THE MARY FRANCES KNITTING AND CROCHETING BOOK

Transcriber's Note: If supported by the reader's device, larger copies of coloured photographs and photo where detail is hard to see, may be seen by clicking on the image itself.

SEE MY NEW SWEATER
For Directions for Making Knitted Articles Shown in this Illustration See
Knitted Sleeveless Sweater—[185] Crocheted Hat—[206]
Crocheted Sports Sweater—[243]

THE
MARY FRANCES
KNITTING AND CROCHETING
BOOK
OR
ADVENTURES AMONG THE
KNITTING PEOPLE

BY
JANE EAYRE FRYER
————
Illustrated by
JANE ALLEN BOYER
and from
ACTUAL PHOTOGRAPHS
————
THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.
PHILADELPHIA

Copyright, 1918, By
JANE EAYRE FRYER
————CAUTION————
The entire contents of this book are protected
by copyright, and all persons are
warned not to reproduce the text, in whole
or in part, or any of the illustrations without
permission of the publishers.

PREFACE

Dear Girls:

After reading about Mary Frances’ many adventures among the Kitchen People, and the Thimble People, and the Garden People, and with the Doll Family and the Brave Family, in the Mary Frances books—perhaps you thought that no girl, not even Mary Frances, could find any more funny little fairy helpers right in her own home.

But Mary Frances did, for the Knitting People had overheard many of the lessons which the Thimble People gave her, and they were almost jealous. At least they probably would have been jealous if they had not planned to surprise Mary Frances with some delightful lessons in crocheting and knitting. Such good lessons they were that almost before she knew it, Mary Frances had made the loveliest caps and sweaters and bootees for her dolls—just exactly the kinds you want for your own dolls. And you can have them if you wish, for Mary Frances says that the Knitting People told her that they are always just as ready to help any other girl who wants their help—if she will follow the lessons exactly as they are given in this book.

She says, too, that after a girl has learned to crochet and knit for dolls, it is “just as easy as a-b-c” to crochet and knit for real people; and that knitting articles for soldier boys and fathers and mothers makes a person feel of very much account.

It is in the hope that you will enjoy these new adventures as much as Mary Frances did, that this book is sent out to the girls of America with the best wishes of

The Author.

Merchantville, N. J.

CONTENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Note.—The garments described in this book will fit 12- to 16-inch dolls.

It is impossible to give exact measurements, because few people crochet and knit with exactly the same “tension.”

In making garments for other than 12- to 16-inch doll it would be best to cut a paper pattern to fit the doll, and make the garments fit the pattern, following as far as possible the directions given in this book.

Important.—In order to learn to crochet and knit, the beginner should follow the directions, and make the garments, in the order given in the story part of the book.

Do not try to understand the directions before doing the work. Learn one new thing at a time doing exactly as told. Advance step by step.

In these directions woolen yarns are used, but mercerized cotton yarns may be used in their place with good results.

LIST OF
COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS

CHAPTER I KNIT AND KNACK

“WE will teach her to knit,” declared Mary Frances’ grandmother’s knitting needles proudly. They spoke together.

When they did not speak together they always repeated what each other said. You see, they were twins. One was named Knit and the other was named Knack.

“And I will teach her to crochet,” said the big crochet hook just as proudly.

“Knitting is a much older art than crocheting,” said Knit.

“Knitting is a much older art than crocheting,” repeated Knack.

“Knit!” exclaimed Crow Shay Hook. “It is not!”

“How can you prove that?” asked Knit.

“How can you prove that?” asked Knack.

“Easily!” answered Crow Shay. “Crocheting is making knots. Knots were made by people before they ever thought of weaving. Knitting is a sort of weaving, you know. Knotting is not, you know.”

“To tell the honest truth,” a new voice spoke, “I do not believe any of you know what you are talking about; but I could tell you a story—” and the big ball of yarn rolled over nearer the group of needles.

“Oh, spare us, Wooley Ball!” begged all the needles. “We don’t want to hear any more yarns.”

“It is easy to see,” went on Wooley Ball, pretending not to notice their impoliteness, “that for most people crocheting is more easily learned than knitting. Therefore it seems best that Crow Shay should begin the lessons.”

