Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all and

may 2011 bring you your

dreams-come-true,

lots of spool knitting

successes and lots of fun!!!!

~~~~~~~~~

Toy Knitting Outfit

Bradley's 

Toy Knitting Outfit

Milton Bradley Co.

Springfield, Mass.  U. S. A.

Milton Bradley, born in 1836 in Vienna, Maine,

was first interested in lithography as a teenager.

By 1860 he had founded the Milton Bradley

Company and the first color lithography shop

in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Apart from games,  Bradley was

interested in children's education and

learning through play,

and the company also produced

materials for kindergarten children.

One such item was the Toy Knitting

Outfit. 

This is box numbered 4348 and is found in

the "Bradley's School Materials and

Books" catalog dated 1921.

Front and back cover shown

below,

Here is the page where it is found - and

another two sets are also mentioned here,

numbers 4195 and 4312.

Next we see the inside of the box (4348).

Oddly, I also have another set by Bradley which

is number 4200 (below). I am only guessing here but

this set could have possibly been made for the

general public. Inside, it has the larger 

spoolknitter which is also mentioned in the number

4195 set above.

This particular box has two of these - was

this set meant to have two? ... it is possible

as it could have been for sharing with a

brother or sister.

(The wooden spool with nails has been added

sometime later.)

So these sets are from the very early 1900's and

that makes them practically 100 years old!

I am so grateful to whoever took care of these sets

 that they remained in great condition.

(Bibliography -

Encyclopedia of Children's

Sewing Collectibles by 

Darlene J. Gengelbach - totally

recommend this book, I love it!)

============

=======

==

Little Mermaids

New Knitting Dolls

These little Mermaid knitting dolls are

as cute as can be.

There are six to the set each

one's hair different from the other.

They have little sparkle dots on

their bases in various colours.

They are newly released here

in Australia, and as far

as I can tell, very limited at present.

They should be more easily available

over the next 12 months.

These are made by Sailing Toys and Gifts Co. Ltd.,

exclusively for Sparkle T -

Made in China.

Curiously, instead of different coloured small balls of

yarn, they have included thin satin ribbon.

The loop tool has a fashioned hook on

its end.

When I find more available, I will

let you know.

~~~~~~~~

Yahoo Spoolknitter Competition

Yahoo Spoolknitter

Christmas Character/Doll Competition

The Yahoo Spoolknitter group are having their

last competition for the year and the

prize for the winner is a

fabulous Bracelet Jewelry 

Spool Knitting Kit

which is very

generously donated by our

wire spoolknitter extraordinaire -

Sharon Hessoun

... author of ...

Wire Knitting on a Spool.

Do check out her website -

Beadecked and Beaddicted Online

 

Should you wish to

enter, you must become a

member of our spoolknitter group

on Yahoo - link in right hand column

of this blog.

The photo above shows
  all that the lucky winner

will receive and it

also includes the CD of Sharon's book -

Wire Knitting ... on a Spool.

Once you have joined us, all of the

details for the competition will be found

in our Files section.

Competition closes midnight December 2nd!

**********

BUYER BEWARE!

I have been a collector of 

spool knitters for a number of years

now. While I would still consider

myself an amateur/novice collector, there are

still some things you

should notice that would make a lot

of sense when it comes to buying

vintage spool knitters.

I have seen over the past months,

so called vintage spool knitters being

sold on the internet. Yes, they have

that old look about them, but did

they start out originally as spool knitters?

I have in the past spoken of recycling

items like salt & pepper shakers, skittles, or perhaps

turning skipping rope handles into spool

knitters. This is all well and good and I

accept this alternative ... I have done

this myself and have stated

exactly what they had been in

as "past life", purely for my
own collection,

.... but I do not accept

those being sold under false pretences

as unique, rare and very old spool

knitters.

There is one seller in particular who makes

this claim on certain

listings, and I question this seller as to how

often he/she seems to continually find these 

supposedly rare and very old

spool knitters.

I notice things like the centre core of

the spool knitter as being newly drilled.

The diameter of the core is unusually

larger than normal. While the nails

have been stated as being oxidized, this

is easy to do yourself and nail them

into the top. If the piece is so old then,

wouldn't there be more wear at certain

areas of the so called spool knitter?

The area around the base of

the nails for instance, and also

around the spool knitter where it is held.

Some of the 'so called' spool knitters have

unusual extras or protuberances

like noses, ears, etc.,

so these should be showing signs of wear.

One of these were the chef salt shakers

(Salty and Peppy)

that are very easily recognized.... there are

so many of these that have been made.

The hat had been painted a different colour

which is also so easily done yourself.
The base of the "spool knitter" has
the recognizable concave which is
commonly found in salt & pepper
shakers.
These are individual pieces also and
do not have a box.

