History of knitting

Unlike weaving, knitting does not require a loom or other large equipment, making it a valuable technique for nomadic and non-agrarian peoples.

The earliest known knitted items in Europe were made by Muslim knitters employed by Spanish Christian royal families.

[5] Their high level of knitting skill can be seen in several items found in the tombs in the Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas, a royal monastery, near Burgos, Spain.

Among them are the knitted cushion covers and gloves found in the tomb of Prince Fernando de la Cerda, who died in 1275.

It included knitted patterns reflecting the family armoury, as well as the Arabic word baraka ("blessings") in stylized Kufic script.

[6] Archaeological finds from medieval cities all over Europe, such as London,[10] Newcastle,[11] Oslo,[12] Amsterdam,[13] Lübeck,[14] and Tallinn[9] as well as tax lists, prove the spread of knitted goods for everyday use from the 14th century onward.

The English Queen Elizabeth I herself favoured silk stockings;[17] these were finer, softer, more decorative and much more expensive than those of wool.

During this era the manufacture of stockings was of vast importance to many Britons, who knitted with fine wool and exported their wares.

Knitting was such an important occupation among those living on the Scottish Isles during the 17th and 18th centuries that whole families were involved in making sweaters, accessories, socks, stockings, etc.

Sweaters were essential garments for the fishermen of these islands because the natural oils within the wool provided some element of protection against the harsh weather encountered while out fishing.

After receiving a pair of black stockings from William, Queen Elizabeth I ultimately declined to grant him a patent for his invention.

Popular magazines and songs treated knitting as a craze that had swept over Britain in the effort to support the military forces.

According to Owen Lattimore, it was then that they passed on the art of knitting to the Chinese caravan men, who had ready supply of camel hair from their animals.

Knitwear, especially sweaters/pullovers became an essential part of the new fashions of the age for men, women and children, rather than mostly practical garments often associated with particular occupations (e.g., fishermen).

High fashion also embraced knitwear, with Coco Chanel making prominent use of it and Vogue magazine featuring patterns.

Conditions of trench warfare led to a shortage of socks in particular, and the Allied home front was encouraged to support the troops by knitting.

Much commercially sold knitwear during the 1920s was hand-knitted, however the costs of this and other pressures of the time saw a large shift in consumers towards cheaper machine knitted products.

[27] Knitting patterns were issued so that people could make items for the Army and Navy to wear in winter, such as balaclavas and gloves.

Magazines such as Pins and Needles in the UK carried patterns of varying difficulty including not just clothes, but also blankets, toys, bags, lace curtains and other items that could be sold for profit.

Sales of patterns and yarns slumped, as the craft was increasingly seen as old-fashioned and children were rarely taught to knit in school.

Alternatives to traditional woollen knitwear gained in popularity, such as tracksuits and sweatshirts, which began to be worn as everyday wear rather than only in a sporting context.

Sewn from a micro-knit synthetic fabric and brushed on one side, these were more fashionable at the time, produced more cheaply and quickly and easier for consumers to care for.

By the late 1980s, many of the suppliers to the home knitting market had disappeared or been absorbed into other companies, while local wool shops suffered a marked reduction in numbers.

[citation needed] Natural fibers from animals, such as alpaca, angora and merino and plant fibres, chiefly cotton, have become easier and less costly to collect and process and therefore more widely available.

Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, Dakota Fanning, and Cameron Diaz have been seen knitting and have helped to popularize the revival of the craft.

There has also been a return by men to the art of knitting — one illustration being the role models in the designer partnership of Arne Nerjordet & Carlos Zachrison, and another the publication of books aimed at a male readership.

As another sign of the knitting's popularity in the early 21st century, a large international online community and social networking site for knitters and crocheters, Ravelry, was founded by Cassidy and Jessica Forbes in May 2007.

[32] At first available by invitation only, the site connects knitting and crochet enthusiasts around the world and, as of May 2016[update] had over 6.21 million registered users.