“What’s that?” The Yarn Baby suddenly sat up, her hair standing out straight on her head. It always stood up straight and stiff when she was excited. “You know very well, Wooley Ball, that I was chosen to direct these lessons.”

“Please excuse me?” begged Wooley Ball. “I am always so interested in knitting and crocheting that sometimes I forget myself, I fear.”

The Yarn Baby’s hair slowly settled back into place. She smoothed and patted it down carefully.

“It so happens that I felt that Crow Shay had best commence the lessons,” she said.

Crow Shay glanced over at the Knitting Twins.

“Get the hook!” laughed the Knitting Needles. “We shall have lots of fun listening to the crocheting lessons.”

“All right,” cried Wooley Ball to Crow Shay; “let’s get ready, Hookey. I’ll chase you into the Red Cross knitting bag!” and away hopped Crow Shay, while the big ball rolled after him. Right down into the bottom of the big bag they landed and Crow Shay cuddled up close to Wooley Ball.

“We shall have a splendid time with Miss Mary Frances, don’t you think, Wooley Ball?” asked Crow Shay.

“Indeed we shall,” said Wooley Ball warmly. “If we begin to have the fun the Thimble People had, we shall feel very happy.”

CHAPTER II AUNT MARIA STEPS IN

FOR a long time Wooley Ball and Crow Shay lay very still in the knitting bag, hoping that Mary Frances would soon come into the room.

At length Crow Shay began to move about restlessly.

“Do be quiet,” whispered Wooley Ball softly. “If you don’t stop jumping about, you’ll punch a hole in the bag!”

“I can’t keep still,” complained Crow Shay; “my foot’s asleep! My, how it hurts!”

“How does it feel?” asked Wooley Ball, in sympathy.

“Just like tiny mosquito bites all over me which scratching won’t help.”

“I guess you mean moth bites!” exclaimed Wooley Ball.

“Will you two keep still?” said the Yarn Baby, tapping upon the knitting bag with her soft little fist. “I think that I hear footsteps.”

“Don’t speak to me now,

Don’t speak to me never;

And I will be quiet

Forever and ever!”

sang Crow Shay, poking his little round head up through the top of the bag.

“Oh, are you going to be bad?” sighed the Yarn Baby. “Get down in there!” She pushed his head down into the bag and tied it shut.

“Now, he’s shut up,” she said, settling down beside the bag, and smoothing her hair, which had begun to stand up.

She was just in time, too, for as she finished putting the last strand in place the door opened, and in stepped—Mary Frances’ Aunt Maria!

“For the land’s sake!” she exclaimed. “For the land’s sake! So that is where Mary Frances left her knitting bag! I’ve hunted high and low for it. I never thought to look on the floor!”

She sat down on Mary Frances’ little rocking-chair and emptied Wooley Ball and Crow Shay on her lap.

“Very well,” she said, “these things will do to start with. I shall begin her lessons to-night.”

Just as she put them back into the bag, she spied the Yarn Baby.

“I’ll put that silly doll in, too,” she said, tumbling the Yarn Baby into the bag and pulling the drawing-strings tight.

Then she carried the bag downstairs and out on the porch, where Mary Frances sat in the porch swing reading a book.

“It is high time, my dear,” she said, “that you learn to crochet and knit. To-night I shall give you your first lesson.

“Oh, won’t that be splendid, Aunt Maria?” cried the little girl. “I do want to learn so much!”

“It seems very strange to me that you do not know anything about such work,” said her aunt. “Why, I made your father learn how to knit when he was only six years old!”

Mary Frances did not tell her Aunt Maria that her father had told her about those lessons, and how he had hated the work because, every time he made a mistake, his aunt would whack his chubby, clumsy little fingers with a ruler.

You see, Aunt Maria was Mary Frances’ great-aunt, and was the aunt of her father also. Mary Frances’ grandmother, the mother of Mary Frances’ father, died when he was a little boy and his Aunt Maria had “brought him up.”

“Mother would like to teach me,” said Mary Frances, “but——”

“Your mother was not brought up right,” her aunt snapped. “What does she know about crocheting? She doesn’t know star stitch from coffee-bean stitch, and as for knitting—I don’t suppose she knows plain knitting from purling! Very queer! A very queer way to bring up a child!”

