Victorian Bell Gauge

I have entered every single speck of my stash into Ravelry. It hurt, but I did it. And I have 2 big bags of yarn to give away, and a bunch of yarns in my "to sell or trade" section in Ravelry.

And my craft room is a little more organized as well! (And no, you can't see a picture of it.)

A couple of weeks ago I participated in a very small bidding war (I think I was working against one other knitter,) to get a vintage Bell Gauge. I've wanted one of these puppies for a long time, because vintage patterns (1920 and earlier,) have a very different needle sizing system and I kept seeing conflicting information about it on the 'net.

When I started a knitting pattern from 1848 that specifically mentioned a needle size "in Bell gauge," I went eBay hunting and found this adorable little thing from a seller in Australia!

Made in England, the gauge fits easily in the palm of my hand and I completely adore it for its history, its usefulness (I now know that a modern size 0 needle is a size 24 using the Bell Gauge,) and its beauty.

I'm wanting to make a little beaded necklace for it to hang on - maybe I can incorporate a couple of row counters as well! ;)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ooooooooooooooooooo! I've always wanted one of those. Very nice win. :)
October 16, 2007 at 10:41 AM
Devon said…
That is REALLY cool! You're so vintage. I should have sent you my hysterical 70's pattern books, though that's not your era, is it? LOL
October 16, 2007 at 4:29 PM
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