Was knitting originally for men?
In fact, knitting was once thought of as an exclusive gentleman's occupation, involving rigorous testing and scrutinisation, with cut-throat competition and cold business running through its core. Pretty different to that old lady you pictured, hey?!
The Early Origins
The Historian Richard Rutt conservatively suggests that knitting originated in Egypt between 500 and 1200 A.D.. An independent researcher, Rudolf Pfister, discovered some fragments of knitted fabric in Eastern Syria.
It was not until the Victorian Age did knitting become a gendered craft. The Industrial Revolution made production of clothed goods cheaper and faster than hand-knit products, leaving people less time to knit and more time to work and causing knitting to lose its profitability (Barrago 2010).
Knitting as a gendered activity
Knitting is traditionally associated with femininity.
Knitting is often seen as a feminine and “womanly” activity, so the fact that my grandfather was an integral purl in my family's row caught my attention.
The history of knitting
Knitting is believed to have originated in the Middle East in the 5th century and travelled to Europe with wool traders soon afterwards. Interestingly, the examples of early knitting from Egypt are actually made from cotton fibres, not wool.
“Viking knitting” or nålbinding was a technique used by Vikings to make small textiles such as gloves, hats, and coin purses. As the Vikings made their way through Scandinavia, so did nålbinding.
William Lee, (born 1550?, Calverton, Nottinghamshire, England—died 1610?, Paris, France), English inventor who devised the first knitting machine (1589), the only one in use for centuries.
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1. Brazil 2. Japan 3. Vietnam 4. Russia 5. Mexico
- Brazil.
- Japan.
- Vietnam.
- Russia.
- Mexico.
73.9% of knitters are women and 26.1% of knitters are men.
Did men used to crochet?
As crochet spread around Europe in the 1800s, the craft was especially helpful in financial relief during the Irish Potato Famine. During this dark time, instead of purely farming, Irish men and women relied on crochet to make a living by selling hand-made items.
More than a decade ago Pepita Marin left her job at audit firm PwC to focus on her fledgling online knitting retail business. Called We Are Knitters, the company is now turning over nearly 20 million euros ($23.8 million) a year. Marin co-founded We Are Knitters with her colleague at PwC, Alberto Bravo.
