That's what comforter means in the US now. But in the 19th century, it meant a scarf. "Muffler" is another period term.
The periods I usually research for knitting are the 16th century and the Victorian period, so the answer is no for the 16th century, and yes for the Victorian period because there are extant knitting patterns from the period, starting in the 1840s. As for earlier than that, I don't really know, but in the 1830s and 1840s there was this sudden interest in handiwork among middle and upper class women, so there were tons of manuals addressing knitting and crochet published, which is why we have patterns from the 1840s for comforters/scarves. It's not necessarily that they suddenly sprang into existence, but that we have good documentation for them existing at that time.
I mean, if it's cold and you need the scarf to stay warm, then it's a better option than getting hypothermia, and a knitted fabric is going to read better than a pair of earmuffs or poly fleece. If someone's trying to stop someone from staying warm, then they can talk to my boot.
My opinion on most Great Debates of Reenactment is that both sides need to do more research, anyway. :P I wouldn't be surprised if people were knitting scarves before the 1840s, and it's just that the documentation has reached everyone's attention yet.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 10:47 pm (UTC)The periods I usually research for knitting are the 16th century and the Victorian period, so the answer is no for the 16th century, and yes for the Victorian period because there are extant knitting patterns from the period, starting in the 1840s. As for earlier than that, I don't really know, but in the 1830s and 1840s there was this sudden interest in handiwork among middle and upper class women, so there were tons of manuals addressing knitting and crochet published, which is why we have patterns from the 1840s for comforters/scarves. It's not necessarily that they suddenly sprang into existence, but that we have good documentation for them existing at that time.
I mean, if it's cold and you need the scarf to stay warm, then it's a better option than getting hypothermia, and a knitted fabric is going to read better than a pair of earmuffs or poly fleece. If someone's trying to stop someone from staying warm, then they can talk to my boot.
My opinion on most Great Debates of Reenactment is that both sides need to do more research, anyway. :P I wouldn't be surprised if people were knitting scarves before the 1840s, and it's just that the documentation has reached everyone's attention yet.