexity of the design.  

I unravelled and started again, this time casting on 50 sts and knitting 132 rows.  A long thin piece seems to fit the ladder better.

This piece is called Herbert to remember my third cousin, three times removed: Herbert Tom Sedlen.  He was a sailor in the Mercantile Marine on the SS Royal Edward.  He died on 13 Aug 1915 aged 33.  In civilian life in Dorset, he was a fireman.

I now have 6 pieces left to knit but most of them are quite large and I intend to knit complicated designs.

Yarn Fever

Last week I had a severe case of Yarn Fever!  I became obsessed with buying yarn and could not think of anything else.  It started when I just called into Oxford Yarn Store to buy some boring black yarn to make myself a little waistcoat to wear for work during the summer.  I chose some Rowan pure wool superwash worsted.

I also bought a skein of Manos Del Uruguay’s Allegria in a spring-like shade – to make myself another shawl.

I have finished the little shawl I have been knitting using one ball of Louisa Harding’s Pittura. 

The design is called Hitchhiker Beyond by Martina Behm.  It is an excellent design – very clear and easy to follow.  I liked it so much – I have cast on another one using the Allegria that I have just bought.

Whilst I was in the Yarn Store – James told me that they were no longer going to sell Noro yarn.  I had noticed an interesting basket of Noro and could not stop thinking about it – so on Friday afternoon (before the snow returned) – I made another flying visit to Oxford Yarn Store to buy some more Noro.  I had thought of a couple of patterns that I could use it for.

So far I have resisted the temptation to cast it on.  I have been working on the latest piece of my WW1 Memorial Quilt and as I have mentioned above – I am making another shawl.  Both of these projects will be better for carrying around than large amounts of Noro, but I have a few days off work after Easter – so may be I will be tempted then.

WW1 Memorial Quilt – Reggie - Sailor

Just like with the soldiers, some of my relatives who died in WW1 were in the navy before the start of the war.  Like the army it provided a chance for poor working class lads to travel and see the world.  It also provided bed and board for those who were very poor.

For this piece I have used a different colour knitting technique.  It is sort of striped but there was no plan – I made it up as I went along.  I hope you know what it is meant to be – it is the sea – what else could I knit for a sailor?  I considered boats and other maritime symbols, but I decided on the sea.

I picked out 5 different green and blue shades of Rowan Felted Tweed and just changed colour when I felt like it.  I blended the stripes together by knitting alternate stitches on the joins.  I also added a few random bits – to break the stripes up further and to suggest waves.

For this piece, I cast on 67sts and knit 99 rows.

This piece is named after my third cousin, twice removed: Reginald Henry Hobbs.  He was a newsboy in 1911 but joined the navy in 1914.  He died on 8 May 1915 aged 19.  It is also to remember Arthur Richard Mummery who was also my third cousin, twice removed.  He joined the navy in 1912 and died on HMS Vanguard on 9 July 1917 aged 25.   Thirdly – this piece is to remember William Paul Stuttle who was my second cousin, three times removed.  He was a cabin boy in the Mercantile Marines and very sadly died on 9 September 1918 aged 14.  I am not sure why 14 is worse than 19, but it is.  Lastly this is for all the sailors who died in WW1.

Sadie Hartwell’s Knitting Mysteries

I have been knitting this week but I have also been reading.  My sister bought me the latest Sadie Hartwell book – A Knit Before Dying as a Christmas present. 

When I had finished it, I immediately ordered the first book in the series – Yarned and Dangerous.  If you read them out of order like I have – you know who didn’t do it because they were still at large in the second book and so could not have been guilty in the first one – so I recommend that you read the first one first.

These books are ideal for knitters who like mystery stories – like me!  They are based around a yarn store called Miss Marple Knits and are full of details about yarn.  They also have free patterns at the end.  Inbetween there is a mystery to solve.  They are like a cross between Maggie Sefton and Debbie Macomber.

One of the features of the second book – A Knit Before Dying – which particularly appealed to me – is that the main character Josie Blair – is writing a blog.  I haven’t come across that before in knitting mystery books.

WW1 Memorial Quilt – Percy - Bottle-washer

It is the supposedly the first day of spring but it is very cold.  We haven’t got much snow but there is a very bitter wind blowing the snow around.  It is a good day to stay inside and get some knitting done.

I have finished another piece of my quilt – this is Percy named after my 4^th cousin, twice removed Percy James East.  He was a Private in the 6^th battalion of the East Kent Regiment (known as the Buffs) and he died on 18 March 1916 aged 24.  His occupation is listed as a bottle-washer.  I admit I am not sure what one was – I assume he washed bottles!  A lot more bottles were reused in the past whereas now they would be broken up and used for something else.

This piece is also to remember Oswald Thresher who was the husband of my 3^rd cousin, twice removed.  He was the manager of a wine and spirits depot and I wondered if he was connected with the off-licence Threshers.  I don’t know.  He was a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers who died on 2 Oct 1918 aged 36. 

I hope it is obvious that the design is a small group of bottles.  It was inspired by a Kaffe Fassett design of a large group of bottles.   The piece has 67sts and 132 rows.  I used quite a lot of the dark brown Rowan Felted Tweed.  This piece is intended for the opposite side of the quilt to that for the Tea Packer which also used quite a lot of this shade.

I have a few ideas for the next pieces but I am not sure yet which one I will do next.