When It All Began
Since I will be out of the country for the next 5 weeks, I thought I’d write about knitting in different parts of the world. Kind of like sending postcards! To clear up any possible confusion, I will be in Switzerland and England and not necessarily in the places you’ll be reading about.
We’re going to start off with a brief history of the origins of knitting. It’s believed that knitting originated in Egypt between 500 and 1200 CE.
Photo of a genuine knitted piece from Egypt, dated 1000-1400 A.D. from Blue Ant Media
These socks, dated 1000 - 1400 CE, were created with white and indigo cotton. The design suggests that they weren’t the first socks their maker produced!
From Egypt, the art of knitting traveled to Spain where the Catholic church used it to create liturgical garments and accessories.
Photo of Madonna Knitting by Bertram of Minden from Wikipedia
Knitting reached the rest of Europe during the 14th century and became exclusively a men’s occupation. There were men’s guilds, which were like labor unions, that produced knitted socks and fine hosiery. Members of these guilds would dedicate their lives to learning, practicing, and developing the intricacies of knitting. It took three years to become a trained apprentice and another three to four years traveling the world learning foreign techniques and patterns to perfect their skills. Then, to become a Master, they had to create a ‘masterwork’ including a shirt, a beret, a pair of socks, and a knitted carpet! And they had to do this in 13 weeks!
Knitting became a fashionable polite parlor activity for women in the late 16th century. It was a pastime for wealthy women because they had to have the time available to spend learning the craft. By this time knitting machines had been invented, making knitting by hand less important.
Baby's dress, Sarah Ann Cunliffe, 1851, Britain. Museum no. T.45-1964. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Europeans brought knitting to the United States when they emigrated here. By the 1760s it was an important part of women’s education. Fast forward to WWI when people, mostly women, were encouraged to knit for the soldiers.
Library of Congress
Since then, the popularity of knitting has ebbed and flowed with the times. Fortunately for us, knitting is a growing art form right now!
Note: I used the internet for my information and found that there are differences in dates and there is certainly much more information than I could relate here. However, this is a summary of what I found. If you’re interested, there is a treasure trove of knitting history out there! Let us know what tidbits you find!
Happy knitting,
