Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

DAISY KNITTER

Date Range From

1931

Date Range To

2000

Materials

BRASS, PAPER

No. Pieces

2

Length

11.5

Width

7.5

Diameter

4.5

Description

CIRCULAR BRASS DEVICE WITH FLAT BASE AND TURING KNOB ON TOP. WHEN KNOB IS TURNED HIDDEN PRONGS EXTEND. TOP EMBOSSED AND READS "DAISY KNITTER - PAT. U.S.A. 1819234". DAISY KNITTER INSTRUCTION PAGE. FOLDED TYPED PAGE IS DISCOLOURED AND BRITTLE. PAGE DISPLAYS DIAGRAM FOR USAGE ALONG WITH WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS.

Subjects

TEXTILEWORKING T&E

Historical Association

DECORATIVE ARTS

History

SEE P20030049001 FOR COMPLETE HISTORY. *UPDATE* IN 2019, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS INCLUDING SOME DONATIONS MADE BY JEAN JOHNSTONE (NEE POTTS). AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ORIGINAL DONOR JEAN JOHNSTONE WAS CONDUCTED. WHEN ASKED IF SHE REMEMBERED THE ARTIFACT SHE STATED, “I REMEMBER HER TEACHING ME HOW TO DO THIS. LIKE IN THE OLD DAYS YOU JUST USED A WOODEN SPOOL OF THREAD THAT WAS EMPTY AND YOU PUT NAILS AROUND THE TOP. THAT’S HOW I LEARNED. AND YOU KEPT PULLING IT DOWN SO MADE A LITTLE NARROW TUBE THAT CAME OUT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SPOOL. AND YOU WRAPPED THE WOOL AROUND AND THEN YOU BRING THE BOTTOM OF ONE OVER THE TOP. I PROBABLY HAVE THE BOOK THAT WOULD DO IT. I HAVE THOSE TOO OF HERS AND THEY WOULD MAKE THESE LITTLE TUBES AND THEN WHAT YOU DO WITH THE TUBE ONCE YOU’VE MADE A BIG LONG STRING OF THIS YOU COULD WRAP IT AND MAKE A LITTLE PAD LIKE POT PADS. OR A LITTLE RUG FOR YOUR DOLL HOUSE OR ALL KINDS OF LITTLE THINGS BECAUSE IT WAS JUST A TUBE AND IF YOU GET A REALLY BIG ONE LIKE THIS YOU CAN MAKE HATS OUT OF THEM LIKE TUBE HATS… YES SHE WOULD TEACH THOSE THINGS TO ME. LIKE SHE WAS VERY GOOD THAT WAY. I PROBABLY LEARNED TO KNIT FROM HER AND THAT WAS THE FIRST KNITTING WAS THAT TYPE OF A THING MADE OUT OF A SPOOL." JEAN DESCRIBES HER AUNT IRIS COMING TO LIVE IN LETHBRIDGE, “WELL AUNTIE, WHEN MY MOTHER DIED IN 1967… [AUNTIE] WAS LIVING WITH HER FATHER AND MOTHER, LOOKING AFTER THEM IN WINNIPEG. AND HER DAD… WAS WALKING TO WORK AND A YOUNG GUY IN A CAR… HIT HIM AND HE NEVER REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS AND HE DIED. THAT WAS 1968… A MONTH LATER, MY GRANDMOTHER DIED - SHE JUST GAVE UP SO SHE DIED. AND THEN THIS IRIS STEWART, MY AUNT WHO HAD NEVER MARRIED, DECIDED THAT SHE WOULD COME AND LOOK AFTER US IN THE WEST AND MY FATHER BEING A WIDOWER, SHE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE HER PLACE AND IT WAS MOST DIFFICULT. AUNTIE IRIS - MY BROTHER USED TO SAY HAD PRICKLES AND THEY WERE LIKE GREAT BIG PRICKLES ON A CACTUS. SHE JUST - BECAUSE SHE’D HAD NO SOFTNESS IN HER LIFE AND HER PARENTS WERE VERY STOIC, YOU KNOW THEY WERE BORN IN THE LATE 1800S. SHE WAS REALLY DIFFICULT. EVERYTHING WAS VERY - SHE KEPT EVERYTHING VERY PRISTINE AND I IN FACT HAVE MORE THINGS OF HERS I FOUND… SO WHEN SHE DIED I WAS IT. I WAS LOOKING AFTER HER WHEN SHE WAS ILL AND IN HER LATER YEARS AND SHE DIED A MONTH AFTER MY SON WAS MARRIED ACTUALLY…” ON MEMORIES OF HER AUNT IN LETHBRIDGE, “SHE WAS A CURLER, AND WHEN SHE WAS IN WINNIPEG SHE WENT TO EVERY BLUE BOMBER’S FOOTBALL GAME, AND SHE CURLED AND SHE WAS THE HEAD OF CGIT AND SHE WENT TO CHURCH AND SHE DID ALL SORTS OF THINGS AT MCKILLOP CHURCH. SHE BELONGED TO MCKILLOP HERE AND WAS QUITE INVOLVED. I THINK SHE WAS ON ONE OF THEIR BOARDS - WHAT ELSE DID SHE DO? SHE DID CRAFTS, SHE WAS JUST AUNTIE. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHEN I SAY AUNTIE EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE MET HER THEY KNEW WHO AUNTIE WAS.” “SHE DIDN’T GIVE AWAY ANYTHING LIKE EMOTIONS OR DID SHE LIKE SOMETHING… I THINK SHE LIKED THE WEATHER A LITTLE BIT BETTER [HERE] BECAUSE IT WASN’T WINNIPEG WINTERS YOU KNOW. AND SHE LIKED THE FACT THAT SHE COULD WATCH MY KIDS GROW UP… BUT WAS SHE EASY ON MY KIDS, NO, NO SHE WASN’T. AND MY DAUGHTER SAID “WHY DIDN’T YOU STICK UP FOR ME MOM?” WELL YOU KNOW YOU HAD TO RESPECT HER BECAUSE SHE WAS A GOOD PERSON. IT WAS JUST HER UPBRINGING THAT YOU HAD TO UNDERSTAND AND MY DAUGHTERS AND MY SON DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THAT. HOW SHE WAS BROUGHT UP AND WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THAT LITTLE BRAIN OF HERS.” THE INTERVIEW AND A FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW CAN BE FOUND IN PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20030049030

Acquisition Date

2003-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail