Mrs. T. H. Corbett's Shell Lace* instructions are a model

of clarity, and need no translation. In this case "thread over twice" really does mean a double yarn over, and in the 2nd row she even clarifies what to do with that double over.






The results left me a little "meh".



Ok, but not exciting. Maybe with blocking, or in a finer yarn, or a crisp cotton or linen? I started on smaller needles (right side of pic), then changed moved up a size, but that's as much experimenting as I plan to do with this one.

* pp 8-9, Knitting and Crochet Manual. New York Tribune Extra No. 62, found on Google Books.

Ox-Heart Point Knit Edging from 1880

While I was at it, I went ahead and worked up a second edging from Knitting and Crochet: An Illustrated Manual of Home Industry. And I must say that although the pamphlet does have illustrations, it does not have illustrations of everything, not by a long shot. I was knitting blind here. Though I suppose the up side is that I'll never have to worry that my recreation doesn't look just like the original. I'll never know if it does or not.



My written version came out this way:

Ox Heart Point Edging

Working Note: on Rows 2, 4, 6 and 8, you will be knitting into the first loop and purling into the second loop of the double yarn over.

Cast on 6 stitches
Row 1: k1, yo, p2tog, yo twice, p2tog, yo, k1: 8 sts on needle.
Row 2: k2tog, k2, p1, k1, p1, k1:7 sts on needle.
Row 3: k2, yo, p2tog, yo twice, p2tog, yo, k1: 9 sts on needle.
Row 4: k2tog, k2, p1, k1, p1, k2: 8 sts on needle.
Row 5: k3, yo, p2tog, yo twice, p2tog, yo, k1: 10 sts on needle.
Row 6: k2tog, k2, p1, k1, p1, k3: 9 sts on needle.
Row 7: k4, yo, p2tog, yo twice, p2tog, yo, k1: 11 sts on needle.
Row 8: K2tog, k2, p1, k1, p1, k4: 10 sts on needle.
Row 9: k9, yo, k1: 11 sts on needle.
Row 10: k2tog, k1, pass the st formed by k2tog over the second st knit to bind off 1, bind off 3 more sts in knit, k5: 6 sts on needle.

and it looks like this:



I don't know why it's called "Ox-Heart".

I must say I've been quite engaged (obsessed?) with looking over the old knitting pamphlets that can be found by searching in Google Books. The one this edging comes from was published by "The New York Tribune" as an extra, and many (all?) of the patterns were sent in by appreciative readers of their knitting column - some of the introductory statements are rather charming. One thing that hasn't changed over the years is the eagerness of enthusiastic knitters and crocheters to share their favorite projects.

About that Errata (erratum?)

I mentioned in an update to the post before last that there was a correction to the final line of the old Wheat Ear edging pattern I had been playing with.

According to this correction, the eighth row would be: yo, p5tog, k3.

I tried that. P5tog is a major PITA, even with a crochet hook. Maybe I could manage in a more elastic yarn than cotton. Maybe I will even try sometime.

But for now, here's what I did for Row 8: yo, p2tog, k3tog, pass the second stitch on the right needle over the first and drop it off the needle, k3.



With a bit of blocking that might be quite pretty. It definitely looks more like wheat ears this way.

Wheat-Ear Knit Edging from 1880 (Updated)

I thought, just for the heck of it, that I would try to knit one of the narrow edgings I found in Knitting and Crochet: An Illustrated Manual of Home Industry

Here's the original.




The first row was easy enough.

But on the second row, what am I supposed to do when I come to those double yarn overs? I could knit into the first loop and purl into the second, but that would leave me with too many stitches for the start of the 3rd row. So I just worked into the first loop and let the second drop off.

Working this way, the 3rd through 7th rows went smoothly.

But the 8th row? That's not going to work. After Row 7 I have 8 sts on the needle (if you count the double yo as only one stitch). If I work the eighth row as written, I will only use up 5 of those sts, leaving three left over. And besides, I need to reduce the stitch count to a total of five so that I will be ready to start over with the 1st row.

Obviously, I need to bind off three sts at the beginning of Row 8. Do I still start the row "Over twice and purl 2 together"? I tried it that way, passing the yo over the p2tog for the first bound off stitch, but the second loop of the yo didn't drop off easily. So in the end, I just worked the last row as "Bind off 3, knit 4". *





I must say, those double yarnovers at the edge leave awfully big loops. Maybe this would look prettier in a finer yarn. But it did occur to me to wonder if "over twice" really meant "yarn over and then bring the yarn into position to purl".

So I tried it that way as well.






To my mind, the results are much neater, and it's definitely easier to work.

This is a very basic edging with a familiar look about it, and I'm sure that with just a little searching I could find versions of it in one, or more, of the books on my shelves. But for whatever it's worth, here's my re-write.

CO 5 stitches
Row 1: k2, yo, k1, yo, p2tog: 6 sts on needle.
Row 2: yo, p2tog, k4.
Row 3: k3, yo, k1, yo, p2tog: 7 sts on needle..
Row 4: yo, p2tog, k5.
Row 5: k4, yo, k1, yo, p2tog: 8 sts on needle.
Row 6: yo, p2tog, k6.
Row 7: k6, yo, p2tog.
Row 8: yo, p2tog, pass the yo over the stitch formed by the p2tog to bind off 1, bind off 2 more sts, k4.

For Row 8, you could just: "Bind off 3, k4." I think starting with a yo makes a slightly nicer point, but that could be just my imagination.

* Update, I actually found an Errata section in the original, and it notes: Wheat-Ear Edge, Page 27, 8th row: for “purl 2 together” read “purl 5 together.”

That rather changes things. I'll get to work on knitting it this way.