Nantuk 4-Ply Knitting Worsted, Columbia Minerva

For this post, let's go back to 1964.  Columbia Minerva introduced their Nantuk 4-Ply Knitting Worsted.  

Photo from Etsy Seller

Nantuk 4-Ply Knitting Worsted

100% Orlon Acrylic - 2 oz

The yarn made it's debut in the market at 74 cents per skein.   Notice the 'Du Pont' on the advertisement?  Du Pont introduced the fibers that became the Orlon identification.   The hope was Orlon would become a replacement for wool. 

To coincide with the Nantuk 4-ply introduction, a pattern book, with 17 patterns for knit and crochet.   was released  - Afghans by Columbia Minerva

As was typical for Columbia Minerva, they also offered 'free patterns' through newspapers advertisements, where the 'reader' would send for the pattern and then, of course, purchase the yarn,

There were several of these offerings between 1967 and 1971.   The yarn was also featured in several other Columbia Minerva pattern books. 

By late 1971, the general price had risen to $1.90, with, of course, promotional sale prices varying dramatically.    This price point held for the rest of the yarns' life span.  

And then, around 1986, production stopped and through 1987, the yarn was discounted until inventories disappeared.  

Now, there are quite a number of vintage patterns that call for Nantuk 4-ply Knitting Worsted.  You'll find, of course, quite a number of them in the shop.   For a replacement yarn ... well .... any 4-ply Knitting Worsted will do.  Just do a quick check of your gauge.  

Hope you found this helpful.   Thanks for dropping by, 

Lorrie