I just want to say to be very aware

when it comes to buying - if they sell

at a low price, then that is fine and as it

should be with its

"past life" noted, but if the buyers do not

know and the piece sells for an

astronomical price, then that is absolutely

absurd. 

Serious collectors, please be aware of this,

 ask the seller lots of questions.

Read the descriptions carefully and check

out all of the photos, ask the seller for lots

more photos.

You do not want to pay ridiculous prices

for a salt shaker!

Please do make comments to me about

this - as I do want to know your thoughts too!

..........

=========

Strickliesl Magazine

Strickliesl Magazine

Lena Special

A brand new German publication is now available

on the internet (Ebay).

Strickliesl (or Strickliesel,

or Knitting Liesl (spoolknitter)) is a 

Lena Special and is full of spool knitting

patterns both practical

and novel,

to suit just about everyone.

Spool knitting is becoming more

popular as so many more of us are

exploring different textile methods.

Don't forget that you can combine

spool knitting with many other crafts and

also add embellishments to

your creations. 

҉҉҉҉҉҉



           

When looking on the internet ............

Knitting Nancy could appear in the least

likely of places, or maybe that is

'images' of Knitting Nancy.

I found this recently when

looking on the internet.

I thought that you may be interested

in seeing it too!

 http://www.amyoxford.com/teachers_cert.html

 

 You will have to scroll down the page

just a little to Maddy Fraioli and her

needle punch rug -

"My Good Friend Nancy"

You can click on her photo

to see a larger version.

This is one I have that is similar ...

=========

Knitting Nancy gets a Makeover

 (before and after)

Knitting Peter

I had been wanting to give the Spear's Knitting Nancy of

the 1970's, 80's, and 90's a makeover for quite some

time.
(Knitting Nancy is the product name given
to the spool knitters by Spear's Games)

 I have a large number of these common boring 

and hideous bright pink-faced Knitting

Nancies in varying degrees of condition, the one

that I have painted here had had an accident with

nail polish of all things! ... and it had been purchased

for next to nothing.

In the 1920's - 30's, there were both female and

male form Knitting Nancies made by Spear's

of Germany and UK .... the male was called

Knitting Peter (Strick-Peter).

I quite like how he turned out in light

blue top with dark blue pants.

I also like his little expression on

his face!

 Here is the original Spear's
Knitting Peter (right)
of the late 20's/30's.
Don't the two Peter's
make a nice family
photo!!

                                                                        

°°°°°°°°

Spoolknitting Box

The prize for the winner of the current Yahoo

Spoolknitter Group Competition is this sweet 

hand-painted wooden box to hold your

spoolknitting accessories in.

It has a wood cut-out of Knitting Nancy

on the front!

The poll is now on to find our winner!

Link to the Yahoo Spoolknitter Group can be found

in the right-hand column of this blog.

Maybe we will see you there!

(Sept 13 ... now closed, but
we will be having more competitions!)

+_+

Anchor Arista

A fabulous booklet to look for if you are interested

in jewellery/necklace designs is the Anchor Intermezzo.

There are five different designs to make using

the Anchor Arista threads.

Below is an Anchor Arista Jewellery kit

- others are available.

There is a necklace and matching ring to

make from the kit.

You can look at the Coats Anchor website for these booklets and

jewellery kits plus some beading sites also have them.

~~~~oooo~~~~

Having Some Fun!

I found a fun photo site and

had to try some with Nancy

as the model.

I love this one!

Very Warhol!

What do you think?

o o o o

o o o o

New Knitting Dolls

Collectors of spool knitters

are now being catered for very

well - there are more new knitting

dolls for us to enjoy!

We also find a repaint of a

knitting doll - the Japanese doll.

 

These new knitting dolls are Made in China

with a slightly different version of a box

from a previous set of knitting dolls.

Remember those in their bright yellow

boxes with six different knitting

dolls - Eskimo, Japanese doll, Indian boy,

Indian girl, farm boy in blue

overalls, and another boy in red overalls?

These sets of dolls are

also found in a "knitting Nancy"

reproduction box by Heritage Toys
and Games.
(Both these sets in"yellow" and
"Heritage"
boxes are still being sold -
check out ebay.)

The wool supplied in the new

boxes are from Germany.

The loop tools are wooden

with a different colour ball

end. While the box remains

virtually the same, the various

craft shops, craft companies, toy

shops, and toy companies put

their own brand name/retail information

sticker on the boxes.

I wonder what we will discover next

about these sets!

::..::..::..::..::

What is it?

Ted graciously agreed

to model this little

spool knitting accessory

for me...

a novelty apple core

cord minder.

It is one part of the

prize for the current

Yahoo Spoolknitter Group

Tea Cosy Competition.

If you want to be involved,

HURRY! ... you

only have until

May 29th before

it closes!

 ~~~~~~~~

Knitting Grandma

I recently painted this

Knitting Grandma spool knitter.

