Spear's Orange Boxes

As promised from the last post, here

are the Spear's Games Knitting Nancy
boxes from 1983 and 1989.

Below is the box dated 1989
with the number 55046.

Below - this is what was in this particular
box. The Spear's Games and Crafts
catalogue unfortunately
did not include the Knitting Nancy!

Below - the directions found in this box are
in french for the Jeannette La Tricoteuse (the illustration
shown here is nothing like any
Spear's Knitting Nancy) which
is the french name for the vintage Knitting Nancy.
(The small print at the bottom says
Printed in England.)

Below - the two boxes right of the photo are both
dated 1983. (MCMLXXXIII)
The box number is 6001.

Below - inside one of the boxes (a later model Knitting
Nancy along with two earlier models - as found.)

For the next post I have another surprising find!
......and here is a sneak peek.......

Another Spear & Sons Knitting Nancy Box

I came across this box last year, the only one
I have seen in all of my collecting years.
By Spear's Games, it would have to be
the very last type of Knitting
Nancy box issued
before Spear's Games was sold to
Mattel in 1994. I have been told by Francis
Spear (of the Spear & Sons family)
that Mattel did not continue with the
production of Knitting Nancy but I have
seen one by Rocket Toys & Games (2003) with
the exact same Knitting Nancy. (The
link to my post showing Rocket Toys
& Games is here.)

This Knitting Nancy box is dated 1992 and
its number is 55046. I do have a box
numbered 55046 which is the orange
coloured box and I will show that box
(plus others) in the next post.

Side of box.

Inside the box - note that it comes
with a warranty.

Bottom of box.

The leaflet of projects made with the
Knitting Nancy.

The other side of the leaflet showing
the instructions and is dated 1989.

>>>>><<<<<

TRADE CARD DISCOVERY!!

Will Charm the Girls and Quiet the Noisy Boys.

Every now and then you get lucky and find

something significant in
spool knitter history.
The above trade card of the
English Needle Co. N.Y. and printed by
G. W. Averell & Co. is a fantastic
discovery and makes interesting reading
also.
The use of staples (called double
pins in the ad)
goes all the way back
to 1879 and possibly further as it
states this illustration of
G W Averell & Co. (illustrators
and publishers) was
patented on December
23rd, 1879!
The price of the Toy Knitter?
....... just 15 cents postpaid!
I cannot find further information
on the English Needle Co. N.Y. but
obviously it would have been the
U.S. branch of the company in the U.K.

Above - I found this vintage ad for G. W. Averell
on the internet.

Close up of the Toy Knitter - note
the "spiral guide" (spring) to
guide your yarn as you work.

Here It Is!

Ta Daaa!

Here is the new strickliesel finished
and only has to have the nails put in.
Let me know what you think!

Remember?

Back in June

I had posted about some spool knitters
newly turned by hubby on various woods
(below). Some of them had started showing
cracks not long after
being turned but they did stop and they are
just minor cracks, after all.

I decided to go ahead with painting without using
wood filler as I think these cracks adds to the character
of the spool knitter.

So we have the beginnings of another painted
spool knitter.

Above shows the two sizes of the
original and the recent wood turned
spool knitter. (9cms and 18cms)
Not much more to go with the painting side
of things, just a little "fine-tuning" as the
stripes are the difficult part (though looking
at the originals, the stripes are not exactly
straight anyway). The hair needs
adjusting and the "shoes" also
need to be adjusted. Then there
is just the face and I will add "buttons" too.
The original spool knitter is Made in Germany
where they are called "strickliesel" and
they are to be found in a vast variety of
different stripes and different colours.
Stay tuned for the finished spool knitter.

Knitting Without Needles

I am always looking for any books

involving spool knitting and recently
found the book below -
Macrame and Other Projects
for Knitting Without Needles
by Peggy Boehm
illustrated by Shizu Matsuda
published in 1963.
It is another book directed
at children with many ways
of using wool to make various
items.
Among the contents are -
For the House
Toys to Make
Dress Up and Play
Tassels and Fringe
Tapestry
Weaving
...etc....

The topic of spool knitting is
found in the "Very Simple" section
of the book. It is just six pages
with instructions and suggestions
for projects.

Front Cover

Below is one of the illustrations
and one that I find very misleading.
If you have spool knitted, then this
illustration is entirely wrong plus
I feel that there should be another
nail added to show that they
should be evenly spaced.

Below is a rather large package
for a Giant Knitting Spool by -
Tucket Toy Corp., Woonsocket,
R. I., U.S.A. (no date)
This is the only one I have seen
of these and it is reminiscent
of the "Apple Pie", "Cherry Pie"
type of knitters that I showed you
in the previous post.

Below is the back of the package showing
the directions for use.
I would be interested to hear if
anyone has these too.

APPLE OR CHERRY PIE?

These knitters are a very close relative to
the spool knitter - same principle, only
for larger sized projects.
A main feature of these sets are
the patterns to make your own
dolls' clothes - Barbie, Cindy, Pepper,
Skipper, Skooter, Tressy, Tammy, all
dolls sizes up to 11 1/2 inches.

Above - Apple Pie Knitter by Lisbeth Whiting
Co., Inc., Litho in U.S.A. is dated 1966.

Above - Cherry Pie Knitter - Milton Bradley -
Crafts by Whiting (is this connected to the
previous Apple Pie Knitter?)

Above and Below - Wendy's Knitter by Peter Pan
Playthings - Made in England (no date)

Above and Below - French Knitting Petite by Hansa
Toy Co. Melbourne - Sydney (no date)

Below - Busy Betsy Carry Crafts
Bumblebee Knitter by Remco Industries Inc.
Harrison N.J. - Made and Printed in the
U.S.A.
This also included the plastic spool
knitter and knitting needles.
The instructions found in this
container are the same as
the Apple Pie Knitter!

Below - this is a vintage advertisement for
a Bizzy Bee Knitter from 1967 by
Transogram.
While it looks like a sewing machine,
it is a knitting machine where by
turning a handle, it does the
work (loop lifting) for you
and produces a cord just like
a spool knitter!

There are now many toy knitting
machines for children - some
produce a cord, while others produce
the wider tube knitted fabric.

Added September 2010 -

My dear UK friend has some of

these "pie knitters" 
that are by Minimodels UK.