# Can anyone guess what this is?



## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

I bought this from the online Goodwill auctions. Can anyone guess what this is? I have more pictures, I'll post in a little bit.


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## dora mac (Nov 15, 2011)

A NEEDLE CASE?


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## DonnieK (Nov 23, 2011)

Knitting Case with all the needles inside? Maybe including crochet hooks also, but definitely all the knitting needles thru about size 11 1/2?


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## Pumpkin007 (Jan 2, 2013)

ditto for me


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## Stablebummom (Dec 5, 2011)

Pumpkin007 said:


> ditto for me


 :thumbup: Nice buy!


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Thanks, I love vintage things. I like to think about who might have used this and what they might have made with them. What the world was like then.


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## HappyKnitting (Feb 26, 2012)

:thumbup:


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## Frogger (Sep 6, 2012)

Keepingbusy said:


> Thanks, I love vintage things. I like to think about who might have used this and what they might have made with them. What the world was like then.


Check out Purplekitty site.........she posts lots of vintage patterns that are cool!!


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

I will, thanks!


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## Knitish (Feb 8, 2011)

Thinking the red, white and blue colors make this a WW2 patriotic theme to knit for the troops. Also the r-w-b ribbon outlining the case.


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## San (Mar 9, 2011)

great find!


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Yep! You're right!

I'd like to refurbish it, clean the outer part, re-attach the metal frame and redo the elastic strips.

Any Ideas?


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## DonnieK (Nov 23, 2011)

Wonderful. The world was a lot different place back then. I collect vintage apron patterns and have a victory pattern from that time. I just love it. When my sister and I owned our little shop we sold vintage aprons, and I had a lot of my apron patterns framed and on display. Had a lot of fun just watching the faces of the ladies that came in the shop. They went straight to the "pattern and apron room" first. I would love to have a look at the inside of that KNIT FOR DEFENSE booklet! Have fun. Oh, are the needles metal or celluloid?


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

I have some of those red-white-and-blue needles; they're celluloid or some other sort of plastic. I don't have as many nor the cast though. Lovely find! I also have the Knit for Defense booklet; not sure about the other, though the cover is familiar. (That's what comes from collecting too many/much!)


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## realsilvergirl (Nov 13, 2011)

A museum would love those!


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## realsilvergirl (Nov 13, 2011)

Keepingbusy said:


> Yep! You're right!
> 
> I'd like to refurbish it, clean the outer part, re-attach the metal frame and redo the elastic strips.
> 
> Any Ideas?


Honestly i would research it before doing anything to them. Collectors like things original shape sometimes. Dont we hear that sometimes on antiques roadshow and these are in the case and everything. Just see if doing so will decrease their value first! Those celluloid are rare aren't they-didnt many of them break easily? I would try to take them or email antiques roadshow with photos. But what do i know? Lol!


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## black kitty (Sep 23, 2011)

I have a Susan Bates needle case like that (mine is red leather on the outside but just like yours on the inside) and I have the knit for defense booklet. I also have some of the needles you are showing. My things came from my great grandmother and my great great aunt her sister. My grandmother gave them to me years ago when I was in my early twenties. I treasure them.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

realsilvergirl said:


> A museum would love those!


If you find me the museum, I'd love to donate some of my older goodies, but I sincerely doubt anyone but another knitter/crocheter would want them, unless it were a new-never-used ancient thingie.


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## wannabegranny (May 27, 2011)

Wow, these are really neat with the R W B - yip would agree with others, this was during WWII, just don't see Patriotism like this anymore. Love the case and needles


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## kiwiannie (Jul 30, 2011)

Knitting needle case.


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## realsilvergirl (Nov 13, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> realsilvergirl said:
> 
> 
> > A museum would love those!
> ...


I just googled 'susan bates ww2 needles'. Found a listing from ebay that had already ended and they sold for 99$ and the box was water damaged too...if you google it you will see the photos if you click on the right link...


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## BobnDejasMom (Jun 2, 2011)

Jessica-Jean said:


> realsilvergirl said:
> 
> 
> > A museum would love those!
> ...


Our local museum has a sheep/shearing/wool display. We have the major wool warehouse (shipping point) in the U.S. here. I gave them some old carders. I'll talk to the museum director and PM her email info to you.
The museum also has military/WWII displays.


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## realsilvergirl (Nov 13, 2011)

This is from Knitting Daily .Com: (i did not write this but very interesting!)
http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2011/12/23/knits-of-yore.aspx

Make sure if you go to the link....to read the comments below! Is very fascinating everyone's stories!

Aaaaanyway. . . We have a new DVD called Knits of Yore with Susan Strawn. Susan is a knitting scholar (don't you love that?) with a Ph.D. in Clothing and Textiles. She was taught to knit by her Danish grandmother, and she passes on her knowledge to her students at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.

In Knits of Yore, Susan covers a ton of material, but one of the things that really caught my interest was a segment about knitting in wartime.

There was an extraordinary quantity of knitting that went on during both World Wars. In fact, knitting was synonymous with patriotism during that time. Knitters appeared in all kinds of advertising, from cigarettes to groceries to war bonds.

One thing that really tickled me was that the larger the knitting bag, the more patriotic the knitter was considered. If that opinion were still in place today, I'd be thought of as a super patriot!

War poster asking people to knit "sox" for the troops
Everyone was knitting during wartime: men, women, and children. There was a sentiment that if you didn't have knitting with you, you were wasting your time. The Susan Bates Co. even made red, white, and blue needles!

Susan tells a story about a Mrs. Kahlil of Palm Beach, Florida, who was a prolific knitter during WWII. Mrs. Kahlil was the oldest child with three younger brothers. Two of her brothers died in battle and she requested that the third one be brought home on compassionate leave, which he was, and he lived a long life.

