User:Natharris/History of knitting

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Knitting is the process of using two or more needles to pull and loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops in order to create a finished garment or some other type of fabric. The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, “to knot”. Its origins lie in the basic human need for clothing for protection against the elements. More recently, hand knitting has become less of a necessary skill and more of a hobby.

Industrial Revolution

Griswold knitting machines at Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum

The stocking frame or the mechanical knitting machine was invented in 1589 by William Lee, an English clergyman. After receiving a pair of black stockings from William, Queen Elizabeth I ultimately declined to grant him a patent for his invention. She complained that his machine-made wool stockings were far too coarse for royal ankles. She didn't like the feel of the stockings or their crude form and she was afraid that the machine would take away jobs from her people. However, France's King Henri IV saw the opportunity William's invention provided and offered him financial support. The inventor moved to Rouen where he built a stocking factory. Before long, the French spread the knitting loom throughout Europe. When the device came back to Great Britain, the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters was incorporated in 1657 in London. Framework knitting was predominantly performed at home, often with the entire family participating.

The city of Nottingham, particularly the district known as Lace Market, was a major producer of machine-knitted lace. Leicestershire and neighbouring counties had long had an association with the hosiery industry. This continued particularly growing with the invention of portable circular knitting machines. Machines could be hired and worked from home rather than relying on a large stocking frame or the much slower hand knitting. One manufacturer of these machines was Griswold, often called Griswold knitting machines, the design of this English sock machine originates from the British inventors, Hainsworth and Griswold.

Some framework knitters were among the Luddites, who resisted the transition to factories. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the knitting industry had still not made the transition to factories. With the improvement of steam-powered knitting machines in the mid-nineteenth century, machine knitting increasingly shifted to factories to accommodate the larger machines.

By the mid-nineteenth century, hand knitting was declining as part of the knitting industry but was increasing as a hobby. Printed knitting patterns and yarn were produced for leisure as well as for industrial use by authors such as Jane Gaugain.

1939–1945: Knitting for victory

Make do and mend was the title of a booklet produced by the British wartime government department, the Ministry of Information. Wool was in very short supply, and the booklet encouraged women to unpick old unwearable woollen items in order to reuse the wool.

Hand-knitting reached it's peak during World War II following the encouragement to knit for the war efforts. Knitting patterns were issued so that people could make items for the Army and Navy to wear in winter, such as balaclavas and gloves. This not only produced the much-needed items but also gave those on the "home front" a positive sense of contributing to the war effort.

References

“The history of hand-knitting.” Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 28 November 2022.

Kara, Rudnick (November 2013 – January 2014). The History of the Humble Pattern (Part One). TKGA. pp. 69–70.