Potholder

Description

Dark gray, wool squirrel knit to fit the handle of a teapot. A 3 1/2" split in the side enables the squirrel to fit over the handle. The squirrel sits upright, and holds a gray wool "nut", or ball of yarn, between its paws. Tail made of loops of gray wool. Eyes made of black shoe buttons, white wool nose and parts of the paws, and the ears are flattened circles, one on each side.

Notes

Shaker stores sold items intended to appeal more to the fashions of the world than to the inhabitants of Shaker homes. In 1836, for example, an agricultural paper took notice that the Shakers at Enfield, NH, offered for sale "table covers of the most substantial quality, decorated with an attractive floral border."[1] As time passed so did many of the most lucrative Shaker industries until by the "turn of the century, fancy goods were the major source of income of all remaining communities."[2] There was great variety in the products that were sold including mass produced items such as poplar ware, occasional antiques, and items produced in limited numbers at the whim of a sister who wanted to make something she thought would sell. Fancy goods were made primarily by Shaker women and the products were primarily made for women. [1] "Table Covers." Fessenden's Silk Manual and Practical Farmer. 2 (July 1836): 37. [2] Gordon, Beverly. Shaker Textile Arts. Hanover: University Press of New England, 1980, p. 34.