Kathryn Knitwear, founded by Robert Blake, manufactured high quality children’s knitwear in Melbourne from the 1940s – 1980s. Robert Blake began manufacturing children’s knitwear in his bedroom in Strathmore using a hand powered machine in the late 1940s. The operation moved to Ascot Vale and Essendon, before eventually establishing a factory in Moonee Ponds in the early 1950s. The business continued to expand, necessitating a move to a new factory in Broadmeadows. By 1962, the Broadmeadows factory was producing an average of 20,000 garments per month, which increased to 24,000 by 1964. Robert Blake’s Son, Brendan recalls that “The Kathryn brand was famous around Australia, anywhere children needed to keep warm and dress smartly. It also won a number of wool fashion awards”, including the 1969 Wool Awards, which was held by the Australian Wool Bureau and published in Women’s Weekly. The Kathryn range was designed for durability, comfort and care, without sacrificing style. They used patterning techniques that increase stretchiness, comfort and fit, as well as integrating decorative elements into the fabric to prevent them from being bulky, uncomfortable or tight. Making longevity of style a priority, Brendan Blake remembers that “there was one particular garment that was in the range for at least thirty years”. He also recalls “In the past, when women have found out that I was associated with Kathryn Knitwear, they would often relate to me the story of a garment they had purchased or received as a gift and, when their child had grown out of it, they would hand it on to another child. Several ladies have told me of purchasing garments for their daughters’ glory box, or saving a particular garment after their daughter had grown out of it. Brendan Blake: “At the peak of their operation they employed approximately two hundred people, mainly women and girls. A family would often seek to send their daughter to work in this company because they knew they would be looked after and safe. One lady wrote to me telling me that working at the Moonee Ponds Factory prior to getting married was the happiest time of her life.” In 1963, workers at the Kathryn factory earned £13 per week, which was 8 shillings and 8 pence higher than the minimum weekly wage for female workers in the textile manufacturing industry (£12 11s 4d). By 1970, the Kathryn Knitwear brand expanded from children’s knitwear into womenswear under the brand name ‘Lady Kathryn’, and for boys and men under ‘Robert Blake’. Continuing to diversify their distribution, they also began exporting ‘Kathryn’ garments to New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and Japan. ‘Kathryn Knitwear’ was well-known for their early adoption of modern materials and techniques that had broad appeal to their customer base. This is shown in their early use of the acrylic fibre ‘Orlon’ in the 50s and 60s and ‘Superwash’ wool in the 1970s. Many of Kathryn Knitwear’s styles, particularly those that were long running staples of the brand, were available in both wool and Orlon to suit the consumer’s preference. Far from the humble origins of one man in his bedroom with a hand-cranked machine; at its closure in 1980, the Broadmeadows factory of ‘Kathryn’ housed more than 100 machines, including 53 sewing machines and 45 knitting machines. Robert Blake was “a passionate advocate for wool and Australian Made” throughout his whole life. A strong thread that ties through the lifespan of Robert Blake and Kathryn Knitwear is a balance between adopting new innovations without sacrificing the core values of durability, comfort, care and style that had made the brand so well known. Their legacy forms an integral part of both Australian social and manufacturing history.Measuring instrument with five circular white layers and one long transparent plastic ruler on top. Transparent layer is now yellowed, was likely originally clear. All of the layers connected with a metal rivet at the centre, allowing the discs and line indicator to move in relation to each other. Discs are labelled (inside – outside) Cost per Thousand Overall Unit Hour U/S [units] produced in 1000s No. of persons Bonus Percentage 9017.2 Black leather case with white block letter printing [9017.3 - 9017.5] Inside case are three notes (one printed, two handwritten) that provide instructions for using the calculator[label on obverse of case] THE AUSTRAL UNIT CALCULATOR ISSUED BY INDUSTRIAL CONSULTANTS, MELB MADE BY MELB >W&G< AUST.business, business history, manufacturing history, calculator, textile fibres textile history

International Year of Peace TapestryTapestry depicting three outlines of doves, with depictions within their outlined shape of stars, flowers, and two sets of (depicted in white and brown) holding wheat and corn. The background is composed of rainbow colours arranged in horizontal strips, with red at the top and indigo at the base.textile, international year of peace, tapestry, wool, weave

