Knitting Art II

Although supposedly the word 'knitting' finds its origin in the Netherlands and should come from the word 'knutten', being Dutch myself, I had never heard of it and didn't find the word in Dutch dictionaries either.

I don't think its origin is really known, but since it doesn't require much and people needed clothing, it has been practices for centuries and the oldest form of knitting is a type of Egyptian stockings, made between the eleventh and fourteenth century AD.

Records indicate that knitting was already practiced in Europe around 13th century, when items were knitted by Spanish Christian royal families. Cushion covers and gloves were found in the tomb of Prince Fernando de la Cerda, who died in 1275, and other items from the same era we discovered in among treasures in a cathedral in Spain.

Knitting was essential for making everyday clothes and the art became more and more popular since the 14th century. Most expensive were garments made out of silk and fine wool. It was at first a job for men, but soon knitting schools were established and the poor had a way to earn some extra income by knitting garments.

In the beginning of 21 century, a dwindling enthusiasm for knitting occurred, until after WWII, when fashion designers brought it back in swing and this art was used for more applications then just clothing.

The craft is not really difficult to learn; you certainly don't have to knit your brow, unless you would have to fix a dropped stitch!