19th c. Sailor Made Whalebone Boot-Shaped Knitting Needle Sheaths
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19th c. sailor made whalebone boot-shaped knitting needle sheaths. Hand carved whale bone boots used to protect the loss of knitting stitches at the end of a needle. "Sailors carved sperm whale teeth, walrus tusk, or ivory from their catches. The captain got his pick of the teeth, but since a good sized sperm whale has 42 teeth, and the usual size of a three boat whaling crew was 21 men, no schrimshander was left toothless." (source: Sealift, U.S. Military Sealift Command, January 1978)
DATE:
c. 1840 - 1850
SIZE:
Boots: 1.5" x 0.75" x 0.6"
CONDITION:
Wear to woven tape. Ink on one side of single boot.
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