[Sca-cooks] knitted pouches

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

>Anahita replied to me with:
>  > > Knit pouches? Any evidence of these being period?
>  > Absolutely, although not as i made mine, since i used worsted weight
>  > cotton. The ones that have survived are made of close to thread
>  > weight silk.
>
>Knitted with "thread"???! Either cotton or silk, that is a lot of fine
>thread in a *lot* of tiny little loops. Oh my.

Well, many items from the Renaissance - the last couple hundred years 
of SCA-period - are hand knit at between 22 and 32 stitches per inch 
- pouches, stockings, gloves - out of close-to-thread weight silk.

I knit a pouch of very fine cotton at 14 stitches per inch. Not too 
long ago i knit a little test swatch for a pair of 16th c. stockings 
at around 20 stitches per inch. But the stocking swatch was a 
silk-wool blend, and i know that the wool will make me want to rip 
the flesh off my legs. I now have some pointers as to where to buy 
appropriate silk. But I've got a bunch of projects that i really 
should get to before i make those red Italian stockings. I'll have to 
use that silk-wool blend for something else.

Anahita