Mrs. Kahlil was knitting a sweater when the war ended and she simply put it down and left it unfinished. We don't know if she did it as a symbol of the ending of the war, but it's a really nice thought, isn't it? Mrs. Kahlil's family donated their wartime memorabilia to the National World War II museum in New Orleans, where the unfinished sweater can be seen today.

Interestingly, wartime was a prolific time for female inventors. Patents related to knitting approached 50 percent by women, compared to 1 percent of women for all patents during that time. One interesting invention was Henrietta Hensley's glow-in-the-dark knitting needles. The tips of the needles were coated with radium paint, which created the glow. Henrietta didn't know at the time that she's created radioactive knitting needles!

Susan is an absolute wealth of knitting knowledge. She's passionate about knitting and its history, which comes across wonderfully in Knits of Yore. I was riveted and I think you will be, too.

Knits of Yore is available on DVD or as a download. Get your Yore today!

Cheers,

P.S. Have an interesting wartime knitting story? Share it in the comments!

Filed under: How To Knit, Knitting Bags, Knitting Daily, Sweater Knitting Patterns


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## lizmaxwell (Jul 23, 2011)

Don't forget that celluloid is very flammable.........


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## moke (Oct 8, 2011)

be very careful with any restoration, it maybe a ww11 collectable. and should be left in it's original state as much as possible.


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## anetdeer (Jul 16, 2012)

WW II is my thought too!


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## hampshirerose (Dec 31, 2012)

I keep looking at these and can't help but think they are lace bobbins or some think like that.
They look very thin for knitting needles and don't seem so have a proper point on them almost as if they are quills.
They look as if they would bend when you get stitches on them.
A few of them could be knitting needles and it does say knitting needles on the case.
But what do I know just fumbling in the dark!!!


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## judyr (Feb 20, 2011)

Is there anyway you can contact the Susan Bates company (or whoever owns that company now) and send them the pictures - they would be the best place to ask about what they are and what the value on them are. You have a great collection there which probably helped some guys through WWII - I understand the ladies back home were asked to knit socks, hats, gloves, scarves for the men. WOW - what a great find.


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## judyr (Feb 20, 2011)

OH, I just read realsilvergirls comment. Right on. You really did your homework. What a story. I had two uncles in WWII - but my dad was not in the fighting. I do remember seeing any awful lot of knitting done in person and in magazines.


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## anjaa (Sep 19, 2012)

I'm curious

I noticed metal bits and various lenghts white sections

Is this is an early interchangable set of needles


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## elsiemarley (Jul 27, 2012)

NMknit said:


> Thinking the red, white and blue colors make this a WW2 patriotic theme to knit for the troops. Also the r-w-b ribbon outlining the case.


That is exactly the conclusion I came too, with the patriotic colors. What a wonderful find! I love having vintage needlework tools -- I'm thrilled for you.


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

Wow, what a treasure! I'm envious, if only those needles talked what stories they could tell...
Do you have any info on the stuff's previous owner?


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## laurraine (Jan 20, 2013)

I picked up something silimar at a 'junk/antique' shop for a couple of pounds. It was full of DPNs and crochet hooks..what a find. It felt like a very precious thing and still does.


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## SIPSIS (Oct 24, 2011)

Thinking that the r/w/b in the lower right part of the case just might be dpns?


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## mousepotato (May 30, 2011)

OMG!!!!! That looks like a fairly complete Red Cross knitting set from WW II!!!! I haven't seen a complete set or a set that complete before. Definitely a treasure!


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## Janci (Dec 22, 2012)

Keepingbusy said:


> I bought this from the online Goodwill auctions. Can anyone guess what this is? I have more pictures, I'll post in a little bit.


WOW What a find!


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## Dottie Kon (Mar 29, 2012)

My grandmother used to knit sleeveless sweaters and 'watch' caps for the army during WWII. My mom (90) still tells of riding her bike over to the library to pick up the yarn and riding back over with the completed sweaters. My aunt (her sister) says grandma knitted over 100 vests. I don't have details on how the yarn arrived at the library or how the sweaters and caps got to the soldiers. I would guess that the Red Cross was involved in some way. I would have been very tired of looking at army green!


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

Dottie Kon said:


> My grandmother used to knit sleeveless sweaters and 'watch' caps for the army during WWII. My mom (90) still tells of riding her bike over to the library to pick up the yarn and riding back over with the completed sweaters. My aunt (her sister) says grandma knitted over 100 vests. I don't have details on how the yarn arrived at the library or how the sweaters and caps got to the soldiers. I would guess that the Red Cross was involved in some way. I would have been very tired of looking at army green!


I never considered the reality that army knitters had to use the same patterns and same colors over and over again. That really must have been tedious--I get thoroughly sick of whatever color I'm using long before the project is over, haha.


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## Badgerbluff (Nov 11, 2012)

What a treasure!


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## Myrt (Jan 27, 2013)

This needle case made me remember my mother who made me a needle case from quilted material. It had a slot for every size needle. I still use it and think of her.


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## Pat S. (Feb 15, 2011)

This is definitely a WW2 treasure. Everything then was red, white and blue. Look on the inside of the pattern book cover and see if it doesn't have a date. I can tell by the cover that it is very old (like me ha ha ha). 

My Mother's friend, who lived behind us, knitted for the Red Cross. She made many, many socks that were shipped overseas. She helped me knit the heel of my first pair of socks when I couldn't figure it out. I didn't knit well enough then to make socks or sweaters for the soldiers which upset me a lot. 

