The art of crisscrossing loops and knots over a length of yarn using threads is called Knitting. The history of knitting traces this art to have originated in the Middle East. It is understood that these techniques later found their way into Europe across the Mediterranean. Knitting socks in those days were very popular and you will require needles to accomplish this task.
Different kinds of garments were generally knitted in those days and were necessary for protecting people against harsh weather elements in many European cultures. Now, different communities developed different knitting techniques over time. For example, the Shetland Islands were making Shetland Shawl by 17th Century. This was a finely interlaced shawl with no cast on or off edges. Ireland was particularly identified with Cable knit while Iran (in the middle-east) was knitting sweaters which contained specific designs that are thought to have originated in the 9th Century or so.
The art of knitting also played an important role in social and economic exchange in many areas. Besides being an important art applied in fishing industry, many farmers, young and old, used it to supplement their incomes. It is known that the exportation of woolen clothes dates back in the 17th Century when the Chanel Islands started supplying the fishing communities with heavy woolen clothes which were warm and hence suitable for use in their industry.
The inception of industrial revolution resulted to cloth making and wool spinning at industrial level. All people who were experienced in making wool at home were taken into the factories to be operating machineries. Yes, the garments that were made by hands could get nowhere close the quality of machine made equipment.
During the Victorian times, knitting was more of a privilege to a woman than a hobby. Young girls to matured women, knew how to knit.; that was it. Word has it that even Queen Victoria was spotted knitting. Beaded and laced knitting were the very popular in this period and it was popularized and made more of a hobby than it was a cottage industry practice. Since both the middle and the upper classes were all participating in the knitting practice, patterns started being invented widely and this was seriously passed down from one generation to the other.
The 19th Century saw the introduction of knitting `pins’ that are being used at the moment for purposes of flat knitting. These are the original English needle sizes measuring from 1 to 26. The higher the number of the needle, the thinner it was and hence was used in more intricate knitting. custom socks manufacturer
