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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Bridget's Blunder!

Its difficult at the moment to share much of what is happening as such a lot of what I am doing is checking and rechecking and measuring and calculating so I thought I would share this little poem with you which I found at the back of a 1940s pattern booklet, promoting the famous 'Patonised' wool of the time, and its called 'Bridget's Blunder'


Bridget's Blunder

My story tells of Bridget Whitting
Who loved both plain and fancy knitting,
But though she worked by day and night
Her efforts seldom turned out right.
Friends would say, "Cor! That jumper's posh!"
But when she'd given it a wash,
Instead of snugly fitting Bridget
It seemed more suited to a midget.
One day, when off to see her draper
She saw announced inside her paper
A brand-new wool; was she elated!
For bold as brass the maker stated:-
"This wool's the best that can be got,
It will not shrink, no matter what!"
So Bridget told her woolshop flat,
"I'll have a basinful of that."
And hurried home with glowing cheeks,
But couponless for weeks and weeks.
Soon willing Labour bore its fruit -
A salmon-pinky jumpersuit,
Which Bridget wore with pride o'er-weening
Till, solied and creased, it needed cleaning.
Said B., "It won't take half a wink,
the makers say it cannot shrink."
(But they forgot to say - the wretches! -
That wool made shrinkless sometimes stretches).
'Twas washed; the outcome nearly killed her,
It went three times round Aunt Matilda!
And looked in shade like Aunt Euphemia
Who suffers from acute anaemia.
"That's finished it," wept B., "I'm quitting,
I'm through for good and all with knitting;
I'll write at once to my MP,
about this dire clamity."
Her tale was penned 'midst groans and hisses,
- The MP showed it to his Mrs.
Who said, "That girl should be advised
to stick to wool that's Patonised,
Which, used with reasonable care
Will wash and wash, and wear and wear;
Trust P&B, the leading spinners
Only to turn out certain winners.
Just tell her she's a chump to quit
When there's such lovely wool to knit."
B. took the tip, no longer weeps;
that MP's in his seat for keeps!


I hope you enjoyed Bridget's tale. 

for now
Ruby xx