Just in Case

I thought of myself as fairly well-informed about vintage knitting paraphernalia, but had not seen one of these before. Have you?

And would you even know what it was right off the bat? (And no, that wasn’t meant as a hint; this is in fact not a baseball bat!)

A couple of days ago I got chatting with a local gentleman who collects vintage knitting needle cases. And he brought this one to show me. Apparently wooden needle cases were fairly common in Ireland decades ago. Most were plain; but some were hand-carved and painted like this one.

The owner does not think that this particular case is Irish though. The rendering of the cottage and garden has more of a Dutch look. I am trying very hard not to go down the rabbit hole of researching this matter, and then becoming a collector of wooden vintage needle cases myself!

Admittedly, it’s a great storage solution for straight needles, as soft fabric cases can leave them vulnerable to breakage. I wish there were something equally nice for circular needles. After several decades of using mine, I still have not come across a satisfactory way to store them!