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This is a knitting sheath made of dark-coloured wood, carved with a pattern of notches and lines, and inscribed ‘APL’. Sheaths like this were often given as love tokens and, according to the donor, were usually the first present a young man gave to his sweetheart. The sheath also held the knitting needles in position, enabling quicker knitting. Knitting sheaths are thought to be particular to the north of England.

MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Institute of Agricultural History) – ‘Description: Hand made knitting sheath of dark wood with a pattern of notches and designs carved into it. // Inscription: A P L // Dimensions: Length: 18.5cm // Associated information: Acquired by Mr. Watson from the dales where these sheaths were once in common use and often made by the young men to give to their sweethearts as a love token.’, Letter, Mr J. T. Watson to MERL, July 1959 – ‘…These knitting sticks were fashioned by young men as love tokens and were in common use in the Dales. It was generally the first present a young man gave to his sweetheart. The use of the knitting stick facilitated quick knitting by holding the needle rigid. It had another virtue highly prized in those industrious days whenever the housewife’s knitting was interrupted the use of this device enabled her to resume it more quickly than would have been possible had she put it down altogether…’