Did you know the first record of true knitting was towards the end of 1st millennium AD in Egypt? For making cotton socks. In ancient times spinning and weaving are regularly referred to but knitting seems to have been a more recent innovation. There are paintings of the Virgin Mary knitting which date to around 1350-1400 so it must have been in current use in Europe by then and certainly in Medieval times was used for making stockings. ? Hence ‘stocking stitch’. Originally it was done on 4 needles and only what we know as ‘plain’ stitch was used. Purl was invented to get the same effect going backwards and forwards on 2 needles instead of round and round.
In my childhood knitting was the norm, I never had a bought jumper – even my school uniform jumpers were home-made but my grandsons refused to wear a homemade jumper from the time they realised they were ‘different’. The popularity of knitting is on the increase today following a decline in the last few years – but now it’s as a craft rather than a necessity, supported by numerous websites such as Craftsy, Knitty and Ravelry.
The History of Knitting