Beeton's Book Of Needlework, A Sleepy Reading

Tonight, I'm reading from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Needlework — a vintage guide full of simple descriptions of needlecrafts and how to do them. It’s cosy, quiet, and just interesting enough to keep you company while you drift off to sleep. For this episode, there are no background sounds. Just calm, sleepy narration.

Transcript

I'm Fran, And thank you for joining me for this reading of an old needlework guide by Mrs Isabella Beaton, Called Beaton's Book of Needlework. My hope is that this gentle reading will help you focus on something else other than your worries and thoughts. It's low stakes. There's no story to follow. It's interesting enough to keep you listening, But boring enough to lull you to sleep. If there are photos or illustrations, I'll do my best to describe them to you. Same with old-fashioned words that have fallen out of use. You don't have to be a crafting enthusiast to enjoy this reading. Just get comfy. Make sure you've had a sip of water if you need it. And listen to some excerpts from Beaton's Book of Needlework by Mrs Beaton. Beaton's Book of Needlework Consisting of descriptions and instructions Illustrated by 600 engravings of tatting patterns, Crochet patterns, Knitting patterns, Netting patterns, Embroidery patterns, Point lace patterns, Berlin work, Monograms, Initials and names, Pillow lace and lace stitches. Every pattern and stitch described and engraved with the utmost accuracy and the exact quantity of material requisite for each pattern stated. Beaton's Book of Needlework was originally published in Great Britain in 1870 by Ward, Locke and Tyler. Samuel Butler's Preface The art of needlework dates from the earliest record of the world's history and has also, From time immemorial, Been the support, Comfort or employment of women of every rank and age. Day by day, It increases its votaries, Who enlarge and develop its various branches, So that any addition and assistance in teaching or learning needlework will be welcomed by the daughters of England, Wise of heart, Who work diligently with their hands. The recent introduction of point lace has brought a finer and apparently more difficult class of fancy work into general favour. Ladies may now, However, Confidently commence, With our patterns before them, To reproduce antique laces, For care and patience, With a knowledge of point lace stitches, Are alone required to perfect the beautiful work, Which, As shown in existing specimens of exquisite old lace, Constitute the chief glory of women's refined industry in past centuries. Instructions in tutting, In embroidery, In crochet, In knitting and netting, In Berlin Woolwork, In Point Lace and Gaipure d'Art are prefixed to the pages devoted to these separate branches of needlework. The whole work is interspersed with coloured and other patterns in point lace, Gaipure d'Art, Tatting, Embroidery and designs for monograms and initials, For marking handkerchiefs and table linen. The quantity of materials required for each class of work is also given with every pattern. The idea of combining a series of minute and exact instructions in fancy needlework with useful patterns was conceived some years ago by one whose life was devoted to the inculcation of the practical duties of woman's life, And to assisting her sex in their daily work of household management and refinement. Her great wish was that her book of needlework should be as valuable in its way to her country women as her work upon household management was useful in showing the best mode of providing for the diurnal wants of families. Other hands have brought to a conclusion her original plans. The best attainable workers have contributed to this volume. Only those who knew the extent of the late Mrs. Beaton's design will miss, In the pages now before them, The touch of a vanished hand. Tatting. Tatting instructions. And here we have an illustration of a tatting shuttle, Which I will explain in just a moment. The needlework called tatting in England, Frivolité in French, And frivolitäten in German, Is a work which seems, From all accounts, To have been in favour several generations ago. Modern ingenuity has discovered some ways of improving on the original plan of tatting, Which was indeed rather a primitive sort of business as first practised. To Mrs. Mee, One of our most accomplished artists in all matters connected with the work table, Belongs, We believe, The introduction of the plan of working from the reel instead of the shuttle. By this alteration, The advantage of the shuttle being constantly kept filled with cotton was gained, And the necessity also obviated for frequently joining the thread. And to Mlle. Riego, Equally distinguished in all details appertaining to the employment of the needle, Ladies are indebted for an arrangement by which the same thread used in the making of the pattern is used for fastening the work. The old plan only provided for the working of the different portions, Which constituted the pattern, And then these portions had to be sewn together with a needle and thread. The ingenious workers on the continent have also given much attention of late to the art of tatting, And our instructions, Now