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The Forum: Unravelling the history of knitting

Knitting on Taquile Island Peru

22/04/2021 GMT

Unravelling the history of knitting

BBC World Service - The Forum, Unravelling the history of knitting

What are the origins of knitting and how did it spread to different parts of the world?

Like many traditional domestic crafts, knitting has experienced a huge surge in popularity in the 21st century, making it fashionable and even radical. But the history of hand knitting is still relatively obscure. The oldest knitted artefacts are Coptic socks found in Egypt dating from the fourth century AD, but although they look like modern-day knitting, they’re actually made using a technique called nalebinding or needle-binding. 

So what then are the real origins of knitting? How did it develop into so many different regional patterns, from the famous Fair Isle of Scotland to distinctive Nordic and South American variations?

Joining Bridget Kendall to discuss the global history of knitting are Professor Sandy Black of the University of the Arts London, Norwegian textile designer, Annemor Sundbo, and an expert on South American knitting, Cynthia LeCount Samaké.

Produced by Jo Impey for the BBC World Service.

Image: Knitting on Taquile Island, Peru
Image credit: Hadynyah / Getty Images

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