Day 2 = August 7, 2014
6. The earliest known types of knitting by nomadic people in the desert places of North Africa actually used circular or narrow, oblong wooden frames. The knitting action was similar to “bobbin work.” Historians are unsure when the frames were dispensed with and knitting began to be directly on hooked knitting needles.j
7. One of the earliest known examples of knitting (formed on two sticks by pulling loops through loops) were a pair of cotton socks found in Egypt from the first millennium A.D. Many of them have knit into them khufic (a decorative Arabic script) blessings, symbols to ward off evil, or both.h
8. Knitting was initially a male-only occupation.d
9. The first knitting trade guild was started in 1527 in Paris.j
10. When the knitting machine was invented, hand knitting became useful but nonessential. Like quilting, spinning, and needlepoint, knitting has become a leisurely activity.j
References
d Gardner, Sue, ed. 2007. A to Z of Knitting: The Ultimate Guide for the Beginner to Advanced Knitter. Woodinville, WA: Martingale & Company.h Nargi, Lela. 2011. Knitting around the World: A Multistranded History of a Time-Honored Tradition. Minneapolis, MN: Voyageur Press.
j Rutt, Richard. 1987. A History of Hand Knitting. London, UK: B.T. Batsford.
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For today's Knitting Question of the Day,
Men Knitting,
Victoria
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