printed, Comprise what we consider the best mode of learning, And doing this exceedingly interesting and fashionable work. And here we have an illustration of a tatting pin, Which, For those who like crochet, Looks like a mini crochet hook attached to a chain, Which is attached to a hoop. Tatting differs entirely from crochet, And it is composed of stitches forming knots. It is intended as an imitation of point lace, And is especially used for trimming underlinen, On account of its strength. To make the stitches or knots, A small instrument is used, Called a shuttle. This shuttle consists of two oval pieces, Flat on one side, And convex on the other, And is made of wood or ivory. The two oval pieces are joined together by a strong cross piece. The illustration shows the construction of the shuttle. These shuttles are made in ivory, Pearl, Tortoiseshell inlaid with pearl, And silver. They are also manufactured in coloured bone, Black, Red, And white. The best to work with are the pearl for a white shuttle, And the inlaid tortoiseshell for a black shuttle. The prices vary from sixpence to one shilling and two and sixpence each. In selecting a shuttle, Be careful to see that the ends close, As if dropped, It soon becomes unthreaded, Which is very inconvenient. The cotton intended for the work is wound round this shuttle, And the thickness of the cotton varies according to the style of work. It is better to use the proper tatting cotton, Because it is stronger than the ordinary kinds. This is manufactured by Mrs Walter Evans & Co for the purpose. Their boar's head cotton is also frequently used, And answers very well. These are made in three sizes. Finest, Number one. Number two, A useful medium size. Number three, The largest. The way to hold the hands. Take the shuttle in the right hand, Between the thumb and second finger, And allow the forefinger to remain at liberty, And rest the under part of the shuttle between the second and third, And on the middle finger. Place the thread round the three middle fingers of the left hand, So as to form a loop, Keeping the second and third fingers a little apart, And bring the cotton again between the thumb and forefinger, Letting the end fall within the palm of the hand, While the end of cotton, Which holds onto the shuttle, Passes over the thumbnail. To make a stitch, Keep the hands in the position above described. Pass the shuttle at the back through the loop, That is, Between the second and third fingers. Take the end of the shuttle, Which comes out from the loop between the forefinger and thumb of the right hand, And strain the cotton very tightly toward the right. When the cotton is drawn through the loop, This cotton must not be impeded by the fourth finger. It should, On the contrary, Slide over it and be drawn tight. It should divide the loop into two parts. After this, Withdraw the second left-hand finger, Which is above the cotton, And pass it again under that cotton, So as to draw up the loop. A half-stitch is thus formed, And must be tightened by being drawn closely to the forefinger and thumb of the left hand. For the remaining half of the stitch, Keep the hands in the same position, But instead of letting the cotton fall over the thumb, Pass this cotton over the back of the hand. Then, Let the shuttle fall between the second and third fingers of the left hand, In front, And take it out again at the back. Strain the cotton very tightly, Withdraw the second finger from the loop, Letting the cotton which is behind the hand sweep over the fingers. When this is done, Guide with the unoccupied fingers of the left hand this second half-stitch up to the other, Thus completing one stitch. The way to make a loop in tatting When a certain number of stitches are made, Very tightly draw in the loop, By straining the cotton until the first stitch touches the last, And thus a loop is formed. During this process, The stitches should be held tightly between the forefinger and thumb. The way to make a pearl A pearl is a small loop of cotton often used as an edging in tatting, As, For instance, Round the outer edge of the ovals in Tatted Insertion number 2. The following is the easiest method of making a pearl. The stitches are not made quite closely together at the place where a pearl is to be made. About one-sixth of an inch is left between each. This space is left free until the loop is made by uniting the stitches. Then the small piece of cotton in the space bulges out between the stitches and forms the pearl. If several are required, A small space is left between every two or three stitches. According to the desired number. Care must be taken in that case, That the small pieces of cotton left be all of the same length, So that the pearl may be perfectly even. The pearl can also be made thus. At the same time with the end of thread, Take the tatting pin, Or a very large darning needle or knitting needle in the left hand, So that the point may come out farther than the row of stitches. If then you wish to make a pearl, Throw the cotton on the pin before making the stitch, Then fasten this stitch, And push it at once close to the proceeding. The pin with the cotton should come above the stitches. Do not take out the pin before all the pearl