History of Knitting: 10th century to modern times
Knitting historian Liz Kristan explores the history of knitting from the 10th century to modern times, including the influence of the internet on knitting and the rise of the "celebrity knitter."
A necessity, an art, a form of meditation; from 10th century Egyptian artisans to the online hobbyist forums of today, knitting has been a treasured part of the human experience. Explore the changes in the craft as it spread around the world and evolved alongside fashions, always reflecting the cultures and needs of makers.
Liz Kristan blends historical images, antique items, and handmade recreations to explore the little known secrets of knitting.
Along with being a knitting historian, Liz has been knitting for 20 years and has appeared on the Fiber Nation Podcast.
For more events and programs, visit: www.gailborden.info/?Itemid=250
Don't forget to subscribe to our KZhead channel!
Follow us on Facebook: / gailbordenpubliclibrary
Visit our website: www.gailborden.info
As a disabled person knitting is INCREDIBLY powerful for my well-being! I get a community, a sense of empowerment and it’s a tie to history. It’s something that I can do from my wheelchair and it can help others around me in ways my body can’t otherwise accomplish
Beautiful. You have a great spirit and I'm sure that serves you and others around you well. 🥰 Best wishes!
I'm a college textile student. This is a wonderful historical overview of knitting. I have learned so much. Definitely worth a watch.
I am a textile nerd. There! I said it. I just watched an hour plus of knitting history and loved it. Knitter, crocheter, weaver. All things sticks and strings
I loved this lecture. I'm passionate about knitting and how it improves our creativity while connecting us to people from all over the world from all periods of time. how cool it is that we're able to knit the same things our ancestors did, and dress up just like them! time traveling in real life!
If you had read the Outlander novels on which the TV show is based you would know that Jamie Fraser already knew how to knit from his upbringing, as did his nephew Ian. They taught Claire how to knit between the two of them when they were newly-settled at Fraser's Ridge.
Me, a young women who is self-taught, literally was turning a heel on a sock when you said that women weren’t allowed to do anything that complicated 😂
very nice presentation. May I mention that the precursor to knitting is properly translated into English as "needle binding" not "nail binding. The Danish word nål means needle.
Thank you so much for this very clear and comprehensive history of knitting. I am working on my Master Hand Knitting program with The Knitting Guild Association and have found this to be a helpful resource when researching for my Level 2 History of Knitting report. You will receive proper professional credit.
This was absolutely fascinating! Thanks so much for posting! Just for clarity -you say Fair Isle is in 'Northern England, Scotland' - it's just that Scotland and England are different countries within the United Kingdom. Fair Isle is in the Shetland Islands in Scotland.
Thank you, Heather, for mentioning the UK is made up of historically different countries. And might I add, England did not go to war in 1939, it was the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, together with the British Empire and Commonwealth countries. Like you, I, too, found the knitting information hugely interesting.
Fair Isle is situated between Orkney and Shetland islands north of Scotland no where near England.
my mom was in the Air force her mom, worked and her sister & in laws were at home they knitted many gloves and socks. the government gave a person the wool. the finished project was turned in and one got more wool. Those socks are the best. mom made all us kids socks and gloves from the army pattern. I still have the pattern books. today we can not get that beautiful WOOL. wool is the best material to use, (when wet still keep you warm). thanks for this program.
Icelandic lopapeysa are traditionally started at the bottom and knit up not from the neck down.
This is super interesting :) I'm an avid knitter, and I knit a "Big Lebowski" Cardigan for my husband, so I'm happy to learn about Cowichan Sweaters (about 17 minutes in)
The nalbinding stitch that looks like knitting is called the Coptic stitch!
Thanks for making this available! I found this looking for a knitting history documentary. I'm a 32yo knitter, with a Stephen West shawl in my Ravelry queue, who knit a pussy hat for my mom when she marched in the Women's March. It's really cool seeing myself as part of the history of knitters and knitting 😁
I'm surprised the purl stitch was invented so late! How were knitters able to turn a heel without purling?
Absolutely LOVED this post. I enjoyed watching while kitting my 4yr olds sweater. Very interesting info. Thank you so much for filming this. 🥰💗💖
Incredible presentation. It's always fascinating to hear someone talk about a subject like this in detail and with authoritative knowledge. I found the history of nalbinding being confused with knitting very valuable.
