Summary

'Dubied' knitting machine brought to Australia from Italy in the 1950s by an Italian migrant woman and then sold to Edda Azzola, who migrated to Melbourne from Italy in 1955. It was used by Edda in her Reservoir home to supply a Collingwood knitting mill with finely finished clothes for sale to Melbourne department stores, until the factory closed in 1974. It was then used to make family clothes.

The machine is in similar condition as when first purchased by Edda, except for two modifications made by her husband: wooden blocks under the cast iron frame to raise its height so that she was relieved from constant bending over; and the removal of a flexible arm which moved as the carriage was shunted across - one day nearly clamping her son's leg! So for safety reasons, he made a new two-handed carriage which she also found much easier to use while standing to operate the machine.

Physical Description

Hand powered double bed knitting machine made in Switzerland. Cast iron frame painted metallic blue-grey with the name 'DUBIED' painted in red on either end. Frame sits on two wooden blocks. Working components (needles, needle beds, carriage etc) comprised of steel. Four horizontal steel 'arms' suspended above the machine feed the yarn down to the needle beds. There are four handles comprised of cream-coloured plastic or bone. There is a narrow wooden bench along the back edge for storing accessories such as spools of yarn, cast iron weights, steel combs, needles and wax (for waxing the yarn before threading it).

Significance

The Edda Azzola knitting machine collection enables the exploration of issues relating to post World War II migration experiences, outworker working life, the post-war inner city Melbourne textile industry and dowry production. The collection, which includes a domestic knitting machine, tools, materials, textile samples, garments, a design notebook, photographs, an oral history interview, operator demonstration video and hand made glory box items, all combine to create a rich snapshot of working and migrant life, particularly significant with the large numbers of migrant women who were employed in and for textile factories around the city. This story and collection is also enriched by its close connection to the Richard Charlupksi story, for whom Edda worked and which explores the 1950s-1970s wool fashion industry.

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