“But, Aunt Maria, don’t you remember? Mother fell and hurt her arm when she was little and couldn’t use it for such work for years,” said Mary Frances. “Even now it hurts her arm to try to crochet. That is what I commenced to tell you.”

“Oh, yes,” said Aunt Maria, “I remember now. But your arm doesn’t hurt, and you must learn to crochet and knit, my dear niece. You are so much like me anyway that you must learn to crochet and knit well. Then you may grow up to be almost exactly like me! Now, I must go set my bread. Nothing ever interferes with my program except sickness or death. You must be like me in that, too.” And the old lady went down the path.

At the gate she turned. “Remember,” she called, “I’ll be ready at seven o’clock.”

CHAPTER III CROW SHAY TALKS

“OH, dear,” sighed Mary Frances. “Oh, dear, how I wish there were crocheting and knitting people like the Kitchen People and the Thimble People—only that would be too good to be true.”

“Not at all,

Not at all;

Untie the bag

And see us all,”

came a voice from the knitting bag which was beside Mary Frances in the swing just where Aunt Maria had laid it. She picked it up and untied the drawing-strings and up popped Crow Shay.

The bright sunlight made him blink as he looked around.

“Good day, good day,

To you we say—

Yarn Baby, Wooley Ball

And I, Crow Shay,”

sang the little fellow, as Mary Frances lifted them out.

“Oh, can you all talk?” she asked in delight. “Can they, Crow Shay?”

“‘Can they crochet?’” repeated Crow Shay, “‘Can they crochet?’ Why, I don’t think they can. They can only help. Crow Shay Hooks are the only ones who really can crochet!”

“Oh, I see,” said Mary Frances, even though she did not understand exactly what he meant.

By this time the Yarn Baby’s hair was standing on end. She looked so wild that Mary Frances pretended to be frightened and began to move away.

“Do not be alarmed, Miss Mary Frances,” said the Yarn Baby, trying to smooth down her hair. “My hair always stands out that way when I get excited. I was afraid some one might overhear Crow Shay talking, and then all our lovely plans would be spoiled. Crow Shay always talks too much, anyhow. You might think that he was appointed to take charge of the lessons instead of me!”

“Oh,” said Mary Frances, “I know what you wish to do! You want to give me secret lessons in crocheting and knitting just as the Kitchen People gave me lessons in cooking, and the Thimble People gave me lessons in sewing! I’ll put you all back in the bag and carry you upstairs this minute, and I do hope that you will begin the lessons right away!”

CHAPTER IV WOOLEY BALL TELLS SOME YARNS

MARY FRANCES opened the bag on the sewing table.

“Is this the whole family?” she asked as she lifted the Yarn Baby, Wooley Ball and Crow Shay out.

“Oh, no, indeed!

Oh, no indeed!

Wait till the rest of us

You’ve see’d,”

spoke up Crow Shay.

Up flew the Yarn Baby’s hair.

“‘See’d,’ indeed! ‘See’d,’ indeed! Do be more polite, Crow Shay!” she exclaimed. “Use correct grammar and give some one else a chance to speak!”

Then she explained to Mary Frances about the large family of Crocheting and Knitting People who were so anxious to help her.

“Oh, I can’t wait to begin!” cried the delighted little girl. “What do I do first?”

“First you will a slip knot make;

Then in your right hand me you’ll take—”

began Crow Shay.

“Now, now,” exclaimed the Yarn Baby. “There you go again!”

“Oh, he loves to crow—” said Wooley Ball, laughing.

“You mean that I love to crochet, Wooley Ball!” Crow Shay turned toward Wooley Ball.

“Well, I think that Wooley Ball means that you love to crochet so much that when you get a chance, you love to crow about it!” said the Yarn Baby. “You do not wait to give anyone else a chance to talk. Now, the very first person to explain lessons in crocheting and knitting is Wooley Ball.”

“Because she can tell so many yarns!” giggled Crow Shay.

Wooley Ball looked up at Mary Frances with a broad smile.

“Do not mind him,” she said. “If you are quite ready, we will have a little talk about—

Different Yarns

There are many different weights and sizes of woolen yarns. We shall need to know about only a few of these.

