Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Knitting pattern - Honoria’s Handkerchief

I grew up using tissues to blow my nose, but when I started reading Regency romances in high school, I became fascinated with the handkerchiefs those ladies were always fluttering around. Unfortunately, there were ZERO handkerchiefs in my parents' house (even my grandmothers didn't have any old ones that my grandpas might have used), and in those days, there was barely an internet, much less internet shopping.

When I went to Japan one summer, I was given a handkerchief by my host family, and I loved it. I bought more as I got older. The prominent ones I could find were the utilitarian cotton type mainly used by men, so I ended up buying bandanas and using those as handkerchiefs.

Then I went back to Japan on a trip with my parents and saw some absolutely lovely handkerchiefs being sold in a stall at Nakamise Shopping Street in Asakusa in Tokyo, on the grounds of Sensoji Temple. They were really thick woven cotton with pretty patterns printed on them. I still use them to this day.

Why am I thinking about handkerchiefs? Because I recently caught COVID while visiting my parents in December, and luckily I had brought a couple of handkerchiefs with me. However, a mere couple of handkerchiefs were not up to the assault of COVID, and I ended up getting my nose rubbed raw from tissues once the handkerchiefs quickly went into the wash.

So naturally I turned to Amazon and bought a bunch. However, they were plain white ones and were actually rather thin, but I hadn't been able to find thick ones.

Being holed up in my bedroom while I was contagious, I decided to "pretty up" my handkerchiefs with a lace edging pattern that was published a couple decades after the Regency period, but I'm pretty sure was in use during Jane Austen's time. It's a lovely, simple vandyke pattern that was very popular.

In my book, The Gentleman’s Quest, my heroine Honoria lends my hero her handkerchief. I'd like to think it might have looked like this.

This is stitch pattern #142 on page 220 in The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, 5th edition, published in 1842. (As a historical side note, this pattern did not appear in the 1st edition published just 2 years earlier in 1840.)

The original pattern was “CXLII.—KNIT EDGING, FOR COLLARETS, CUFFS, PETTICOATS, &c.” It suggested, “Work with two wires, No. 21, and Taylor’s No. 10 Persian cotton.”

Knitting needles in UK size 21 are 0.80 mm, which is incredibly tiny! They really are like holding two wires.

I adjusted the pattern a bit, adding a slip stitch edge to make it easier to sew onto the handkerchief.

I also made this pattern into a PDF, which you can download here.

View this pattern on Ravelry

Needles: I was not brave enough to use the UK size 21 needles. I instead used US 00 (1.75 mm). You can also use US 0 or US 1 to make the edging look a little more open and hole-y.

Yarn: I followed the suggestion in the pattern and used cotton size no. 10, although I'm not entirely sure that our modern no. 10 is the same as the no. 10 cotton manufactured in those days.

Other: A cotton handkerchief, pre-washed (you don't want it to shrink after you sew the edging onto it), sewing needle and white sewing thread, pins.

Measurements: Each vandyke is about 1” wide and 1” long. My unadorned handkerchief was 16” x 16”. With the lace edging, it was about 18” x 18”.

Gauge: 10 rows of the edging pattern is one 1" wide vandyke, 1" long from inside edge to point.

Abbreviations:

k = knit

p = purl

YO = yarn over

k2tog = knit two together

YO twice: Cast the thread twice round the wire, so as to make two stitches in the following round.

Knit Edging #142:

Cast on 7 stitches.

1st Row: slip 1, k2, YO, k2tog, YO twice, k2tog.

2nd Row: YO, k2, p1, k2, YO, k2tog, k1.

3rd Row: slip 1, k2, YO, k2tog, k4.

4th Row: k6, YO, k2tog, k1.

5th Row: slip 1, k2, YO, k2tog, YO twice, k2tog, YO twice, k2tog.

6th Row: k2, p1, k2, p1, k2, YO, k2tog, k1.

7th Row: slip 1, k2, YO, k2tog, YO twice, k2tog, YO twice, k2tog, YO twice, k2tog.

8th Row: k2, p1, k2, p1, k2, p1, k2, YO, k2tog, k1.

