Where did knitting come from? That is a great question, but unfortunately one without a crystal clear answer. Unlike other skills that have been around since ancient times, like weaving, knitting is a relative newcomer. Terms related to knitting, like knit, were not even in use in the English language until the 1400’s. Also there is a lack of physical evidence of knitting because the fabrics decompose very rapidly, and the knitting sticks are hard to distinguish from other instruments. No real remnants of early knitting remains, however the small bits that do are hard to distinguish from those of another old skill called Nalbinding.
The oldest surviving knitted items are some cotton socks found in Egypt, dating to around 1000 A.D. They contain Arabic symbols and blessings. These socks, due to their intricacy, lead researchers to believe that knitting is an old craft, since the socks showed signs of being well made. Knitting then showed up in Europe around 1275, in Spain. Since Spain was a primarily Arabic nation during the time the knitting was similar to that found in Egypt two centuries prior. Cotton was the chief fabric used in this knitting, since it was abundant in the area between Spain and Egypt. When it spread to the northern, colder parts of Europe, like England, wool came into use, since it is a more durable and warm fabric.
A rather large gap in the history of knitting occurs between the time it arrived in Spain and when it got to Europe. Sometime during the 14th century knitting traveled to Italy, but in an entirely different form. Paintings began appearing called “Knitting Madonnas”, and they would feature the Virgin Mary in some scenic locale knitting. This demonstrated that the community had such an understanding of knitting that artists could paint someone doing it.
In the 1500’s a major new advancement came to the world of knitting, the purl stitch. This allowed a new refinement to knitted garments, which made them even more popular among the upper class of society. The popularity of knit garments was shared by all people, even royalty, with some kings of the time owning ridiculous numbers of knit items. (The photo below is of some mens stockings made for an upper class person during the 1500's)
Some garments during this time were made with small slivers of metal in them, which was quite uncomfortable for the knitters, and unfortunate for the owners since the metal would tarnish in just a few years. Since knitting was becoming extremely popular during this time period, an entire industry began to pop up in Europe. An English hat knitting guild was established in 1424 to help meet the great demand.
Since this time knitting has become a popular way to make clothes and other goods, as well as a wonderful leisure activity. It is enjoyed by people around the world, and almost everyone owns something that was made from knitting, whether it be machine or handmade. The facts mentioned in this post came from a post on Knitty.com.
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