A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but in this case we are talking about the toilet. Also known as the bathroom, the loo, the privy, the water closet, the crapper, and probably a dozen other charming names that have been lost to history.

Thank goodness the Victorians finally embraced the trend of indoor plumbing, organized sewage systems, and flushing toilets, all of which became true basic necessities. Flushing toilets were not actually new during this time, but they never caught on earlier because most homes lacked a reliable supply of running water. As a result, hygiene and sanitation were nothing like what we know today and illnesses spread quickly. No surprise that death rates ran high.

Between 1853 and 1854 more than ten thousand Londoners died from cholera, and the infamous Great Stink of London forced the government to commission a massive new sewer system to pull waste away from the city. A few years earlier, in 1851, the Great Exhibition unveiled the first public flushing toilet created by George Jennings. It was so popular that the first public lavatories opened the very next year. By the eighteen eighties indoor plumbing finally became common in many homes. Imagine the relief.

With all that in mind, welcome BASIC NECESSITIES. It may be another neutral, but let us be honest, neutrals really are essential.

*Pattern: Isla Shawl by Biches & Buches. Knit using British Wool Fine in the colorways The Ripper, Parlour & Basic Necessities.