Thanks I went to a class on oxaca and a family that owns all of the Mills in Mexico! I enjoyed it! Thank you for creating this complicated class!
Hi there from the U.K. Found this October 2023. Enjoying it, but regarding ganseys, I believe the underarm diamond is called a gusset, and it’s not knitted separately but formed by increasing and decreasing.
Thank you. Fun and informative.
Fascinating. Loved the clarification of some of the iconic knits as well as the knowledge of how elaborate ancients knits were and that heel turns and color work are not modern inventions - particularly knitting in the round. I had thought all this time that flat knitting came first. I was knitting a pair of socks on magic loop while watching this and found myself switching over to double pointed needles as a sort of nod to the traditional method. 😁
I really enjoyed the information and your enthusiasm! I loved the beautiful Faroese shawl you shared. Is there any chance you could share the pattern name? Thanks in advance from a fellow librarian who was taught to knit by my historian daughter, also known as the Yarn Curator. 😊
thank you for your knowledge. I work at a fiber booth at a Renaissance Festival. I've been having trouble finding research on this time period. Do you have a video about the history of crochet?
Thank you for your dedication to this topic! I remember when I started knitting when I was 10, entirely self taught off of youtube videos and library books. That was just the beginning of the recent knitting renaissance, where knitting was just then becoming trending with younger populations. It was as if knitting had skipped an entire generation. I'm so glad younger people are still picking up this art form because it has such a rich and storied past.
Really interesting historical thread. Thanks for sharing it. I have a correction to contribute about the introduction of knits to high society fashion in the 1920s. The trompe l’œil styles that you were mentioning were actually created by Coco Chanel’‘s primary competition, Italian designer Elsa Schiaparell. Schiaparelli created her trompe l’œil collection of knitwear in early 1927. Coco Chanel popularized the usage of jersey knit fabric that had previously been used for men’s underwear into women’s outerwear. Very scandalous!
Just started knitting, and I’m so fascinated by all the history surrounding it!
Thank you for the info.
when the Frasers came to America, Ian told Claire that Jamie knew how to knit; everyone knew how to knit from the time they were like 6 yrs old. I think they then taught Claire how.
Accurate. I’m an Outlander nerd 😂 and a long time crocheter. Gleefully have become more fascinated with knitting the last few years and love this recording, thank you for sharing your knowledge. 😊
Long time old head knitter here. The video was useful, informative, and helpful.
What a wonderful podcast !! So glad I found it. Love knitting as well as history. Thank you so much
I found your presentation to be Delightful! I learned a lot. I have been knitting for more than 50 years.
I love the positive vibes and valuable history in this, thank you so much for sharing with us!
Such a great presentation, so interesting!
You did an awesome job! I had to share this presentation with my husband. I am a fairly new knitter, just mastering intarsia, but now excited to look into historical knit patterns!
Thank you for this :)
Fantastic lecture! Thank You!
That was wonderful! thank you for such thorough history of one of my favorite activities!
I learned so much for this! Thanknyou
Really enjoyed this, so much.
Grand, informative presentation. Thank you.
That was so cool. Thank you so much for sharing this! So much interesting information.
lovely thank you!
Thank you, Liz!! So interesting and very well presented 👍 Good job!
This was DELIGHTFUL! Thanks so much 🙂
Loved this video!! Well done. I am going to pass this link along to friends. Thank you for sharing!
I am watching this as I knit!
bro those knitting needles look like mushrooms. this is off to a great start 🤙 shoutout to the Chullo hat, i'll try to make one that was a fantastic presentation
This was so fascinating. I really appreciate hearing about this history.
one of the best youtube lectures I've ever watched!
Loved this presentation thank you Liz and Tish for making this possible.
Thank you for this outstanding presentation. Learned many things I did not know and unlearned things I thought I knew. I was one of those fanatical 20-something knitters in the 80s when it was considered odd.
Great lecture, this was really interesting!
I love this so much. She presented so well and made it fun and interesting.
Very informative
I really loved watching this!!! I learned how to knit in January 2020 from KZhead. I love knitting and history. This was great
Awesome tutorial. I love your exuberance!
