11/02/2026
This week’s Artifact of the Week takes us back to a time when handwork was a familiar part of everyday life for many women and youths. This knitting apron (1972.24.45 Gift of Linda Morrison) features two deep pockets perfect for holding yarn and needles. Embroidered in red on ecru silk are the words: "When Daylight is Flitting, We Take up Our Knitting."
One of the earliest known printings of this phrase was in the 1881 textbook Illustrated Sewing Primer, written and arranged by Louise J. Kirkwood, who was associated with New York’s Wilson Industrial School. The phrase appeared again, and was further popularized, in Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1885 opera The Mikado, sung by bridesmaids preparing a character for her wedding.
Eventually, the saying appeared in various contexts, from birthday cards to household textiles. In an 1885 fictional newspaper story, a woman named Dolly plans to make knitting aprons bearing the phrase to raise money for her impoverished aunt, selling them for two dollars each.
The expression captured the rhythm of 19th-century domestic life, when knitting offered a practical and relaxing pastime that could fill quieter, darker hours after a day’s work. By 1914, it was recognized as an “old song”, reflecting its enduring familiarity. Today, while electric lighting allows us to work at any hour, this apron offers us a glimpse of a time when knitting was woven into the rhythms of everyday life.
