Welsh knitting

Someone on another thread mentioned Nancy Bush's Folk Socks, which includes a pattern for Welsh socks.

I have corresponded with knitters in Wales, with the universities of Swansea and Cardiff librarians for examples of Welsh knitting patterns, and all I came up with was the Monmouth cap.

Anybody have any Welsh knitting patterns/sources?

The Welsh were great weavers of geometric patterns, but their knitting seems to have been rather plain, unlike Scots and Irish knitting.

I wonder if you could contact Priscilla Gibson-Roberts through Nomad Press? She has done extensive studies of traditional sock patterns, and if any had a link to Welsh sock patterns, it would be her. Nomad Press is her own imprint, so I imagine that would be the best way to write to her.

Brenda Dayne, who does the podcast Cast On, has been awarded a grant to travel Wales and report on traditional Welsh textiles, including knitting. The Wales series is under url=http://www.cast-on.com/?cat=8Series 3/url; it has just begun recently. Hopefully as it unfolds, it will answer some questions about the translation of Welsh woven patterns into knitting.

Sorry, haven't posted on this board before, let's try the url again: Series 3

And for good measure, since I don't see an edit button:
http://www.cast-on.com/?cat=8 (Series 3)

Thanks for the link to Brenda Dayne. I noticed she was doing some things with Welsh knitting.

Interesting bit of trivia: We've been watching old Monty Python episodes this Christmas break, and Terry Jones (Welsh) in one of his old-lady personae IS ACTUALLY KNITTING (English, not continental style), not just faking. It's in the "Aliens turning people into Scotsmen" sketch.

He's also knitting in the last segment of "The Golden age of Ballooning".

-Kushana

http://a-day-in-the-life.powys.org.uk/eng/home/eo_knitcroch.php

Is an interesting link that may help. Rather a lovely knitted lace petticoat.

It's also worth remembering that Elizabeth Zimmermann herself was born Elizabeth Lloyd-Jones and her father was from Wales.......

This is really my husband's Librarything account, but I have added a few of my craft books to his account, much to his distaste.

It might also be worth pursuing patterns for Welsh Nursing Shawls, as that was a tradition for holding/swaddling babies. This video looks at woven ones

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58APC1nA-Hk

However, my mother would say, if someone was feeling sorry for themselves, as the person wanting to be wrapped in a shawl.

I find it hard to believe that there weren't knitted versions of these shawls used.

>5 nohrt4me:, 6 Your posts just made my day. Now to find myself some YouTube clips ...

No need to wrap you in a siol magu (nursing shawl) then?

Hwyl

Ruth

10, thank you so much!

In "How Green Was My Valley," the mother's shawl was knitted. However accurate Hollywood in the 1930s was (Mr. Gruffydd was wearing the Welsh socks, though).

It was just a plain triangular black shawl.

Hwyl back atcha and plaid Cymru!