Williams - Darn It!: Traditional Female Skills That Everyone Should Know

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by

Michael OMara Books Limited

9 Lion Yard

Tremadoc Road

London SW4 7NQ

Copyright Michael OMara Books Limited 2013

First Skyhorse Publishing edition 2018

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Jacket design by Greg Stevenson

Illustrations by Aubrey Smith

Designed and typeset by Design 23

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-3397-8

E-Book ISBN: 978-1-5107-3403-6

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Conversion Tables

KNITTING NEEDLES

WEIGHT

MEASUREMENTS

OVEN TEMPERATURES

LIQUIDS

US CUPS

SPOONS

INTRODUCTION

I t is a truth universally acknowledged that most men, when faced with a navigational problem, will do almost anything to avoid asking for help; theres a social danger, it seems, in confessing to a gap in ones knowledge. This recently proved true for a good friend of mine who took it upon himself to replace the buttons on his threadbare coat. Thinking the female sex inherently possess a knack for all things home-made, my eager friend approached another female acquaintance in the hope she might impart a few sisterly tips (i.e. how on earth you sew on a button). But the fairer sex, it seems, isnt quite ready to welcome her hairier counterpart into its ranks for, dear reader, the poor man was mocked. And so its been left to me to compile this handy instruction manual for the modern man so he may never be laughed at so cruelly again.

Many sources were consulted in the making of this book, not all of them female. In truth, no woman I know can knock up a period costume with the competence and flair of my battle re-enactment friendsall but one of whom is male. Still, theres no avoiding the fact that some skills are considered to be primarily female, mainly because they have long been the occupation of women. Coventry Patmores Victorian poem The Angel in the House came to symbolize the feminine ideal: women were very much considered safest when tucked away indoors, devoted to their husband and children.