and all the stitches are completed and joined together. Joining the work Place the tatting pin in the loop that is to be joined, And with the hook, Draw the thread of the loop, That is, Round the hand through it. Pass the shuttle through this loop, And draw it up tightly close to the stitches. A straight or double thread is used to join various parts of the work, And forms very beautiful patterns. Without the straight thread, We should be unable to imitate point lace patterns, Or indeed, To execute any designs but those composed of circles, Ovals, Etc. To use this straight thread, Two shuttles are required. They should be of different colours. Sometimes, One end of thread is left attached to the reel, Instead of using the second shuttle. In commencing a loop, The straight thread is held between the second and third fingers of the left hand, About two or three inches from the work. The other shuttle is held, As usual, In the right hand, And the stitches and pearls worked with it upon the foundation of the straight thread of the second shuttle. Next, We're moving on to crochet instructions. And we have an illustration of a crochet needle. I suppose we would call this a crochet hook nowadays. It has a thick handle, And a very thin needle with a hook on the end. It doesn't look really any different to modern crochet hooks. Cotton or thread, Wool or silk, With a crochet needle, Are the materials required for working crochet. The needle, Whether it be steel or bone, Must be smoothly polished. The long wooden and bone crochet needles are used for wool. For cotton and silk work, Short steel needles screwed into a bone handle are best. The beauty of the crochet work depends upon the regularity of the stitches, As is the case with every other style of needlework. The stitches must be elastic, But if too loose, They look as bad as if too tight. The size of the needle and that of the cotton or wool must correspond. Work only with the point of the needle, And never move the stitch up and down that needle. The cotton with which you work must be of the very best quality. For borders, Insertions, Rosettes, Imitation of Guy Pierre, Use Evans's crochet cotton. For coverets, Counterpanes, Covers, Etc. , Use knitting cotton. All crochet work patterns are begun on a foundation chain. There are three kinds of foundation chains. The plain foundation, The double foundation, And the pearl foundation chain. As a side note, Listener, We now have the magic ring, Which is another way you can start off crochet patterns that are in the round. My fellow crocheters will know what I mean. I find it interesting that at the time of publication, This wasn't yet a technique. Anyway, Back to the book. The plain foundation chain consists of chain stitches. And here we have an illustration of a foundation chain on a crochet hook, And it rather looks like a big braid of hair. Form a loop with the cotton or other material with which you work. Take it on the needle and hold the cotton as for knitting on the forefinger and other fingers of the left hand. The crochet needle is held in the right hand between the thumb and forefinger as you hold a pen in writing. Hold the end of the cotton of the loop between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand. Wind the cotton once round the needle. By drawing the needle underneath the cotton from left to right, Catch the cotton with the hook of the needle and draw it as a loop through the loop already on the needle, Which is cast off the needle by this means and forms one chain stitch. The drawing the cotton through the loop is repeated until the foundation chain has acquired sufficient length. When enough chain stitches have been made, Take the foundation chain between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand so that these fingers are always close to and under the hook of the needle. Each stitch must be loose enough to let the hook of the needle pass easily through. All foundation chains are begun with a loop. And here we have another illustration of a double foundation chain. It looks just like the previous illustration with a crochet hook at the top and two braids hanging off. The double foundation chain. Crochet two chain stitches. Insert the needle downward into the left side of the first chain stitch. Throw the cotton forward. Draw it out as a loop. Wind the cotton again round the needle and draw it through the two loops on the needle. Draw the cotton as a loop through the left side of the last stitch, Like the illustration. Wind the cotton round the needle and draw it through both loops on the needle. And the asterisk is there to show us where to repeat the pattern from. And we repeat it until the foundation chain is long enough. The next illustration is of the pearl foundation chain, Which as a crafter myself looks very fancy as a foundation chain. It's a rope of crocheted chain with little hanging loops of chain hanging off it rather like the way bunting hangs. And there are four loops of cotton on the crochet hook. Pearl foundation chain. Crochet four chain stitch, Then one treble stitch, That is, Wind the cotton round the needle. Insert the needle downwards into the left side of the first of the four chain stitches. Wind the cotton round the