I got so much knitting done during the game, and I discovered that it helped the tension level. While my husband and mother-in-law were tied up in knots all through the 4th quarter and overtime, I was able to focus at least part of my attention on that wretched Harry Potter scarf. It's all K all the time, easy enough that I didn't have to think too much about it, but it took a little thought away from the game.
I can't claim to have any text references for this, but after looking at LOTS of counted thread patterns from the 14th through 18th century, I'd say the boxers are debased cherubs. Many earlier patterns had them either on their own or accompanying other motifs. They often held flowers, urns or ewers, the tails of fish, or ribbons and drapery of the main characters.
Like a game of telephone where each person whispers a message to a neighbor, what emerges after the Nth iteration is often different from the source material. This is especially true in the early days of pattern books, when publishers copied from their competitors' works, and needleworkers copied from each other's samplers or finished pieces. You can trace the cherubs/boxers from the early 1500s through the 1600s and on to American samplers done in the early 1700s. They fall off after that, as samplers become more codified schoolgirl curriculum pieces. Still, you can find their descendents in the 1800s, delivering little valentines on samplers from rural Pennsylvania.
Nifty piece! Thanks for sharing.
I'm sure my sister knows better, but I would guess that the history of the codpiece had something to do with this.
Carl
Um....please tell me that the strange pointy bit in the boxers' laps is vegetation. I mean, it may not be, but I'm not sure I'm prepared for embroidered homunculi to be that overtly excited, if you catch my drift.
Love the boxers. And the sampler is great.
Went to the link you provided for the sampler and fell in love with the word "vegimorphic." It has now become a permanent part of my vocabulary, as in, "This was supposed to be meat, but it looks vegimorphic." Or, "She thinks her baby is cute, but I think it looks vegimorphic." Or "When I blocked this, I thought it would look more like a sweater, but it still looks vegimorphic." Oh, I can't wait to try that word out!
What disturb me more than the vegemorphism (thank you, Ryan!) are the faces of the debased cherubs. They look slightly -- no, let's be realistic -- extremely psychotic. Were I reproducing this sampler, I just might modify it slightly to make it look like they were looking to their left, instead of out at me. Otherwise I'd wake up at night in a cold sweat, certain that the vegemorphic boxers were coming for me.
Go Steelers! I was born in Pittsburgh- my Dad's family is from there- and the Steelers have always been my team.
I just love your sampler- it is surreal and beautifully done.
Steelers! Can't WAIT for this weekend.
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