Some of the antique Yorkshire knitting sheaths in my collection either feature a heart or are in the form of a heart. They include brass hearts from northern Yorkshire dales, tin hearts from Airedale (the Keighley and Bradford area that was home to the Bronte sisters), and a triangle sheath from Wensleydale with a heart carved at the base of the haft:
Last year I also had the enormous privilege of examining and photographing the collection of knitting sheaths in the archives of Bankfield Museum in Halifax. Unusually that contains a beautifully embroidered fabric knitting sheath. The only solid part is a small piece of turned wood held between the two fabric layers. This forms the haft into which the knitting needle is inserted. The embroidery was clearly done with silk. I wonder if the silk was spun in Brighouse?
