January 10, 2001, I responded to a couple of questions.
What does plated design mean?
The design is made by incorporating a second color of thread into the knitting. With most two-color knitting, when the second color thread is knit the first color floats behind it. For plating, when the second color is added the thread is placed on top of the primary color thread. You’d think this would result in a thicker area where the two threads are used. Actually the threads are so fine that the extra thickness is not really noticeable.
Plating is done as the stocking is being knit, as opposed to embroidery which is done afterward. Plating seems to have fallen out of use around 1750. This probably meant the frame knitter could make more stockings and an embroiderer did the embellishing afterward, off the frame.
This looks very complicated. What is a jack and what is a sinker?
I had to go look in a book to make sure I got this right! The sinkers are what you can see on the front of the frame. Every other sinker is attached to a jack. The jacks move, one right after the other, to drop the sinkers between the every other needle. Then the second set of sinkers drop down so there’s one between every needle.
I am looking foward to seeing the threading and the machine in use.
Me too! I’ve been working on learning to knit.
Is it water-powered or how? Human powered only like a loom?
Human powered like a loom. I was working on one of the smaller machines, and today switched to a larger machine. It was much more difficult to operate! I had to practically stand on one of the pedals to make it work.
Thanks for sharing! This is eighteenth century, really???!!!???
Yes, really! The actual machines may have been made in the 19th century, but the mechanism was around in the 18thC. It’s hard to tell, because machines were adapted, parts added, etc. These may or may not have 18thC parts.
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