My Aunt knitted sweaters for the Red Cross to send overseas and later was the head of the Red Cross in OK. She knitted on trains that took her to the various places where she held meetings. She inspired me to knit sweaters and I later made ski sweaters with patterns from Norway. Fortunately, I have a sister-in-law who is from Sweden and she helped me with the language barrier in the patterns. At that time, I couldn't find a ski sweater pattern from the USA.

I still have a pair of the plastic knitting needles that were my first ones. They are bent now as plastic wasn't the same as it currently is. I, also, still use my first 2 sets of metal DP's that I bought when they started making metal needles after WW2. I had some plastic DP's but I had to get rid of them. They were so bent from the heat of my hands that I just couldn't knit with them anymore. 

Thank you for sharing your find with us. It sure brought back a lot of memories to this Great Grandma! Time to get my coffee and start my morning knitting.


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## Ronie (Jan 21, 2011)

I love vintage also.. great find... in the picture they look to be the same size.. I wonder why that is.. the label does say 'fine' maybe these were used for thin yarns that would make great socks or light weight sweaters.. Lucky you to have found this treasure...


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## Beve (May 5, 2012)

Looks like a WWII knit for the troops set.


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

That is a wonderful find. Grats. I wish I would find such great things!


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## Ronie (Jan 21, 2011)

susanmos2000 said:


> Dottie Kon said:
> 
> 
> > My grandmother used to knit sleeveless sweaters and 'watch' caps for the army during WWII. My mom (90) still tells of riding her bike over to the library to pick up the yarn and riding back over with the completed sweaters. My aunt (her sister) says grandma knitted over 100 vests. I don't have details on how the yarn arrived at the library or how the sweaters and caps got to the soldiers. I would guess that the Red Cross was involved in some way. I would have been very tired of looking at army green!
> ...


Unlike today.. (or so it seems) back then everyone wanted to help.. and the women (possibly men too) knitted for a reason.. they had a pupose and it was full of pride.. I think that would drive us past the monotony of the same color and pattern.. plus lots were doing it I can see where it would bring several together to bond friendships too..


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## Cynthia B (Nov 27, 2012)

What an amazing find. These are pretty old (WWII) needles and hooks.


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## Browniemom (Sep 24, 2012)

An absolute treasure! Enjoy your find. Looks like it is of WW11 vintage.


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## Brussels (Dec 29, 2012)

Knitting needle caddy. Handy to have.

I have the same pattern book. Have used it lots.


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## Knitforfun (Dec 15, 2012)

That is so cool!


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## hettie (Dec 15, 2012)

What a lovely find. i am sure that you will treasure it.

happy knitting.


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## jmf6406 (Dec 13, 2012)

Hey! I wonder if they are the "flamable" type needles that one KPer was warned not to use in her vintage pattern book (See the topic a couple of days ago)


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

I wouldn't be at all surprised, this was a set produced during the war when good materials were scarce.


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## Peggyd (Oct 8, 2012)

Hi,
I was going to say knitting needle case as well.
Blessings,
Peggyd


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## Peggyd (Oct 8, 2012)

Hi to keeping busy,
I Love your avatar.
Blessings,
Peggyd


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## JTM (Nov 18, 2012)

I own a knitting needle case just like that... different color though, that was given to me by a gentleman who had lost his mother... the set had been hers. Unfortunately, I have no idea where it is or any of the needles. Got packed up in our last move, and I probably won't locate it until I go to move again. Fortunately all my circular needles, including my Denise interchangeable needles were in a different box, and have been using them for all knitting since 2000. Now am into checking out other brands of interchangeable needles since starting on socks using sizes 2, 3 and sometimes 4, which is way smaller than the size 5 that comes with Denise set.


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## Miss Shari (Jan 31, 2012)

Keepingbusy said:


> Thanks, I love vintage things. I like to think about who might have used this and what they might have made with them. What the world was like then.


I, too, love vintage things...I found a charm bracelet once at an antique store...you can learn so much about a person.


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## La la patti (Apr 3, 2011)

I have a few sets of those red white and blue needle . They belonged to my grand aunt Angie. I don't use them ,keep them as a keepsake of her. I did try to use them once but they were so bendy that I was afraid that they would break. I'd rather look at them and remember her thn break them.
I also have some Woman's Day Magazines fro that era that were hers. They have gone to school several times for show and tell.
I have a bunch of her patterns too .


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## Gramofnine (Sep 28, 2012)

I have a knitting case that is wrapped in a grosgrain ribbon with velcro on the end. Would that work for you?


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## nannyberfa (Oct 9, 2011)

Very nice!!!


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## Grandma11 (Jan 21, 2012)

Nice needle case. Lucky you


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## gmaison (May 24, 2012)

A collectible that should be in a WWII museum or any local museum. Please do not USE the needles as that will lessen their value.
or put them on EBay as a WWII collectible....


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## colonialcat (Dec 22, 2011)

I have a knitting book much like the grey one on the left was my mothers love the older books their directions seem more understandable and simpler also and accurate also. that my be a late 1930's book or early 1940's one. Books and needles were hard to come by during ww 2 remember my mother being on a list to get certain yarns during the was at a local dept store was rationed item. wool yarn was needed for the troops clothing .


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## Gale from Oregon (Jul 11, 2011)

I am in agreement with everyone else, but to add a note, with the needles being red, white and blue with the dp also .... maybe something special done in the 50's or so to dedicate to our service men ?? Great find! Gale


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## cullenbe (Jul 3, 2011)

It is.......one heckuva bargain.


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Wow, such great responses! Let's see if I can go through and reply to most of the comments.

