Knitting Wool – History and the Basics – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

Knitting wool is a method of making loops which are called stitches which collectively make cloth. The term “knitting” is taken from the word “knot.” One of the first known references to knitting was in the production of well-adorned cotton socks in Egypt at the end of 1000 AD. The first organized knitting trade guild began in Paris, 1527. However, after the knitting machine was invented, knitting by hand ceased to become an essential craft but like quilting, embroidering, and needlepoint turned into a social activity, an art and a craft.

During the last two years, knitting wool has gone in and out of fashion a number of times. At the recent turn of the century, however, it has enjoyed a revival of sorts. The number of American women knitters has risen, the purpose of the women engaging in the art being to make a point about individuality and to develop an intrinsic sense of community, as there are social knitting circles and guilds that regularly meet at certain places, such as coffee shops and homes, to do the craft. Some contemporary knitters even create online groups or blog about the experience of knitting wool to share with friends and family and others who may merely be searching the Internet regarding the topic with the intent of getting into the art themselves. What a way to make technology and something which is of the past meet!

Knitting wool can be done by machine or by hand. The former provides consistency in the quality of the stitches, but the latter allows for more styles and methods. Flat knitting can be done to produce a length of cloth while circular knitting can be done to produce a seamless tube. Different knitting needles, varying in their sharpness and thickness, may be used to achieve certain different effects on the end product.

The process of knitting starts with “casting on” or “binding on,” which is simply the creation of the first stitches on the needle. There are different methods of casting on which may be employed, and there are different styles of inserting the needle into the stitch (i.e. Western knitting is through front of a stitch, Eastern knitting is through the back, and a third method which is called combination knitting is through the front of a knit stitch and then through the back of a purl stitch). Once the knitted article is completed, the remaining “live stitches” are then “cast off” or “bound off,” which entails looping the stitches across one another so they may be removed from the needle without the item unraveling.

Knitting wool can be a very enjoyable experience. And no, it is not just for old women without anything else to do but sit in the rocking chairs in their porches. It can be just as fun for men and women, young and old. And fulfilling too! Imagine making your own sets of clothing, from simple ones such as scarves, bonnets, and purses, to sweaters and cardigans.