Following the original J W Spear

Knitting Nancy, she is knitting

on four double pointers

just like Nancy.

oooOOOooo

Here's Humpty!

My blog mascot!

(with spool knit version)

->>X<<-

La Redoute, Roubaix

To appreciate the importance of this little tricotin,

we go back a little into the history of Roubaix, France.

Roubaix, in the region Nord Pas de Calais, became

a city with a booming textile and wool industry in the

19th century. There were 200 mills operating

around the city.

Around the 1920's a catalogue/mail-order

industry developed selling wools, patterns,

etc.

Because the town was still reeling from the

effects of WWI, one part of the plan

to get the wool industry back on its feet

was a promotional campaign - our

little "La Redoute" tricotin was offered

in these catalogues and sample leaflets

to help to sell more wool.

We find this tricotin still available

over time up to the 1950's.

In the 1960's onwards, the industry suffered

a decline being due to cheap imports which

also affected the British industry.

The 1970's up to the 2000's there were

thousands of job losses and buildings became

derelict.

However, Roubaix has now been "reborn" and

today we find, among others, fashion houses,

fashion and textile designers, marketing and

communications and home shopping companies,

and engineering colleges and teaching centres.

La Redoute district in the city 
of Roubaix, is now an
important mail-order

centre (La Redoute-Redcats, Damart,

Camaïeux and Phildar)

and also the "3 Suisses" wool company

is still in operation, creating wools, patterns,

catalogues, etc.

So, this little tricotin with its 

important role in advertising,

is an extremely

collectible spoolknitter to look out for!

>>>>o<<<<

The Collection of Christine Painsonneau

 The collection of

Christine Painsonneau of 

"Les Tricotins de Jardinette"

was featured on TV France

on March 8, 2010.

Click HERE to watch this

short but fabulous video.

ψψψψψ

Easter Egg Spoolknitter Prize

There is a new competition currently on

over at Yahoo Spoolknitter.

The "Easter Egg" Spoolknitter

pictured below is one part of the

prize.

Hop on over and see what

it is all about!

 

    жжжжжжж

 

 

 

 

Word Cloud

Wordle

New Discovery!!

Aïcha

It appears there is yet another

"totally different" 
Spears Games Knitting Nancy lurking

around somewhere in the world.

I discovered recently via the internet

that there was another Knitting

Nancy produced for the French

market.

While the discovery was

only a box and it was missing the

original Knitting Nancy,

and that I would probably

never be able to possess it,
I thought, well then, I could

paint my own.

So with an image of the box top

I came up with this below -

(only needs the nails which will

be put in soon) 

 Aïcha

(say Ay-i-sha

.... and also spelled A'isha,

Aisha, Ayesha and Ayisha)
is an Arabic female name.

Could it be because of the

Arabic name that she is

brown?

She would date from the late 1920's

because of the statement

regarding her new staples

(pointes en arc).

Though I still prefer

the "Knitting Nancy" to

"Aïcha", I am quite
fond of my

little reproduction.

 

(Now here she is all

complete.) 

I wonder if there are

others "out there"?!!!!

...≤◊≥...

Yahoo Spoolknitter Group Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

YAHOO SPOOLKNITTER!!

The above is the Yahoo Spoolknitter

Group Home Page notice for the

current competition....

entries close Jan 21st.

You are most welcome to join in

the spoolknitting fun! 

 Click on .....

Yahoo Spoolknitter Group

Here is a larger photo of the

spoolknitter "cake"

I hope it looks good enough

to eat!!

The spoolknitter

has six posts (nails) and is also 

decorated with flowers on top.

Above is the other part of the prize -

a "Take-a-long" Spoolknitting Bag

for your spoolknitting projects.

The outer pockets are handy for

those necessary bits and pieces

needed for working on your project.

So take a look at Yahoo Spoolknitter

and join in the fun - 

you gotta be in it to win it!! 

Added Jan 10th - 
I have some of you confused ....
this is not my blog birthday but a
post for the Yahoo Spoolknitter Group's
3rd Birthday!
We are both called "Spoolknitter".

But thankyou for your congrats
anyway  .... !!!

~~~~~~~~~

 

Babushka, Spiderman and Beefeater

These Knitting Dolls (spoolknitters) are newly made

from the later part of 2009.

They are Made in China by

Sailing Toys & Gifts Co. Limited

(see ToysLink for another

range of knitting doll with same

packaging).

The very colourful set of six Babushka

(product spelling) knitting dolls come in

red, purple, orange, blue, green, and pink.

 

There are also another two new spoolknitters

from the same company.

The Spiderman and Beefeater each called

a Knitting Boy, I would say are

especially made for the

young males who enjoy spool knitting.

Below are the front and back

views of the Spiderman spoolknitter.

These spoolknitters are very well

made and would be an excellent addition

to your collection. 

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