I really appreciate the knowledge pulled together in this presentation! The reference to historical material when it comes to dates and cultural information while also throwing in bits of contemporary references was thoroughly enjoyable. I will be saving this for future reference.
This was so awesome. What a wealth of information
This was so much fun! Thank you from Valparaiso, Chile!
Great presentation and really interesting to see the different cultural styles. However, I don’t agree that knitting fell out of style across the 80s and 90s, at least not in the UK and in London. My experience in the 80s was that it was quite popular at least in London. Personally I was very drawn into in the advent of home knitting machines in the 80’s, but I also noticed that suddenly lacy knits were becoming popular, mohair suddenly became a really big thing, angora as well and I remember an incredibly fashionable shop in Covent Garden which is a very fashionable area of central London that displayed a range of astonishing intarsia handknit jumpers which was a whole new idea as far as we were concerned. I guess these are micro fashion movements but I find it hard to think of the New Romantic pop period without thinking of those kinds of garments and their lush yarns and strong colour - electric blue, shocking green and vivid magenta set against black for instance. Perhaps a bit of research to fill in that period would be good?
I agree. Small town America, here, but knitting was around here through all those years. Crochet went through a slump, but even that was still popular--It just didn't have the snob value that knitting did!
Great Great great❣️
Thank you for this BUT! I am 70 years old soon and have been knitting since I was 8 years. Knitting did not decrease at all in the 70's. This is when Anny Blatt started cranking outp yarn and one would yearn for them. I would kill to protect my decorative Anny Blatt yarns I still have today! Who told you that? The old lady thing came about with the popularity of Agatha Christies 'Miss Marple' who loved puzzles and knitting is simply putting a puzzle together. I have one last thing to say and please don't forget it for it is coming....that is: THE BRIDGE, THE BRAID, AND THE BINARY!!! DON'T FORGET THIS!
Maybe knitting decreased in the USA in the 70ies??? Here in Germany it increased immensely in the 70ies and became very popular. In those days my class mates and I even knitted during school lessons, and later attending university courses. Most teachers tolerated that. I learnt to knit at school in grade 1 in Germany before moving to Australia for a few years. In Germany it was a regular subject at school which also included sewing and crocheting. I'd be interested to know how those different knitting methods developed. I always found the English "throw over" way rather strange and rather slow.
Great presentation on the history of knitting. Like yourself I learnt to knit from my mother and grandmothers way back in the 80’s when it was “uncool”. Over my teen years played at projects, but in my 20’s took it back up in earnest along with crochet as a way to pass the daily commute. I’m not starting to teach my daughter the basics and my nieces more complicated projects in knitting and crochet…. Definitely not as uncool today as when I was learning😅
Thanks so much for posting this. I am familiar with some parts of the historocal aspects
Whoops...aspects of knitting, but not all. I love your enthusiasm.
Loved it! Bring all the textile history you can :) Spinner Weaver Dyer Knitter here.
I’m a novice knitter (have been crocheting for about 4 years) and I found this presentation to be so interesting and informational. Thank you so much for such a great presentation!
Retired librarian here. Love. Informative presentation.
I have actually knit several full size hap shawls. SO much fun to do and not nearly as difficult as they look.
I've steeked my nålbinding, but I just don't have the intestinal fortitude to cut my knitting. There just isn't enough tea in the world.
Great lesson!! Thank you so much. Imagine if we all had to sit around waiting for our hubbys to knit our heels. There would probably be a lot more people going barefoot 😂🤣
and we soooo need to bring back the tiny versions of knit patterns.
What a fun presentation. Thank you for sharing your own beautiful work and interpretations of the various pieces. A few questions that would be interesting to know- when knitting changed from being guild-only to everyman’s way to add to his or her income, did guild knitting simply quietly go away? Also, was there interaction between the near east and the west which brought knitting from one place to the other? And, when purling was developed in the west, did knitting flat pieces develop at the same time? And when did purling develop in other areas of the world, or did it travel to other areas with western expansion?