Winner of "Expressions 2006: The Wool Quilt Prize". Artist statement: 'Dressed in Memories IV is my continued exploration into contemporary quilting by looking back to the history of women, the quilts they made and the memories their work holds. Layered on the wagga of recycled materials is embroidered a dress that my mother made when she was in her teens. This contemporary quilt celebrates women's domestic work through the generations in Australia.'W7183 'Dressed in Memories IV' Detail of 'Dressed in Memories IV' (full photo in W7183textilefibreforumarticle2007.pdf) CV of Michele Eastwood Article 'Stitched and Bound' by Alvena Hall in "Textile Fibre Forum, vol. 21, issue 1, No. 65 2002. Article 'What is a Contemporary Art Quilt?' from "Popular Patchwork, April 2002, England. Article 'Quilt winner dressed for success' from "The Weekly Times", January 3, 2007 Article 'Expressions 2006: The Wool Quilt Prize' from "Textile Fibre Forum" no 85, 2007 Catalogue worksheet page 1 Catalogueworksheet page 2Dressed in Memories IVquilting textile art wagga, eastwood, ms michele, quilting, textile art, wagga

Woollen fabric fragment from the wreck of ship "Sydney Cove" found underwater after many years.Small fragment of woven woollen fabric, brown colour. with some white fibres through it. The fragment is frayed and coming apart. It is boxed in a circular clear plastic lidded container, taped and with a typed paper label on the lid.Wording: Fabric scrap from/wreck of ship "Sydney Cove"/ NWM 940112";Method: typed;Location: on label on lidwool - history textile history textile mills textile mills, wool - history, textile history, textile mills

Part of a collection of books, manuals, photographs, letters and clothing relating to the working life of Stuart Ascough. Stuart's career in the wool industry spanned over 43 years from 1960 to 2003 in various roles including Topmaking Plant Manager at Courtaulds Ltd. in Spennymore, U.K., Operations Manager at Port Phillip Mills in Williamstown Victoria, Marketing Executive, Early Stage Wool Processing at the International Wool Secretariat Melbourne, Australia and General Manager of Victoria Wool Processors Pty. Ltd. in Laverton North, Victoria. Throughout his career Stuart travelled extensively, and in the 1990s worked at many topmaking mills in China on quality improvement projects. He also provided technical advice and training at mills in India, Ukraine, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Latvia, Byelorussia and other parts of Europe and Asia.A series of ten A4 information leaflets with various titles on the theme of 'About Wool...'. Some leaflets are single sheets double sided, some are folded four sided leaflets. All have different colours and titles, including 'Australian Wool Industry Statistics', 'History of the Australian Wool Industry', 'Guide to Wool Textiles', 'Wool the Fibre', 'Trademarks of Wool', 'Wool and the Environment', 'The Australian Sheep Flock', 'Care of Wool', 'The Natural Properties of Wool' and 'The Processing of Raw Wool into Yarn'. Leaflets show illustrations, logos, images and text.8394.1: No.1 / AUSTRALIAN / WOOL INDUSTRY / STATISTICS 8394.2: No. 2 / HISTORY OF THE / AUSTRALIAN WOOL / INDUSTRY 8394.3: No. 3 / GUIDE TO WOOL TEXTILES 8394.4: No. 4 / WOOL THE FIBRE 8394.5: No. 5 / TRADEMARKS OF WOOL 8394.6: No. 6 / WOOL AND THE ENVIRONMENT 8394.7: No. 7 / THE / AUSTRALIAN SHEEP / FLOCK 8394.8: No. 8: / CARE OF WOOL 8394.9: No. 9 / THE NATURAL / PROPERTIES OF WOOL 8394.10: No. 10 / THE PROCESSING OF / RAW WOOL INTO YARNstuart ascough, international wool secretariat, victoria wool processors, port phillip mills pty ltd, topmaking, career, wool industry, mills, leaflet

