What was the first knitted item

The earliest use of the word "knit" noted in the Oxford English Dictionary dates back to the 15th century. It originated from the Old English word cnyttan , which means to tie with a knot. However, this verb has several meanings in the modern English.

They also use the term in defining the verbs to fuse or to draw together. Knitting can be done alone or socially. Nowadays, it has been usually practiced as a form of therapeutic activity or a hobby. Numerous knitting circles and organizations like Makers Mercantile and Ravelry are being established to cater people with ardent passion and enthusiasm in this form of art. No one has ever known the exact date of when the first production of a knitted item occurred.

However, knitting is said to originate in the Middle East, and is recognized as the youngest craft among spinning and weaving. The ancient knitted garments were made of natural fibers like cotton, wool, and silk.

Such materials decompose easily, which made it even harder to trace the time when this activity existed. An independent researcher, Rudolf Pfister, discovered some fragments of knitted fabric in Eastern Syria. The pieces were made of purled and plain wool, and each fragment was believed to be a part of a foot sock.

Some experts later argued over the Dura fragments, and have been proven to be a product of nailbinding. Photo of a pair of socks using Nailbinding from Wikipedia Nailbinding is a knotless fabric creation technique that predates knitting. This type of activity uses a single needle to knot and merge fabrics together, whereas knitting uses a pair of needles and a yarn to make loops. It was practiced by the Coptic Christians in Egypt during the 4th century to create a pair of Coptic socks — a roughly shaped garment to fit the foot for thongs or sandals.

It was also used by the Scandinavians who reside in cold, mountainous regions to produce extra-warm hats, gloves, and head garments in the latter half of the 1st century. Rutt strongly believes that the art of knitting might have been invented by the Egyptians to save time and energy in creating their garments. Compared to knitting, nail-binding consumes more time and requires special dexterity. However, this fabric produces a smoother, denser, and more durable fabric than knitting.

A genuine knitted piece has been found in Egypt, circa A. The pupils would also have been shown how to sew and knit by a teacher as the instructions in such early books were difficult to follow for anyone unfamiliar with the craft.

Hand-knitting featured prominently in the knitwear section of the Great Exhibition, held in Britain in A number of the submissions were from children and disabled adults and were noted for the remarkable proficiency that they demonstrated. Some of the more unusual entries included a knitted landscape, a shawl knitted with a prayer for the Houses of Parliament and a pair of cuffs, hand-spun and knitted from the wool of French poodles!

Particularly popular were the kind of hand-knitted and beaded lace items that couldn't be copied by knitting machines. The Museum holds an extraordinary baby's gown that won third prize in the Great Exhibition's hand-knitting section.

Knitted on extremely fine needles, the gown's patterns of open stitches are similar to those of the knitted Shetland lace shawls popular in the s. It was said that this gown was made with over a million stitches and 6, yards of cotton and that its maker, Sarah Ann Cunliffe, worked seven hours a day for five months to complete it. During the 19th century there was also a boom in needlework publications, with the establishment of series such as Family Friend and Weldon's Practical Needlework.

The standard abbreviations now in common use in knitting patterns were established by Weldon's in , while individual pattern leaflets started being printed at the beginning of the 20th century. Home-knitting continued to be a popular way to create items for warmth and for children but it reached another peak during the Second World War when people were encouraged to pick up needles for the war effort.

While domestic home-knitting continued through the s, the knitwear made by machine-knitting was more varied than ever and more affordable. It wasn't until the craft countermovement of the s that hand-knitting gained an influence once again. Designer Kaffe Fassett helped shift attitudes towards hand-knitting in the s. A coat designed by Fassett in our collection reveals Fassett's unorthodox approach to design. It uses a variety of yarns in different thicknesses and textures.

Hand-knitted by Zoe Hunt, the order of the stripes and the patterning evolved as the knitting progressed. Fassett's use of geometric patterns and a rich palette of different shades has continued throughout his influential career.

He summed up his colour philosophy in a interview in Vogue Knitting International , saying: "Why limit yourself to just one shade of red when you can use 17?

Patricia Roberts' hand-knitted cardigan was inspired by the patterns on decorative china plates. The kaleidoscope of stitches in bright primary colours emphasises its handcrafted appeal and the striking patchwork effect is achieved by alternating blocks of different kinds of stitches. This cardigan is typical of her innovative designs, which use bold colours, contrasting textures and decorative stitches.

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Popular Free Knitting Patterns. Latest Comments soniashutes " Made it, love it! Such an unusual shape and the final result is really fancy. I made mine all in green and even without a contrasting color, it looks sublime! My only remark is that the sleeves tend to roll up a bit Not sure if it's the pattern or my knitting though - " see all comments reply. Iceni " The pattern is knit on TWO straight needles.

When it says turn, it means exactley that. Turn and leave the rest of the row of stitches without knitting them. This helps with the shaping. Hope this helps. Lisa " To complete this row you will use a single ball of yarn all the way across the row, the other two balls can be removed after this row is completed, since they were only needed to shape the previous sections, going forward you will use a single ball of yarn.

Lisa " Popular misconception, on many projects it may seem that way, but on projects that require shaping, which this project does, it's important to pay attention to right and wrong sides to make sure the decreases, which are the shaping occur on the same side.

Hope this helps, happy knitting. I printed the instructions each week also. I don't understand why the author couldn't just admit that there was an error. Who Invented Knitting?

A Look into Knitting History From the pyramids to knitting guilds to support for the war, its all in the history of knitting! Login Register My Notes. This pattern has been saved to My Knitting Patterns. Knitting History in Europe Knitting found its way to Spain by the 13th century.

Knitting in the 20th Century While the turn of the 20th century saw knitting as just a serene, domestic activity, that soon changed. What do you find most interesting about knitting history? Tell us in the comments! Free projects, giveaways, exclusive partner offers, and more straight to your inbox! Thank you for signing up! We were unable to sign you up - please try again. Tutorial How To. Your Recently Viewed Projects. Images from other crafters. Leave a comment Include a Photo.

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