__________________ "In this great struggle, this form of Government and every form of human right is endangered if our enemies succeed. There is more involved in this contest than is realized by every one." Abraham Lincoln - August 18, 1864 Speech to the 164th Ohio Regiment
Well, since I am not a reenactor, nor a scholarly type, nor a resident of a living history community like Greenfield Village or Williamsburg, the most 1860s-type activity, that is, a somewhat authentic reliving of those times, that I do is knit socks, half the time using what has been represented to me as an authentic set of directions. However, I often use aluminum needles and that might taint my authenticity. Forgive me!
Reading and researching comes first. Even spent time in the National Archives. Almost finished with my book on the blackpowder sharpshooter (1750-1900).
Shooting is also fun but a lot more work. Have to cast and lube my minies, clean my guns. I don't make cartridges and use a powder horn and pour the powder into a measure. Can you tell I'm not a reenactor?
Hi Ole, As I said, I'm not a scholar so don't take my declarations here as gospel, but my guess would be wood, steel, baleen/whalebone, or other bone (I don't know what kind of bone would be included...beef?) and maybe bamboo? I'm just going by what I've seen nowadays. I'm not a heavy duty researcher. Maybe aluminum was actually available but somehow I doubt it. I've seen maple and birch wood needles advertised. I don't know if bamboo was available in the United States in the 1860s.
As to size of stitches, yes that's exactly right. Thicker needles make coarser stitches. Socks would often be made on tiny needles of sizes ranging from 000 to 4. Today's size 4 needles range in diameter from 3.5mm to 3.75mm while size 000s are 1.5-1.75mm in diameter. Socks you buy in stores are probably made on knitting machines with needles MUCH tinier than 000s.
I use either circular needles or double pointed needles for socks. My guess is that circular needles weren't available in the 1860s because they are essentially two straight needles connected with a length of smooth plastic cord. The double pointed needles are usually 7" long but they come in other lengths.
Hope you are still awake at this point. Now that you ask these questions, it seems like a interesting subject to look into but I just don't have the time right now to dig much deeper. Also I am not a longterm, experienced knitter, and I hope somebody else more knowledgeable will come along and add to this.
Thanks, sockknitter. Personally, knitting would cut into my reading time and I can picture my wife coming home and saying, "you've been doing WHAT all day!"
You guesses are right. Knitting needles would also have been made in ivory. I guess I never realized how 'recent' knitting was! It only starting about 1500.
__________________ Mark W. Swarthout, Esq.
GGGrandson of Pvt. John W. Swarthout, Company E, 148th NYVI - Wounded at Cold Harbor.
GGGGrandson of Pvt. Henry Stephens, Company D, 137th NYVI - Wounded at Culp's Hill, Gettysburg.
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