needle. Draw it through the stitch. Wind the cotton again round the needle. And at the same time, Draw the cotton through the last loop and through the stitch formed by winding the cotton round the needle. Wind the cotton once more round the needle. And draw it through the two remaining loops on the needle. The four chain stitches form a kind of scallop or pearl. Repeat from the asterisk. And the asterisk appeared right at the beginning of these instructions. The following crochet stitches require foundation chains like numbers 216 and 217, Which were our plain and double foundation chains. They are all worked in separate rows. Make a loop at the beginning of every row, As has been described, And take it on the needle. Slip stitch. And here we have an illustration of a thick piece of flat material made with slip stitches in crochet. It's a rather tightly wound fabric. Draw the needle through the back part of a foundation chain stitch, Or in the course of the work through the back part of a stitch of the preceding row. Wind the cotton round the needle. And draw it through the stitch and loop on the needle. The illustration shows a number of slip stitches, The last of which is left quite loose. The arrow marks the place where the needle is to be inserted for the next stitch. We have another illustration which shows the double stitch. In US modern terms, This is known as the single crochet stitch. This is another piece of crocheted flat fabric, With slightly more space between the rows than there was in the last slip stitch illustration. These are worked nearly like the preceding ones. Draw the cotton as a loop through the back part of a stitch. Wind the cotton round the needle. And draw it through the two loops on the needle. We have another illustration, Also called double stitch. But it looks different because the crochet hook is shown, As will the instructions explain, In a different part of the stitch on the preceding row. These double stitches are worked nearly like the preceding ones. The first row is worked like that of the previous one, Number 220. In the following ones, Insert the needle into the two upper sides of a stitch of the preceding row. We have another illustration, This time of the ribbed stitch. A flat piece of crochet fabric showing a ribbed texture. The ribbed stitch. This stitch is worked backwards and forwards. That is, The right and wrong sides are worked together, Which forms the raised ribs. Insert the needle always into the back part of every stitch. Work one chain stitch at the end of every row, Which is not worked, However, In the following row. Next, We have an illustration for the slanting stitch. Showing a flat piece of crochet fabric with a diagonal shaped stitch. Slanting stitch, Double stitch. This stitch is worked like that described in number 220, Which was our double stitch. The cotton is not wound round the needle the first time in the usual manner, But the needle is placed in the direction of the arrow above the cotton, Which is an arrow that points upwards. Draw the cotton through as a loop. The stitch is finished like the common double stitch. Our next illustration shows a piece of fabric again, And this time the stitches look like a lattice. Cross stitch. This stitch is worked like number 223, Which was the slanting stitch, On a foundation like number 217, Which was our double foundation chain, But only insert the needle through the two upper sides of a stitch. Next, The illustration shows a long double stitch. It just looks like a typical flat piece of crochet fabric, But with a larger distance between the two rows. Long double stitch. And I believe this is what we would refer to as a half double crochet stitch in modern US terms. For this stitch, Wind the cotton round the needle. Insert it into the back part of a stitch. Draw the cotton out as a loop. Wind the cotton again around the needle, And cast off together the two loops and the loop formed by winding the cotton round the needle. This next illustration shows a treble stitch, Or in US modern terms that would be a double crochet stitch, And it's even taller still with more of a distance between the rows this time. Treble stitch. These stitches are worked as has been described for the purl foundation chain. The treble stitches are worked on a foundation chain, Or in the stitches of the preceding row. Long treble. These are worked like treble stitches, Only the cotton is wound twice round the needle. The double long treble is worked by winding the cotton three times around the needle. The loops formed by winding the cotton round the needle are cast off one by one, With one of the loops on the needle. The two loops that remain at the end are cast off together after winding the cotton round the needle. And here we have three illustrations side by side. We have the long treble stitch, The double long treble stitch, And a cross treble stitch. The first is a very tall thin stitch, The double long treble stitch is even taller still, And the cross treble looks like crossed ropes forming an X shape. Cross treble. Wind the cotton twice round the needle as for a long treble. Insert the needle into the stitch in which the first half of the cross treble is to be worked. Wind the cotton round the