History of knitting

Madonna Knitting, by Bertram of Minden 1400-1410
1855 sketch of a shepherd knitting, while watching his flock
The Knitting Woman by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1869

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".[1] Its origins lie in the basic human need for clothing for protection against the elements. More recently, hand knitting has become less a necessary skill and more of a hobby.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Games, Alex (2007), Balderdash & piffle : one sandwich short of a dog's dinner, London: BBC, ISBN 978-1-84607-235-2