All yarns are made of twisted strands of thread. The weight depends upon the number and size of the strands that are twisted together.

If two strands are twisted together, the yarn is two-fold.

If three strands are twisted together, the yarn is three-fold.

If four strands are twisted together, the yarn is four-fold.

If you are uncertain of the “fold” of the yarn you have, untwist a little piece and count the strands.

Names of Yarns

Germantown Zephyr or Germantown Wool. A soft woolly yarn very much used where warmth is needed.

Germantown wool comes in four-fold and eight-fold weights. Four-fold is the weight generally used. The eight-fold is too thick and heavy for most purposes.

Knitting Worsted is somewhat like Germantown wool in weight, but is rather harsh to the touch, because the threads are made of long twisted fibers of wool. Garments made of knitting worsted will stand hard wear and usage.

Saxony Wool. A soft yarn made of light-weight strands. Comes in two-fold, three-fold, and four-fold weights.

The four-fold and two-fold are the weights most used. Saxony wool is much used for making garments for babies.

Woolen Knitting Floss. A light-weight, loosely-twisted yarn. Comes in single and double threads.

Teazle Yarn, or Teazle Wool, resembles knitting floss, but is rougher and harsher in finish. It is more often used for trimming than for making garments.

Angora Wool is a hairy yarn used for trimming. It is made entirely of the soft silky hair of the Angora goat, or of a mixture of wool and Angora hair. It is so expensive that Teazle yarn is much used in its stead. After the trimming is made, the Teazle yarn is usually brushed until it is quite furry and fuzzy.

There are many different makers of yarns. Each firm manufactures a variety of yarns under various fancy names. All manufacturers, however, make Germantown Wool, Knitting Worsteds, Saxony Wools, Woolen Flosses, and Teazle Wool.

CHAPTER V SPEAKING OF MOTHS

“THERE!” exclaimed Crow Shay as Wooley Ball finished. “There! Hasn’t Wooley Ball long yarns to spin?”

Mary Frances laughed. “You little chatterbox,” she said, “I really believe that you are jealous!”

“I certainly do love to talk,” said Crow Shay; “but I admit I can’t tell about yarns the way Wooley Ball can.”

Here the Yarn Baby interrupted.

“If you will bring your chest of yarns, little Miss,” she said, “we will soon see if you have all those different kinds of yarns.”

Mary Frances went to the closet, and brought the chest to the sewing table.

As she pulled out the bright-colored yarns, some small white balls fell on the table.

“Oh, goody!” exclaimed Wooley Ball. “I see that you are not going to let the moths eat up your treasures. Moths hate camphor and moth balls. I just love them.”

“Oh, I know about moths,” said Mary Frances. “I learned a sad lesson about them. Once my aunt knit my doll a little——”

“Did you say Knit?” came a little voice.

“Did you say Knit?” came another little voice.

“Who was that?” asked Mary Frances.

“Oh, that’s only Knit and Knack, the Knitting Twins,” answered Crow Shay.

He turned toward the table where they lay.

“You two go to sleep again!” he said. “It’s not your turn yet.”

By this time the Yarn Baby looked like a porcupine. Her hair stood out so straight and stiff that Mary Frances was almost afraid to speak.

“He will keep on until he will have to be punished,” whispered Wooley Ball.

“Yes,” said the Yarn Baby, “if he doesn’t stop crowing so much I will not let him crochet.”

That seemed to scare Crow Shay terribly, and he did not utter another sound, but listened with all his ears.

“You were speaking of moths,” Wooley Ball reminded Mary Frances.

“Oh, yes—about the little coat which my aunt made for Angie, my doll. I used it all winter and in the summer I folded it and put it away in a little box. When the weather was cold again, and Angie needed it, I took it out of the box and what do you think happened?”

“I know!” declared Wooley Ball. “I know what happened. The little coat fell to pieces when you picked it up. The moths had bitten it all over.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened,” said Mary Frances. “It taught me never to put anything made of wool away without camphor or moth balls.”

CHAPTER VI CROW SHAY’S RELATIVES

WOOLEY BALL and the Yarn Baby looked over the yarns that Mary Frances had put on the sewing table.