needle. Draw the cotton through as a loop. Wind the cotton again round the needle and cast off together with the same loop on the needle and the loop formed by throwing the cotton forward. You now have three loops left on the needle, One of which has been formed by winding the cotton round the needle. Missing these, Wind the cotton again around the needle. Miss the next two stitches of the foundation chain and draw a loop through the third stitch. You now have five loops on the needle. Always cast off two loops at a time till only one loop remains on the needle. Work two chains if you wish to have the stitches more or less slanting. Work one, Two or three chain stitches, Missing of course the same number of foundation chain. Work one treble stitch, Inserting the needle as shown by the arrow into the two cross chain of the completed treble stitch. This illustration shows a very tightly crocheted piece of flat fabric with oval bumps dotted throughout the rows, Creating little puffs, Raised spots. The grounding on which these spots are worked consists of double crochet. They are worked across three rows of the ground and formed of treble stitches, The spots of one row being placed between those of the preceding. Work first two rows of double stitch. In the third row, Work first two double stitches and then one spot as follows. One treble, Inserting the needle into both sides of one stitch of the first row. The preceding row is missed. The treble stitch is only completed so far that two loops remain on the needle. Then work two treble stitches in the same stitch as the first, Which are also only completed as far as the first treble stitch, So that after the second treble, There remain three loops and after the third, Four loops on the needle. The four loops are cast off together by winding the cotton once more around the needle and drawing it through. Miss under the spot the next double stitch of the preceding row. The spots are repeated at intervals of five stitches and in every other row. Next we have an illustration of a piece of crochet fabric which looks like it's slightly ribbed and has rounder, Bigger puffs. These are called hollow spots. The ground is worked in double crochet. These spots, Which appear raised, Consist of five treble stitches. They are worked in every other row at intervals of five stitches. For working them, Leave one loop on the needle, Insert the needle between the two long sides of the last worked double stitch and work five treble stitches, Always inserting the needle into the front part of one stitch of the preceding row. The first four treble are completed entirely without taking up the loop which was on the needle. With the fifth treble stitch, Only the three loops are cast off together by winding the cotton around the needle. Miss one stitch of the preceding row under the spot. This next illustration shows what actually looks like a granny square kind of weave where there are small squares of stitch followed by a square of equal size of a gap. It is called open work spots. These spots are treble stitches divided by two chain. Miss two stitches under the latter. For the rest, They are worked like the raised spots. This next complicated looking illustration shows what appears to be a basket weave kind of a texture and it's called raised treble stitch. These stitches are long treble worked on a ribbed ground and are thrown across three rows of the same. The raised treble are always worked on the same side of the work and in the long side of the corresponding stitch of the last row but two. After every row with treble stitch comes a row in ribbed stitch. At the beginning work three rows of ribbed stitch. The treble stitches only begin in the fourth row. Purl stitch. These purl stitches imitate a lace edging perfectly well. Work one double, Draw out the loop to a certain length. This forms the purl. Take the needle out of it, Insert it in the front part of the last stitch which has been worked, Wind the cotton round the needle and draw it through as a loop. One double, One purl and so on. This next piece of work looks like a very big open weave square shaped pattern. With small purls or scallops on the edges. Purl stitch turned upwards. Work one treble then seven chain stitch. Insert the needle into the second of the seven chain stitch downwards so that the chain stitches form a scallop upwards. Wind the cotton round the needle and draw the cotton through. Work one chain stitch and one treble in the next stitch but three, Missing three stitches under it. And next we have a very similar illustration where in the big square gaps between the tall stitch posts we have the purl or the scallop. This is called purl stitch turned downward. The chain stitches form a scallop turned downward. After having worked the seven chain stitches, Take the needle out of the loop, Insert it underneath the upper chain of the second chain stitch from right to left and draw it through the loop in the direction of the arrow. Wind the cotton round the needle and cast all the loops off together. It is evident that the purl stitches may be worked at larger or smaller distances. That concludes my reading of Beaton's Book of Needlework. Thank you so much for listening and sweet dreams.