Once each month I get a wonderful gift — two lovely ladies come to help with the heavy cleaning in my house. I really do worship the ground they walk on. For about 2 hours before they arrive, however, Bruce and I race around the house to de-clutter. I am reminded of the Dervishes whose skirt-like garment flares out as they slowly spin. That kind of swirling is very measured and slow, and so I much more approximate the Snoopy dancing model — essentially raising dust as I move through the house picking up cat toys and all manner of junk that somehow didn’t make it to the trash bin. Yes, I clean up for the cleaners, but like the images above, I see it as a joyful activity. Another benefit of this monthly visit is learning what’s going on in the community. The cleaning ladies are much more tuned into what is happening than we are, so it’s great to get caught up on all of the politics and gossip we’ve missed. They always leave us laughing and, of course, completely grateful for their help.
Furry Yarn
I’ve known knitters to spin hair from their pets — primarily dogs — into knitting yarn. It never really appealed to me, but it’s an interesting idea to make use of whatever resources you have available. When I started researching knitting by the Shakers, I was very surprised to read that in the late 19th century, some of the Sisters from the Church Family at New Lebanon, NY had begun to take advantage of the popularity of fur gloves and mittens to begin spinning raccoon fur with silk to make elegant (and expensive) handware.
One Shaker journal from December, 1876 indicates that Sister Jane Morris (then in her late 60s) had shown the Mount Lebanon sisters how to spin the raccoon fur with silk to make yarn.
It appears that the Shakers purchased the raccoon skins rather than hunting for them, and then processed the skins to remove the hair for spinning. That would have been both unpleasant and time consuming, but apparently the financial reward was a sufficient inducement to go to all that trouble.
The Shaker Museum collection from Mt. Lebanon includes gloves, mittens, wristlets and one hat; all knitted from the silk/raccoon yarn. While they look quite simple, they are amazingly luxurious to the touch, and I can’t even describe how soft they are.
They also appear to have been extremely durable. The hat, knit by Sister Mary Hazzard in the late 19th century, was worn by the purchaser, Austin Haight, for 30 winters. While it is quite worn, and much of the fuzziness of the fur you can see on the gloves and wristlets has worn off, it is by no means worn out. It’s also an interesting construction. The ribbed section held on the brim by a knitted “button” is a separate piece that the wearer can pull down and use as a chin strap. The chin strap would have also held the flaps against the ears and kept the wearer extra warm.
Samual Budd pictured in New York State’s Prominent and Progressive Men, 1902, published by the New York Tribune
The single outlet for the raccoon/silk gloves was the upscale and well-known shop of Samuel Budd at 572 5th Avenue in New York City.
Initially, the fur was hand carded and spun together with silk, but by the late 1880s the demand for the gloves was sufficient that the Sisters engaged a mill in Hinsdale, NY to have the yarn produced by machine.
According to Jerry Grant, Director of Collections and Research from the Shaker Museum, the Shakers commented that each pelt averaged enough fur for one pair of gloves that would retail at $6.50 — almost $190 in today’s dollars.
Jean Burks, former Curator of Collections at the Canterbury (NH) Shaker Village pointed out in her article on Shaker Sweaters* that rather than a religious connotation, the labeling of the authentic Shaker knits referred specifically to quality and workmanship; a trusted product reflecting Shaker philosophy.
What has captured my eye is the careful attention to detail and quality that is not necessarily immediately evident at first glance.
For example, the edgings of the ear flaps on the raccoon/silk hat are done with a decorative seed stitch rather than the ribbing on the hat band and chin strap. I’m guessing this choice was made to allow the short-row stitches to be easily disguised, thus giving a more harmonious look to the garment.
This same attention to detail can be found in these very simple wristlets. They, as well as the mittens and gloves, are knit at an extremely fine gauge, on, what I presume are US #0 or smaller needles. Notice also that the wristlet is carefully shaped to be smaller around the wrist and increase in circumference above the wrist and below on the hand. That was not specifically necessary, as the ribbing is stretchy and would cling to the body. However, this extra attention to detail and conscious decision to choose quality of fit over speed of production is part of the deliberate intent of Shaker work.
This animal, called a “Raccoon Dog” is what is used to make so-called Raccoon Yarn these days in China. Outside of China they are considered a pest and invasive species. They actually are not related to the raccoons here in the US, but rather are more closely related to the fox.
It is possible to import raccoon yarn from both the Ukraine and China, although I’m not tempted to do so. The Chinese claim to only collect fur when the “dogs” are shedding in the summer (and that is done by combing those animals kept as farm animals for this purpose). I hope that is true, but don’t want to take the chance that any animals were harmed to make yarn. I have contacted the purveyors in Ukraine to find out which animals are used and how the fur is collected, but don’t yet have an answer back.
As for the other Shaker knits, there is much more to discover. I’ve yet to find a sweater that utilizes the Shaker Stitch, but there are many more knitted garments, toys, and household items to describe in future posts. I’ll leave you with just one that really made me smile…
Many hundreds of dusting mitts were made and sold in Shaker retail outlets. I wouldn’t mind having one of these myself!
Meanwhile…
I decided that I would try to make some substantial progress on my sock yarn blanket this winter. I was inspired to do so by the Elvira Hewlett Knit-Along being sponsored by the Shaker Museum. I did make a start on a mini-rug using the spirals and rings from Sister Elvira’s outstanding masterpieces. But, while they were fun, I felt like I have so many ongoing projects that I didn’t want to get so deeply involved in another. Plus, my blanket has something in common with those rugs — the idea of using the resources that are available. I have baskets of sock-weight yarn; some from my own knitting, and others from friends who have “donated to the cause.” I think I’ve said before that I consider using the yarn from my friends as a method of “knitting my friends into the blanket.” Each time I pick the blanket up to work on it, I’m filled with a special joy, and that will truly sustain me through the cold and dark winter months. So knit (or spin) whatever gives you joy.
One of Elvira Hewlett’s circular knitted rugs at the Shaker Museum in Old Chatham, NY
*Shaker Sweaters: The Real Story, THE SHAKER MESSENGER, Vol. 13, No. 2, June 1991 p. 9