Tool (for needlework) (Knitting sheath)

Description

This tiny heart shape knitting sheath was made by a Native American artist for the tourist market that thrived throughout the Great Lakes and Northern New England from the 1820s to the 1930s. While needle cases, pin cushions and basketry were common objects made for the tourist market, knitting sheaths were quite rare. The spare beading pattern on the felt surface suggests that the sheath was probably made by a member of the Iroquois culture, or possibly the Wabanaki culture. The overall form was likely adapted from a silver knitting sheath and it functioned by being inserted into the knitter's belt or attached by a straight pin to the clothes at the waist in a comfortable angle to hold a knitting needle steady. One end of a double-pointed knitting needle was inserted into the cylindrical tube at the top of the sheath. Knitters could work much more quickly with a sheath, as it left one hand free to manipulate the yarn and the other to hold the second needle.