I agree, they are most probably WWII, going on the date of the defense booklet. It is filled with different things needed for the service men. I will try to take pictures of each page and post them soon.

Celluloid seems to be the needle's material. I do believe that they are flammable, there is another thread going about flammable vs inflammable.

I don't think this is a complete set, I haven't found a good picture of a complete set to check against. There are a great many DPN, as well as a few metal ones. There were also almost a complete set of very small-headed (is that a word?)metal crochet hooks that I have moved to a different case. I do not believe that there is any interchangeable sets in this case. The tape measure and stitch/row counter as well.

I am in agreement with not cleaning/repairing it. Part of me wants to see it all clean and "sparkly" as it came to the woman back then, but thankfully, the cautious part of me won't be "messing" with it. 

Please, keep the comments coming! I quite enjoyed the link shared about the WWII knitting.


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Also, I won't be using these, I agree, I think they would break easily.

Frankly, I just enjoy looking at them and thinking about the women/men that may have used them. Did they have family in service? Which patterns did they knit most often? That type of thing.

I will probably research and try to find a museum that would welcome these. There's no one in my family that will want them. I would just like to enjoy them for a while.


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## AnDee (Jan 30, 2012)

The "Knitting for Defense" pamplet is from the early 1940s and could be quite valuable depending on its condition. I've seen them mentioned on different sites. I actually inherited one and the patterns have been useful as I have brothers and friends in the military. The patterns don't specifiy yarn weights or needle sizes that are currently recognizable but that just makes it more interesting.


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## AnDee (Jan 30, 2012)

Since it has the "Susan Bates" tag still on it, have you tried contacting the company? They are still in business.


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## iShirl (Jun 30, 2012)

What a precious find. I'm sure you will enjoy looking at it from time to time. Good advice about cleaning it up, etc. On Antiques Road Show, they always say not to. It seems you have a real fine and cleaning/fixing would destroy it's value. Thanks for the pictures - I enjoyed looking at them...


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

here is your set, not sure it is complete

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5778704


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## enid (Aug 25, 2011)

We had a whole black bag of vintage patterns that were being thrown out, should I have been collecting them all? (knitting club senior centre)


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## nannyberfa (Oct 9, 2011)

Yes!! Never throw out old patterns!!


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## Heather416 (Feb 8, 2013)

Remember getting Susan Bates needles from Herrschners in Kitchener Ontario - many decades ago


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## MsPolly (Sep 17, 2011)

What an awesome find! Lucky you! :thumbup:


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## luciapou (Jul 26, 2011)

Keepingbusy said:


> I bought this from the online Goodwill auctions. Can anyone guess what this is? I have more pictures, I'll post in a little bit.


Omg!! You found a treasure!!! You must be thrilled...I know I would be. Congratulations!!


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

LunaDragon said:


> here is your set, not sure it is complete
> 
> http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5778704


Hmm, but liveauctioneers claims their set is made of bone. Hard to believe that bone was used in mass-produced sets in the 40s, especially during the war. I think they must be wrong about the needle composition.


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## trolleystation (Jun 22, 2011)

I know what it is......IT'S A GOLD MINE. LUCKY YOU.


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## arlenecc (Jul 27, 2012)

LunaDragon said:


> here is your set, not sure it is complete
> 
> http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/5778704


Did you see the description says they are made of bone? I wonder if they are right and perhaps this set shown on KP is also?
Maybe not celluloid. Worth getting checked. Susan Bates should have that info.


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## arlenecc (Jul 27, 2012)

I noticed on the Patriotic knitting booklet, Red Heart wool is on the cover.Guess they have been around a long time too.


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## Momma Osa (May 1, 2011)

What a great vintage knitting kit.

Momma Osa


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

I read about those celluloid needles yesterday, are they the ones that can catch light?


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## ForgetfulFi (Sep 29, 2012)

I read somewhere yesterday that the USA were knitting for the people of UK ( hence the red white and blue needles). Then after Pearl Harbor was bombed everyone went crazy with their knitting.
Fiona


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## KnitPicker (Jan 19, 2011)

NMknit said:


> Thinking the red, white and blue colors make this a WW2 patriotic theme to knit for the troops. Also the r-w-b ribbon outlining the case.


I agree. They would knit hats and socks for the servicemen at that time and they would be sent overseas to them. Some were always part of the "care pkg".


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## KnitPicker (Jan 19, 2011)

susanmos2000 said:


> LunaDragon said:
> 
> 
> > here is your set, not sure it is complete
> ...


Bone was used a lot - we had corset bones, we had "stays" made out of bone for our formal dresses, as well as collar "stays" made out of bone, etc. I wouldn't say it was plentiful, but it sure was found easily in our clothing and in trinkets as well as jewelry.


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## Damama (Oct 2, 2011)

Awesome, and in Red, White and Blue! Love them


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## raindancer (Aug 19, 2012)

Great find! That brings back a lot of memories, LOL. I am so glad that went to someone who will appreciate it!


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## stevensmarion (Oct 7, 2012)

Wow keepingbusy what a find I love old vintage thing I have a few old knitting needles that were my mom's and aunt I have acomplete crohect hooks that are in a blue velvet lined box their interchangeable the handle is bone I just look at this set and think about the hands that used them at one time I guess they g back to the 30s enjoy your find they are lovely


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

KnitPicker said:


> susanmos2000 said:
> 
> 
> > LunaDragon said:
> ...


True, and you still can find bone knitting needles today. Makes me wonder what kind of bones are being used now, as whalebone is a definite no-no. Cow bones? Horse bones? Brr.

