Punch Magazine (full title: Punch or The London Charivari) lampooned all aspects of politics and popular culture for almost 60 years.
During the mid-1800s crochet was so popular that it was a frequent target for Punch's satire.
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For the complete text of the "Law of Crochet" see my article published in September/October 2011
PieceWork magazine.
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Punch Magazine (full title: Punch or The London Charivari) lampooned all aspects of politics and popular culture for almost 60 years.
During the mid-1800s crochet was so popular that it was a frequent target for Punch's satire.
Clause 2 of "The Law..." compares cooking calf's head with being busy with Boar's Head.
Walter G. Evan's & Co.'s Boar's Head was a brand of cotton crochet thread, produced at Darley Abbey, Derbyshire.
Clause 3 mentions an "anti-macassar", now known as "antimacassar", another term for a textile piece that protects chair cushions from hair oils.
During the the latter half of the 19th century, chairs needed to be protected from Macassar hair Oil (Rowland's Macassar Oil was the most well-known brand.)
The Apteryx (Australia's Kiwi bird) was also mentioned in Clause 3.
Clause 9 compares crochet needles to the Needles, Isle of Wight (IOW).
In the mid-1800s fine crochet hooks often were referred to as "needles".
Clause 9 also mentions a "Crochety" wife. A play on the word "crotchety", defined as irritable, quarrelsome, cantankerous, or grouchy. (See comments on "crotchet", below in section on Lord Brougham.)
The Law's conclusion mentions Disraeli, "because he really works very fairly - with a hook",..
and Lord Brougham "celebrated for his Crotchet-work" (Ties to Thomas Love Peacock's book, Crotchet Castle.)
At the time of Punch's satire, crochet continued growing in popularity. Even Queen Victoria learned to crochet.
Picture, with gracious permission from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.