9th Row: slip 1, k2, YO, k2tog, k9.

10th Row: Bind off 7 stitches (should have 6 stitches remaining on the left-hand needle), k3, YO, k2tog, k1.

Repeat from first row. This finishes one vandyke.

NOTE: The p1 is the last loop of the (YO twice) in the preceding round.

Instructions:

Using waste yarn, cast on 8 stitches using a provisional cast on (this will give you 7 stitches when you remove the waste yarn). The first time you work the knit edging pattern, on row 1, instead of slip 1, instead do k2tog, then continue in pattern. This will ensure you have the right number of stitches for the pattern. For the next repeats of the pattern, work it as written above.

Knit the edging and measure it while stretching it slightly. Knit until you complete row 10 of the pattern and the edging is about 0.5” shorter than one side of the handkerchief. Count the number of vandykes.

NOTE: Measure the knitting against each of the four sides of the handkerchief, because the handkerchief might be longer or shorter along some sides.

You will knit (number of vandykes for one side plus 2 extra vandykes) times 4 for the four sides of the handkerchiefs. My handkerchief was 15 vandykes for one side, so I did 17 x 4 = 68 vandykes total.

Remove the waste yarn from the provisional cast on and put the stitches on a needle.

Now comes a slightly tricky part. On a wide surface, lay the edging down flat in a circle, then match up the cast on edge with the live stitches on your needle. Don't let the ring of edging twist.

Kitchener stitch the cast on live stitches and the ending live stitches. Now you have a ring of edging.

Steam block the knitting using an iron to flatten the vandykes and stretch the edging a little, to make it easier to sew onto the handkerchief.

Pin the edging all around the outside of my handkerchief. For the corners, you will make a pleat with the two extra vandykes to make the edging lie flat around the corners.

What I did was pre-sew the pleats before I attached the edging to the handkerchief, as you can see from the photo below.

Sew the edging to the handkerchief with the sewing needle and thread. Most handkerchiefs have a small hem all along the outside, so you can do a blind hem stitch (also called a slip stitch) to attach it to the handkerchief by tunneling through that hem, and your stitches will not be visible from the opposite side. You can see from my photo below that my stitches are not visible at all from the opposite side.

You can machine-wash the handkerchief, but handkerchiefs in general tend to crumple in the wash and will need to be ironed flat. This is especially necessary with the lace edging in order to flatten the vandykes, but it irons out easily and won’t take more than a few minutes.

Enjoy your pretty handkerchief! Hopefully it will uplift your spirits just a little bit when you have to blow your nose. :)

***

Read my Christian Regency Romantic Suspense novel, The Spinster’s Christmas, free on my blog! It is the prequel book to my Lady Wynwood’s Spies series.

My Lady Wynwood’s Spies series starts with Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer.

Comments

That is so pretty! You did a fantastic job.
Camy Tang said…
Thank you so much Lisa!
Camy

Popular Posts

Camille's Writing Progress

Join my newsletter to get regular updates in your inbox!

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Humorous Romantic Suspense: Year of the Dog (Warubozu Spa Chronicles series, Prequel novel) (Currently being posted monthly on my blog as a serial novel) Marisol Mutou, a professional dog trainer, finally has a chance to buy a facility for her business, but her world is upended when she must move in with her disapproving family, who have always made her feel inadequate. When she stumbles upon a three-year-old missing persons case, security expert Ashwin Keitou, whose car she accidentally rear-ended a few weeks earlier, is tasked with protecting her. However, danger begins to circle around them from people who want the past to remain there. Can they shed light on the secrets moving in the shadows? Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, n

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

One-Skein Pyrenees Scarf knitting pattern

I got into using antique patterns when I was making the scarf my hero wears in my Regency romance, The Spinster’s Christmas . I wanted to do another pattern which I think was in use in the Regency period, the Pyrenees Knit Scarf on pages 36-38 of The Lady's Assistant for Executing Useful and Fancy Designs in Knitting, Netting, and Crochet Work, volume 1, by Jane Gaugain, published in 1840. She is thought to be the first person to use knitting abbreviations, at least in a published book, although they are not the same abbreviations used today (our modern abbreviations were standardized by Weldon’s Practical Needlework in 1906). Since the book is out of copyright, you can download a free PDF copy of the book at Archive.org. I found this to be a fascinating look at knitting around the time of Jane Austen’s later years. Although the book was published in 1840, many of the patterns were in use and passed down by word of mouth many years before that, so it’s possible these are

Gerard's scarf & Prelude winners!