What puzzles me--if the vintage knitting needles are indeed made of bone--is that production and use of them doesn't exactly square with idea of simple and pared-down living trumpeted during the war as "patriotic". According to my grandmother it was taboo during those years to throw lavish parties (waste of food), dress extravagantly (waste of cloth, thread, and whatever else went into those fancy clothes)--even cakes were frosted only on top, never on the sides. Bone needles (whatever the animal) would seem to be an extravagance, what with all the cutting, shaping, and grinding involved in making them.


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## NZKnitter (Oct 31, 2012)

What a wonderful find. Needle cases like these are great - easy storage - this would fit nicely into a brief casse or knitting bag. Wish these type of cases were around today. Vintage patterns are great and can easily be put into todays yarns and changes made to make them more modern. There seems to be a shortage of new mens patterns around. - Maybe you could adapt these and design your own?


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## mousepotato (May 30, 2011)

jmf6406 said:


> Hey! I wonder if they are the "flamable" type needles that one KPer was warned not to use in her vintage pattern book (See the topic a couple of days ago)


Might very well be, an antiques and ephemera dealer of my acquaintance indicated that they were celuloid needles when I asked her about a set she had.


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## stablemom (Oct 20, 2012)

This is a knitting case. This is just like the one that my Knitter's Pride needle set came in. So nice to have them all in one place.


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## june ann (Oct 28, 2011)

Neat, I found the same type of case at a yard sale, with all the needles in it, just green and white diagonal stripes!


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## MommaHope (May 6, 2012)

This is a TREASURE!


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## MommaHope (May 6, 2012)

This is a TREASURE! That 'Knitting for Defense" is the same book my grandmother knit sooo many sweaters from for the Service men stationed abroad during WW2. The wool sweaters were still warm even when wet, in drastic cold condition, etc. I was just talking about her yesterday on this site. Yes, I have her book...about my most treasured thing of hers. I'd never part w/ it.


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## Lo'L (Jan 21, 2011)

:thumbup: perfect!


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## run4fittness (May 22, 2011)

what a find!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

susanmos2000 said:


> What puzzles me--if the vintage knitting needles are indeed made of bone--is that production and use of them doesn't exactly square with idea of simple and pared-down living trumpeted during the war as "patriotic". According to my grandmother it was taboo during those years to throw lavish parties (waste of food), dress extravagantly (waste of cloth, thread, and whatever else went into those fancy clothes)--even cakes were frosted only on top, never on the sides. Bone needles (whatever the animal) would seem to be an extravagance, what with all the cutting, shaping, and grinding involved in making them.


The war effort demanded knits for the troops, but also kept all metals for use for arms for those same troops, so ... knitting needles were made of whatever available materials were _not_ rationed.


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## KnitWare (Mar 29, 2011)

Lovely find. Its an antique.


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## Yarnie.One (Jul 13, 2012)

Keepingbusy said:


> Thanks, I love vintage things. I like to think about who might have used this and what they might have made with them. What the world was like then.


Exactly!! This is why I go to "antique" shops. I love the kitchen ware department, toy department, and the section where they have old letters and post cards. I study the handles of kitchen ware -- if they're quite worn, I know they were used a lot, probably because they were loved. Once, I scored two diaries from 1939 that were written by women who knew each other casually. It was interesting to read their different take on things, what sewing projects they were working on, the weather, etc.


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

I have to confess, I was so sad when I saw that they had been left at the Goodwill, but I was so happy that it was being auctioned! Does that make any sense?

I probably worried more about that auction than any other I've followed. 

I wouldn't ever use them, I keep thinking about what everyone has said, especially about the breaking. I didn't think about sending it to a museum, they would really want them?

Marcie, those diaries must have been really great to read, just seeing their handwriting.


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

I'm so curious, a seemingly identical set listed for auction was described as being made of bone...do you think yours are bone or celluloid?


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Susan, I think mine are celluloid, they don't feel as heavy as I imagine bone would feel.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Bone is relatively inflexible - as I learned when I broke my step-mother's mother's bone crochet hook.


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

Keepingbusy said:


> Susan, I think mine are celluloid, they don't feel as heavy as I imagine bone would feel.


Thanks for the response! I figured it would be hard to confuse bone with celluloid--my grandmother had a collection of celluloid that we were never allowed to touch (too fragile)--and it seems logical that during a war cheaper materials would be used. Frankly it amazes me that the needles have survived for some 70 odd years, the previous owner(s) must have really treasured them.


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## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

What a great find...... and all those DPN's.... I would use them,,, just with a little care..... Love the red, white and blue......


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Jessica, oops, hope you didn't get into a whole lot of trouble!


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

I saw they said they were bone. It is more likely they are just trying to sell them, and have no idea what they are made of. Auctions often do not know what it is.


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## celrobic (May 9, 2012)

What a find! Vintage WWII knit for victory items! I understand these are hot collectors items and it looks like you have a fine set. I am green with envy!!!


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## Pat S. (Feb 15, 2011)

I just found a pair of Susan Bates needles which are very old but they are metal so they are post WW2. I use them all the time but never noticed they were Susan Bates. I have another pair that are Susan Bates, too, but they aren't as old as the first ones I mentioned. I'll have to tell my knitting daughter to keep them as they are old. 

Sure glad you brought this up. I have enjoyed all of the messages that have come up, especially all of the bones. I remember not having any more silk stockings and was mortified at those thick nylons that were substituted. The silk went into parachutes....


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Thank you, that's very nice of you to say. I was afraid for a time that I wasn't going to win the auction!


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## illusionsbydonna (Mar 24, 2012)

I have a set of those red white and blue needles I got in a bag of yarn and needles from a Goodwill in Portland Maine.. Mine are size twos. What a great find!!!