Hi, I am fascinated by this topic but not an expert, so I can answer at least one of your questions, I know that the earliest examples of knitted objects were found in Egypt (probably evolved from nalbinding) and from Egypt the craft probably expanded to the Arab world and from there came to Spain (after the Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula), so the earliest knitted objects were found in Spain, usually cushions or gloves very finely made for rich people or bishops, and from there it expanded to the rest of Europe ... there are many articles in the internet and videos on youtube about the topic if you are interested, I took this info from this article: sheepandstitch.com/the-history-of-knitting-pt-2-madonnas-stockings-and-guilds-oh-my/
I learnt to knit as an 8 yr old by my nan. I'm pretty sure it's the only way I got through my teens without murdering my schoolmates 😂. I only learnt to use patterns as a 15 yr old from a book my dad bought me and have basically been designing my own stuff from childhood. I honestly love it! My sister actually shocked me by learning to knit and making me a blanket for Xmas last year. She had always teased me for it before. Sadly she has sworn never to pick up needles again lol
I loved this podcast and learned a great deal.. May I say though that you should say Britain and not England in parts, as the whole of Britain went to war, not just England. And the whole of Britain knitted, not just England. England is only one quarter of Britain, the other parts are Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - collectively known as Great Britain. Sorry to be pedantic. I did enjoy the podcast.
We're glad you enjoyed the program, and thank you for the additional information!
To be pedantic, great Britain consists of England Wales and Scotland (not Northern ireland), the correct term is " the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" if you wish to include Northern ireland.
I did too but also need to say that Aran is off Scotland..... and Ireland but East of Ireland and West of Scotland (not Ireland as Liz stated). Great presentation though. thanks soooo much.
this was so great to watch as I knitted.. I was wondering if it would be possible to make a history of croceting.
Thank you! We will see what we can do to make that program happen!
There is an episode/scene in Outlander where Jamie is knitting socks
I would be curious to know when those knitting guilds lost their hold on dictating who was allowed to knit .... And also if that's when women magically became smart enough to turn a heel or do something other than basic stockinette? 😂 Also, when did knitting become more of a women's activity than a men's activity, was it related to WWI? Thanks so much this was super fun!!!!
I'm 13 minutes in and have been pausing to incredulously share facts I've just learned about once a minute.
Is Barbara Walker the same Barbara G Walker who wrote the 'Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets'? I LOVE that book!
Stephen West has a yarn shop in Amsterdam, 'Stephen and Penelope'. Apparently he's there at least once a month!
Oh my goodness, I remember girls knitting sweaters for their crushes, in the mid 1970s. I'd rather crochet at that time, like a poncho for myself.
Do you know where I could find the pattern for that striped boatneck sweater?
steeking was around much earlier than the 70s.
is that 1524 knitting pattern available anywhere on the internet? i must make that edging!
I think you miss spoke. Mid 1980’s thru 1990 was a Hugh resurgence of knitting. Kaffe Fassett, Bright Mohairs, Intarsia knitting, rowan books!
I wore one of the Pussy hats during that movement/march. Actually, I crocheted mine, as did probably a third of the other women.
20:34 Those look like ganseys rather than aran jumpers.
@11:02 The Outlander books say that Jamie Frazer knew how to knit, as did most boys of the time.
I've never seen a painting of the Madonna knitting until now.
"I need to help the yarn economy", LOL
When did double pointed needles come into use, or for that matter, what came after bicycle spokes? I’m guessing, from all the aluminum knitting needles I see in thrift stores, that metal came before wood. Also is there any data to back up the idea that aluminum needles caused arthritis? Thanks.
dpns are as old as knitting itself, knitting was originally done completely in the round and circular needles didnt show up until the 20th century.
I don't know that not allowing women to engage in certain skill levels or trades was so much about believing they weren't capable (although I'm sure that was also a thing) as it was about denying them the means of financial independence.
great point
things to knit to
Just fyi, in the outlander books Jamie does knit stockings, better than Claire actually, and he turns her heels!
gansey- guernsey, right? (23:29)
As far as I have understood: gansey.
Yes they are called ganseys in some places but that comes from the word guernsey
jamie already knew how to knit in the books, he tried to teach clair.
Secret Society of Knitters
It looks like socks with sandals is a historical fact. 🤣
Outlander Jamie can knit 😅
Had to laugh that turning a heel was considered to complicated for women. How time has changed that idea.