Spark up that pipe, settle into a fireside chair, and have a gander at the best and most interesting of online textile history reads from the web this week.

• Laundries in Edinburgh, and women’s relationships with them – I love the pictures in this blog post!
• Did lace knitting originate in Spain? Find out!
• Glasnevin Museum in Dublin now has their genealogy records all online – look up your ancestors here.
• The history of Oya Turkish needle lace.
• The remarkable story of the Confederate uniforms made in Limerick & shipped to the South through the Federal Blockade.
• Mrs Nanona Beecher-Moore’s historical stockings collection is online in full here.
• The Textile Blog tackles Victorian crocheted D’Oyleys.
• Fabulous big bright photos from the 1860s Civil War in the USA.
• It’s Women’s History Month in the USA, read about the history of knitting and empowerment of women here.
• View this gallery timeline of Vietnamese clothing.
• “…fashion influences more than just silk and ribbons: it can also determine the stylish ideal of the body beneath those clothes.” Fab blogpost on trends in body shapes here.
• A lovely little history of men’s cufflinks.

That should keep you out of trouble for an afternoon.