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

Guess what I found... a full set on ebay sold! You have to scroll down to see it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Very-RARE-WWII-Susan-Bates-Knitting-Kit-Red-White-Blue-NO-RESERVE-/160958336471?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2579dd4dd7&nma=true&si=1u6pcwTt4PbtGe%252BDUaZ2Bs5qnrg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

hmm well close to a full set ...looks like some one put some other needles in the case


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## BobnDejasMom (Jun 2, 2011)

hampshirerose said:


> I keep looking at these and can't help but think they are lace bobbins or some think like that.
> They look very thin for knitting needles and don't seem so have a proper point on them almost as if they are quills.
> They look as if they would bend when you get stitches on them.
> A few of them could be knitting needles and it does say knitting needles on the case.
> But what do I know just fumbling in the dark!!!


I have old knitting needles that look like that, but they aren't red, white and blue. I have knitted with them but they are very brittle so retired them.


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## realsilvergirl (Nov 13, 2011)

Keepingbusy said:


> I have to confess, I was so sad when I saw that they had been left at the Goodwill, but I was so happy that it was being auctioned! Does that make any sense?
> 
> I probably worried more about that auction than any other I've followed.
> 
> ...


I myself am not sure i would give them to a museum but people lend things to museums sometimes for a while. Or will them to them later on. I don't know if i could part with them right away. I hate the idea of using them but hate to think of them put away in a drawer, and i dislike the thought of giving them to a museum just to sit in a display, but then i hate to think people wouldn't see them and how united the country was during the war etc. So i am torn. I don't know what i would do! But yeah hang on to them a while! And even if you get them to a museum make sure you get a little brass (?) plaque stating that they are from your estate etc and that you lent/donated them! Because giving those up deserves recognition. All other knitters looking at them would know what a sacrifice YOU made! That article on knittingdaily said the wwII museum was in new orleans? Cant remember. I would want them in my town though lol!


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## ramram0003 (Nov 7, 2011)

SWEET find!!!


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

How do the nylons of today compare with the nylons then?

Also, I have to admit, I can't imagine wearing silk stockings!


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Luna,

That was a great find on Ebay. There was one object in that listing I don't have and I'd like to check with everyone about, 

Also, I don't think my other pictures showed the counter that came with the set.


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## Angelsmom1 (Jan 28, 2012)

I found 2 pairs of those sames needles in a thrift store. I have size 1 and 3. Exciting to know that they are from WW II era. Think I'll hang onto them.


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## Pauline (Jan 23, 2011)

Wow, that's a real old case with needles.


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

wow! that is sweet, I hope you can find the rest to complete your set!


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## Pat S. (Feb 15, 2011)

This is for Keeping Busy--about nylons.

Nylons then were thick, not sheer like they are now. I think they didn't come in a lot of colors--light brown or beige for summer and dark brown or black for winter. No pink, purple, red or any other color. Panty hose hadn't been invented. We wore long silk socks held up by garters or girdles until garter belts were invented. Garter belts were very uncomfortable as were girdles. If you wore garters, they needed to be pulled up constantly or you had to get garters that cut off the circulation and that is why many of us have vericose veins. 

Silk stockings were very thin and soft. I shed a few tears when I got a run in my last pair of silk stockings. All stockings then, had a seam in the back and they all had to be straitened constantly. Finally, no seam nylons were on the market and what a relief that was! Then when nylon was invented, it went to make parachutes and silk died on the vine. Then we tried to paint our legs with colored creams or lotions and when you got hot (no a/c had been invented then either)it ran down our legs in streaks! You ladies don't realize how lucky you are. 

Yarn was either baby yarn, cotton yarn or worsted yarn and most of it was wool--the itchy kind. I think orlon was the first, then nylon and the rest of the kinds and weights have come out since then. Glad to offer you another history lesson...


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

Thank you Pat, I had no idea about the colored creams. I did know that silk stockings were hard to come by.


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Pat S. said:


> This is for Keeping Busy--about nylons.
> 
> Nylons then were thick, not sheer like they are now. I think they didn't come in a lot of colors--light brown or beige for summer and dark brown or black for winter. No pink, purple, red or any other color. Panty hose hadn't been invented. We wore long silk socks held up by garters or girdles until garter belts were invented. Garter belts were very uncomfortable as were girdles. If you wore garters, they needed to be pulled up constantly or you had to get garters that cut off the circulation and that is why many of us have vericose veins.
> 
> ...


Pat, thank you so much, I love learning about our history, loved learning about in school, but have long ago realized just how much of our history wasn't covered in schools, I wish we thought more of our oral history.

I also think of how astounded my grandma would be about the different types of yarns used today!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

I read somewhere about southern belles (pre-Civil War) harvesting silk from mulberry trees/bushes and then knitting their own silk stockings and gloves!

I cannot imagine knitting anything so fine, though I know that eight-zero knitting needles are still available ... though I've only seen them as sets of double-pointed needles. I have none, nor want any! I believe they're used today by people knitting miniature things such as for doll-houses.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Keepingbusy said:


> Luna,
> 
> That was a great find on Ebay. There was one object in that listing I don't have and I'd like to check with everyone about,
> 
> Also, I don't think my other pictures showed the counter that came with the set.


I have one of those counters, but not with the red-white-blue colours.

I also have similar yarn needles with that big an eye; I hang mine on a ribbon around my neck and use it instead of a cable needle. Haven't lost it since I began that!


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## Babette Accorti (Aug 5, 2012)

refurbishing the case could destroy the value for the set. I would check with an expert before I did any refurbishing.