Funding from Bicentenary Committee. Valerie Kirk assisted with cartoon, PFG did the rest. Presented to Cr. Bernard Wallace, 11 December 1992, and unveiled at Portland Library.Large tapestry with central image depicting people, animals, landmarks and activities on the foreshore of Portland harbour. Surrounded by a yellow border with symbols of history, industry and immigration on both sides. Hung by a wood panel across top.Back: VKIRK RT JH RS DA - - (tapestry letters in varied colours, lower right edge) PS GWEC ODME OK MS (Tapestry letters in varied colours, lower left edge)textile, tapestry, tall ships, bicentenary

Kathryn Knitwear Collection A Psychrometer is an instrument used to measure humidity using two thermometers, one of which is wet and one is dry. A similar example is housed at laboratoire d'histoire des sciences et des techniques (LHST). Inventory number 603.0509 Kathryn Knitwear, founded by Robert Blake, manufactured high quality children’s knitwear in Melbourne from the 1940s – 1980s. Robert Blake began manufacturing children’s knitwear in his bedroom in Strathmore using a hand powered machine in the late 1940s. The operation moved to Ascot Vale and Essendon, before eventually establishing a factory in Moonee Ponds in the early 1950s. The business continued to expand, necessitating a move to a new factory in Broadmeadows. By 1962, the Broadmeadows factory was producing an average of 20,000 garments per month, which increased to 24,000 by 1964. Robert Blake’s Son, Brendan recalls that “The Kathryn brand was famous around Australia, anywhere children needed to keep warm and dress smartly. It also won a number of wool fashion awards”, including the 1969 Wool Awards, which was held by the Australian Wool Bureau and published in Women’s Weekly. The Kathryn range was designed for durability, comfort and care, without sacrificing style. They used patterning techniques that increase stretchiness, comfort and fit, as well as integrating decorative elements into the fabric to prevent them from being bulky, uncomfortable or tight. Making longevity of style a priority, Brendan Blake remembers that “there was one particular garment that was in the range for at least thirty years”. He also recalls “In the past, when women have found out that I was associated with Kathryn Knitwear, they would often relate to me the story of a garment they had purchased or received as a gift and, when their child had grown out of it, they would hand it on to another child. Several ladies have told me of purchasing garments for their daughters’ glory box, or saving a particular garment after their daughter had grown out of it. Brendan Blake: “At the peak of their operation they employed approximately two hundred people, mainly women and girls. A family would often seek to send their daughter to work in this company because they knew they would be looked after and safe. One lady wrote to me telling me that working at the Moonee Ponds Factory prior to getting married was the happiest time of her life.” In 1963, workers at the Kathryn factory earned £13 per week, which was 8 shillings and 8 pence higher than the minimum weekly wage for female workers in the textile manufacturing industry (£12 11s 4d). By 1970, the Kathryn Knitwear brand expanded from children’s knitwear into womenswear under the brand name ‘Lady Kathryn’, and for boys and men under ‘Robert Blake’. Continuing to diversify their distribution, they also began exporting ‘Kathryn’ garments to New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and Japan. ‘Kathryn Knitwear’ was well-known for their early adoption of modern materials and techniques that had broad appeal to their customer base. This is shown in their early use of the acrylic fibre ‘Orlon’ in the 50s and 60s and ‘Superwash’ wool in the 1970s. Many of Kathryn Knitwear’s styles, particularly those that were long running staples of the brand, were available in both wool and Orlon to suit the consumer’s preference. Far from the humble origins of one man in his bedroom with a hand-cranked machine; at its closure in 1980, the Broadmeadows factory of ‘Kathryn’ housed more than 100 machines, including 53 sewing machines and 45 knitting machines. Robert Blake was “a passionate advocate for wool and Australian Made” throughout his whole life. A strong thread that ties through the lifespan of Robert Blake and Kathryn Knitwear is a balance between adopting new innovations without sacrificing the core values of durability, comfort, care and style that had made the brand so well known. Their legacy forms an integral part of both Australian social and manufacturing history.Black metal measuring instrument with clear window to view gauge for displaying humidity. Reference table listing values for different fibres is printed in red and white on a black metal plate that is screwed onto the front of the psychrometer. The instrument is housed in brown leather case with zip. It includes a printed paper instruction book with black text and greyscale figures.psychrometer, measuring instrument, humidity, textile manufacturing, fashion textile production