I finished Gerard’s scarf! It’s lovely and squishy. Here’s the link to my Ravelry project page if you’re interested. And the winners are: The winner of Gerard’s scarf and a copy of Prelude for a Lord is: Cathy B. (Oklahoma) The winners of a copy of Prelude for a Lord are: Cora B. (Ohio) DeVorah B. (Georgia) Breanna D. (California) Deidre D. (Georgia) Carol G. (Oklahoma) Janka H. (Slovakia) Deborah K. (Virginia) Cheri O. (Kentucky) Sara W. (Virginia) Joan W. (Florida) Congratulations! I’ve emailed you. If you didn’t receive my email, or if I didn’t respond to YOUR reply, please contact me through my website , Facebook , or Twitter . My email has been a bit wonky lately. I know that the rest of you are crying into your Regency White Soup that you didn’t win. Cheer up and buy the book! Buy links are below. Buy print book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Christianbook.com Buy ebook: Kindle iBooks Kobo Nookbook Christianbook.com Prelude for a Lord

Rules, rules, rules

Captain's Log, Stardate 09.09.2009 Well, I have discovered that I need to comply with California law in order to do my book giveaways. Who knew there were so many rules? It doesn’t really affect you guys much, except that I can no longer mail the books internationally . Sorry, guys, but I really don’t relish spending any time in prison. Here’s the new rules, effective for any give away on this blog, in my newsletter , or on my website after September 9th, 2009: Disclaimer: 1. No purchase necessary to enter any give aways given on this blog (http://camys-loft.blogspot.com/), in my newsletter (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Camys_Loft), or on my website (http://www.camytang.com/). The give away will end on the date stated in the posting. The opportunity to play may be affected by local ability to access the Internet at any particular time. The odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. 2. Open to all readers, 18 years or older who are legally allowed to participate in su

Gerard's Red and Black Scarf

For fun, I decided to knit the Regency scarf that Gerard, my hero, gives to my heroine in my Christmas short novel, The Spinster's Christmas . I can’t remember if I posted the finished scarf on my blog, including any changes I made to the pattern, so here it is. I chose A Gentleman’s Comforter from The Ladies’ Knitting and Netting Book, First Series by Miss Watts, originally published in 1837. You can download the .pdf of the Fifth Edition, with additions, which was published in 1840 . I’m pretty sure this pattern was in use in the Regency, because most patterns had been passed down by word of mouth long before they were published. So Jane Austen could have gotten this pattern from a friend or family member and used it when making a scarf for her father. :) Here’s the original pattern: I wasn't entirely certain what “coarse steel needles” and “5 skeins of fine wool yarn” mean, so I just guessed. I used US 1 needles and fingering weight wool yarn, but you could use a

Blogging with beauty when you're loud and tactless

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.25.2006 I'm gone to RWA National conference : This might be my last post for the rest of the week, depending on if I can get internet access at my hotel. Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is WEB OF LIES by Brandilyn Collins . My Monday book giveaway is BE MY NEAT-HEART by Judy Baer . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. I won’t be drawing a winner this Thursday, but on Monday, July 31st, I'll draw the winner for BE MY NEAT-HEART and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Blame Mary: My beautiful friend Mary DeMuth is hosting a “Carnival of Beauty” on Wednesday. I’m not really sure what that means, but she asked me to join so I said “Cool!” The theme is “The Beauty of Blogging.” Now blogging I could talk about all day! Blogging is beautiful for people like me who can’t shut up. Maybe it’s ego-centric. I mean, blogging is uncensored, unedited writing/ranting/complaining/crowin