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## Pat S. (Feb 15, 2011)

I have several sets of DP's from 0 down to 4 or 5 zeros I can't remember which. I use mine when knitting lace for pillow cases and doilies. I inherited mine from my Grandmother and some of then are rusty as she lived in OK which has much more moisture than dry CO where I live. 

My eyes are nearly too bad to knit lace any more. Macular Degeneration wasn't in my plans but I inherited it from both sides of my family. At least I can still knit socks, hats, house slippers etc. for my 14 descendants for their Christmas and Birthday gifts and that nearly takes a year.


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

Jessica Jean, I am not surprised they would use from mulberry trees as it is what silk worms eat. We have worms that the locals here call bag worms. They spin on the white mulberry trees here.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

LunaDragon said:


> Jessica Jean, I am not surprised they would use from mulberry trees as it is what silk worms eat. We have worms that the locals here call bag worms. They spin on the white mulberry trees here.


I've no idea if your 'bag worms' produce silk, but silkworms do eat/live on mulberry trees. I don't think it matters the berries are red, black, or white. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombyx_mori
http://insected.arizona.edu/silkinfo.htm
http://www.silkwormshop.com/silkworm_info.html


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## Mariette EDE (Jul 6, 2012)

Absolute treasure, what a find


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## LunaDragon (Sep 8, 2012)

I am sure they are a type of silk worm, but they do not produce a nice cocoon, It is rather a mess all over the leaves like a kid made a silly string mess in a area.


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## Angelsmom1 (Jan 28, 2012)

I'm not that old, at least I didn't think I was, but I do remember girdles and garter belts as a very young girl. Mom would put them on me for going to church. Pat, you bring back memories. As for the needles, the 2 pairs I have still work fine, but they are no longer straight. They are a bit bent over. Thought they looked older when I found them in a thrift store, but didn't think they were older than myself.


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## ruthie49 (Jun 25, 2011)

Love those cats!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Angelsmom1 said:


> I'm not that old, at least I didn't think I was, but I do remember girdles and garter belts as a very young girl. Mom would put them on me for going to church. Pat, you bring back memories. As for the needles, the 2 pairs I have still work fine, but they are no longer straight. They are a bit bent over. Thought they looked older when I found them in a thrift store, but didn't think they were older than myself.


You were lucky that you only had to don garter belts for chruchgoing! From 4th grade, they expected us to wear them to _school_! Worse - my grandmother insisted I wear wool hose in winter and topped them with long (almost to the knee) wool underpants. Until menopause, I was allergic to wool - any percentage of it!. I hated those woollen stockings and underpants; they *itched* terribly! Today I'd be happy to find non-garter-belt woollen hose and woollen undies. I settle for long thermal undies and boot socks - not so lady-like, but warm.


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## Browniemom (Sep 24, 2012)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Angelsmom1 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not that old, at least I didn't think I was, but I do remember girdles and garter belts as a very young girl. Mom would put them on me for going to church. Pat, you bring back memories. As for the needles, the 2 pairs I have still work fine, but they are no longer straight. They are a bit bent over. Thought they looked older when I found them in a thrift store, but didn't think they were older than myself.
> ...


Your gm sounds like she was mean to you. Sad that you had to endure her demands.


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

Browniemom said:


> Jessica-Jean said:
> 
> 
> > Angelsmom1 said:
> ...


I'm not sure it was meanness, just concerns about warmth and hygiene that seem a bit old-fashioned by today's standards. My in-laws are from Eastern Europe and have a thing about chills and drafts, they keep their flat heated to 75+ (F) in the winter and insist on dressing my son in woolens, multiple layers of socks, and double sets of shirts and undershirts when we go to visit. They aren't the only ones either, an old baba spotted my son splashing in puddles and gave ME a dressing-down on the spot.


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

susanmos2000 said:


> Browniemom said:
> 
> 
> > Jessica-Jean said:
> ...


I think that if we look at the infant/child death rates a generation or two back, I think it might give us an entirely new perspective on the medical advances we enjoy now.


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## Browniemom (Sep 24, 2012)

My beloved mother-in-law was born in Russia. She never ever insisted that we do this to our son when he was a toddler. Sad to say that he was only 4 years old when his adoring Bubbie died.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

She loved me, so she tried the best she knew to keep me warm in the cold. In the 1950s, synthetics were brand-new and very expensive. All my coats, jackets, school uniforms (except the blouses), scarves, mittens, winter hats, and at least one drop-dead-gorgeous dark-green dress were made of WOOL. The word 'allergy' wasn't yet in the daily lexicon. No one could _possibly_ have an allergy to wool! Unthinkable! Except ... I class as allergic reaction the constant itching, formation of red rashes wherever the wool and skin touched, and - later in life - the runny nose/eyes caused by insisting on knitting with wool (for a particular gift). Were I today to go to a doctor with the same symptoms, he'd tell me to avoid all wool. Not so sixty years ago. There was no question of going to a doctor for a itchy rash.

Splashing in puddles? I'm 67 and I _still_ love to splash in puddles! I'll happily spend an hour or more on a rainy autumn afternoon moving leaves that're blocking storm drains and helping the water to flow ... or damming it to make a bigger puddle in which to splash! Puddles are *for* splashing! At any age!


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

That's true, thankfully most of us are not from the pre-antibiotic days when something like measles or pneumonia could easily prove fatal. I think my husband's family too views my son and me, both native Californians, as rather "frail flowers" who could easily take sick in sub-freezing temperatures. I'll never forget my MIL cornering me with a blow dryer one day when I attempted to go out with (very) slightly damp hair. In retrospect I find her concern kind of touching, but at the time I wasn't pleased at all to have my hair blown dry as straw!


