Several of the motifs to be found in the printed patterns have been identified to resemble those seen in authenticated knitted lace garments from Shetland. Others are lacy or openwork patterns to be found more widely in knitted garments. In most cases they fall short of the complexity to be found in Shetland lace patterns.
Every knitted sample is available to view in the sample library. The library has two purposes: to credit the work of our amazing volunteers, without whom this project would never have taken place, and to provide a resource for anyone interested in 19th century knitting pattern publications and their relationship with Shetland knitted lace. We have also selected a few examples to highlight the range of samples knitted and the information they can provide.
Leaf Patterns
Although this motif is not known in any Shetland lace garment, the three patterns here note that they are the leaf pattern for Shetland shawls: Frances Lambert, Leaf Pattern, Second of Twelve Patterns for Shetland Shawls; Esther Copley, Shetland Pattern, Single Leaf and Mlle Eléonore Riego de la Branchardiere, Shetland Shawl, with diamond border and leaf pattern middle. The samples here were knitted in 2-ply and double knit and in all three the ‘leaf’ motif is clearly delineated, making it clear that these are the same motif. Although both Lambert and Riego de la Branchardiere are dated as 1846 (Copley’s pattern is from 1849), it is impossible to say which pattern came first, if either of them.
Of note, Lambert writes in the preface of her publication:
‘Without alluding to numerous petty piracies, the writer cannot refrain from noticing the reprint of this treatise in America as an original work “dedicated to the ladies of the United States:” – a circumstance she is fain to accept as a compliment, as there is no redress for the substantial wrong. To imitators at home, it may be as well to hint that all the designs in this volume are copyright. (page x)’
Shetland Wool Ruffle
Shetland lace shawls, scarfs, and later the exquisite knitted lace blouses are beautiful examples of the skill of the Shetland knitter. They were often expensive items which took a lot of time to knit. Indeed, it could take a fine lace knitter six months, or more, to produce a fine shawl. As such, it was often necessary to produce additional garments simultaneously with the fine knitted lace shawls. Shetland lace gloves, stockings and babies’ socks were quicker to knit and provided a much-needed, and possibly more regular income for the knitters.
We were unsure what Watts’s (1845) Shetland Wool Ruffle would look like, so we asked our volunteers to knit them. While fabulous looking and a little bit ‘lacy’, they are not Shetland lace. Here, rather than being a ‘Shetland’ wool ruffle, it appears that it is a ‘Shetland wool’ ruffle. Shetland wool was a highly desired and much sought after product, and sometimes the addition of ‘Shetland’ in front of a garment description was done with the intention of giving it an air of quality.
Feather and Fan
Lambert uses the visual effect of this motif three times in the same publication, although with different names and slightly different instructions. They are similar to two patterns found in Shetland shawl borders, the ‘feather and fan’ and ‘auld shell’ (shale) motifs. However, in Shetland this tends to be used in the border of a shawl or hap rather than in the body of a fine lace garment. However, there are times when ‘auld shell’ is used in the border of fine knitted lace. The visual similarities and the naming of two of the patterns – Fan and Shell – suggest that Lambert may have been aware that these were indeed used in Shetland garments, and the lacy effect pattern supplied easier for the Victorian home knitter to reproduce than the intricate lace patterns used by the Shetland knitters.
Print o’ da Wave
Print o’ da wave is perhaps one of the most well-known Shetland lace motifs. The samples featured here illustrate the visual similarities between each of the patterns, but also the subtle differences between them too. This is also the case in Shetland fine lace knitting, where the knitters would alter the pattern slightly to suit the overall aesthetic of the garment they were knitting. The volunteer knitter’s choice of yarn also affects the appearance of the motif. Nevertheless, two patterns are very similar to that seen in Shetland lace garments: Gaugain’s (1842) Shawl (bottom) and Lambert’s (1846) Leaf and Trellis Pattern (middle left and centre). Jane Gaugain was based in Edinburgh, very close to the first known shops to sell Shetland lace, so the early date of her pattern and her knowledge of the visual appearance of Shetland lace seems reasonable. However, her comment that the “Handsome square knit shawl, of a thin lace-like fabric [being] exactly in appearance like the Shetland Shawls, only the centre stitch [the print of da wave motif] is more novel than any of them I have ever seen” does raise some interesting questions.
Zigzag Patterns
The zigzag stripe is a common vertical element in Shetland lace knitting. Although the zigzag can appear as the main pattern, it is more commonly used in combination with other patterns, like in Lambert’s (1846) Leaf and Trellis Pattern.
Transparent Pattern
The publication of knitting pattern books was still in its infancy in 1845, with no consistency in how the patterns were written, or the size of the needle used. It is not known how, or even whether, pattern authors tested their knitting patterns prior to publication. While some patterns contained errors, Elizabeth Jackson’s 1845 Transparent Pattern for Shetland Shawls and Scarfs must have proven equally frustrating for Victorian hobby knitters as it did for our volunteers who were allocated this pattern. We are very grateful for their perseverance, and for submitting the end result, even though it clearly fell short of their usual standards. Unfortunately, in Jackson’s pattern each row from the third row onwards has more decreases than yarn over increases so that the pattern knits to an ever-decreasing triangle.