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Measles ... It's all the fault of the measles! Picture this:
First grade. Age almost 6. Drilling every day (no time sense then; it may have only been a week) on the line I had to say for the Christmas play - once for the student body, and again that evening for the parents. Perform in the morning, go home for a nap, to return for the evening performance. EXCEPT ... for the VapoRub. My grandmother thought I needed some rubbed on my chest before taking my prescribed nap. Rub she did; nap I did, but I didn't get back to school until after the Christmas break! After the 'nap', I woke up covered head-to-toe with measles! I was never able to stand the scent of VapoRub again; I never even considered using it on my own kids! I never got to pronounce my line for anyone from my family ... all because of the measles. 

Missed several weeks of school two years later due to the chicken-pox. 

Spent my teens trying to catch the mumps ... until my mother happened to mention that I'd almost died from them at the tender age of 3 months! No wonder I couldn't catch them! And no wonder my grandmother was so careful thereafter?

Longed to go swimming in Lake Ronkonkoma, but it was fresh water and there was a risk of catching polio ... so I sweated until we got to the sea.


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## Keepingbusy (Dec 24, 2012)

Jessica-Jean said:


> Measles ... It's all the fault of the measles! Picture this:
> First grade. Age almost 6. Drilling every day (no time sense then; it may have only been a week) on the line I had to say for the Christmas play - once for the student body, and again that evening for the parents. Perform in the morning, go home for a nap, to return for the evening performance. EXCEPT ... for the VapoRub. My grandmother thought I needed some rubbed on my chest before taking my prescribed nap. Rub she did; nap I did, but I didn't get back to school until after the Christmas break! After the 'nap', I woke up covered head-to-toe with measles! I was never able to stand the scent of VapoRub again; I never even considered using it on my own kids! I never got to pronounce my line for anyone from my family ... all because of the measles.
> 
> Missed several weeks of school two years later due to the chicken-pox.
> ...


I remember taking the polio vaccine, I think. Was it in liquid form?


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## Pat S. (Feb 15, 2011)

I, too am allergic to wool and I have to look for sock yarn that isn't part wool. Those darn long stockings made me break out, too. It's just too bad that little girls wore dresses and long stockings when I was little but they didn't have any long pants for girls back in the 'good old days'.

I had everything a kid gets except mumps and I nursed my kids through it so hopefully, I'll never get it. A couple of years ago I had the shot for shingles, remembering when my Mother had them when I was a kid. She was so sick that I GLADLY took the shot. 

My best friend had polio but I didn't get it so I took the shot when my kids got theirs. That was one terrible disease. The kids here have been having whooping cough because parents hesitate to give their kids shots any more. They seem to think that it is gone from the face of the earth which, of course, it hasn't.


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

Pat S. said:


> The kids here have been having whooping cough because parents hesitate to give their kids shots any more. They seem to think that it is gone from the face of the earth which, of course, it hasn't.


Indeed it is NOT! My son works in day-care. He caught whooping cough/pertussis, despite having been innoculated as a child. Worse, he kindly passed it on to _me_, and I know I was innoculated as a child. What the medical community neglected to tell us kids - or our parents forgot to tell us - is that the innoculation does NOT give a life-long immunity. So, parents too smart for their pants not only endanger the youngest children in day care (infants, really), they also are responsible for the children's care-givers and _their_ families falling ill! A pox upon those think-they-know-it-all parents!
Oh, and having had whooping cough does not mean you can't catch it again ... which we did, two years and two different day-care centers in a row. NOT fun, though not generally life threatening for adults. I'm not sure, but the flu _might_ be easier on the body/brain.


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

Thanks to vaccinations I only had the chicken pox as a child, and my son shouldn't even get that one as he's had all his shots.

Warning: controversial opinion below!

I do wonder if it might be better to have a full-blown case of the chicken pox as a child--thus gaining lifelong immunity--rather than depending on shots and boosters which, alas, a lot of adults neglect.

I say this ONLY because all four of us kids got chicken pox at the same time--very mild for me and my slightly older siblings, devastating for my fourteen year-old brother. I remember when he finally felt well enough to get out of bed my mother warning us not to stare or make any comments--Brother looked terrible, like he'd been stricken with leprosy.

Chicken pox is generally so mild in young children and so much worse for older ones and adults...would it not be better to have it once and get it over with?

(let me remind anyone reading this that my son has had all his shots--including the one for chicken pox--I'm just wondering)


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## Jessica-Jean (Mar 14, 2011)

I have no idea if the (relatively new) vaccination for it also prevents shingles, but I paid for my shingles shot a few years ago. I've known one woman who suffered from shingles, and *suffer* is the applicable word. I was 9 when I had chicken-pox. I remember all too clearly how awful it felt! My kids were 18 mos. and 3 yrs. It was terrible to see how much pain they were in every waking hour and how few hours they actually slept for the better part of two weeks. I can*not* imagine having that as a chronic disease!


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## susanmos2000 (May 10, 2011)

I had it when I was eight and don't remember any real fever or discomfort--EXCEPT for the pox beneath the cast on my right arm (I'd broken my wrist a few weeks before getting ill). When the doctor cut the cast off we saw that the pox there were enormously swollen and red--it's amazing I didn't end up with any permanent scarring there. 
But that's a pretty unusual situation, of course.


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## Browniemom (Sep 24, 2012)

Had measles, chicken pox and mumps on both sides at the same time. My mother caught the mumps while taking care of my brother and me. Not pleasant memories at all. My son participated in the study for the chicken pox vaccine when he was 5 years old. Am so thankful that he will never have this awful disease.


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## EvaB17 (Nov 5, 2019)

[No message]


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