Knitting Patterns Of The Rich And Powerful - A Knitting History

To make sure there was no mistaking the charitable parlor knitter for the peasant knitter, knitting needles were held differently in parlors. Antique photographs show Cornish women holding the needles under their palms as they knit fishermen's sweaters in between stings of gutting fish. Lest parlor knitters be associated with fishwives, various books advised ladies to hold their needles in a graceful manner, German style, with the yarn coming over the left fingers, so that they yarn might present an attractive pose to the men watching them knit odious little comforts. Others preferred to hold the needles like pencils, as inefficient a position as exists, but efficiency and ease of motion were absolutely the point.

"On no occasion does a lady seem more lovely than when half occupied with some feminine art which keeps her fingers employed, and gives an excuse to for downcast eyes and gentle pre-occupation. This sort of playing at work and working at play, sheds a home feeling around the guests which no studied effort at hospitality can produceâ€¦"

Besides turning knitting postures into decorative poses, parlor knitting ended quite a lot of functional folk knitting traditions and banished useful tools from polite knitting bags. Round knitting (except for the totally plebian sock) was replaced with flat knitting on two needles. Knitting belts and knitting sticks, used by production hand knitters in the outer British Isles, vanished because only small, flat items were being made.

But knitting was not just decorative. It was a pastime that kept women out of trouble. Even if the knitting fit no one (as was common with vague instructions and no gauge), knitting helped "otherwise idle women find occupation for fingers and thought in employments that if not always profitable, are at least innocent and inexpensive." No small task in the wild colonial days.

Despite the slow spread of knitting, once people see knitting they immediately find a use for it, sometimes along the same lines and sometimes in vastly different ways. When knitting was in its infancy it was adapted to bags and other useful articles, but never really lost its chief use as clothing, and then assumed the role of fashion â€“ which is always play for women!

Scandinavian, Latvian, Turkish, Maori, Aleut, or any of the multitude of societies that have adopted knitting have expanded its artistic possibilities to suit their cultural requirements, adding patterns, figurative decoration, textural stitches, and garment shapes to appropriately carry the art. Hundreds of groups have developed identifiable styles of decorative knits that have become sought after for their beauty alone. Sometimes the styles grew slowly, through generations of daily life, like Norwegian ski sweaters, Latvian mittens, and Turkish socks. Others, such as the Bohus knits of Sweden, were invented quickly, to provide support in desperately hard economic times, and were beautiful enough to succeed for generations despite the harsh inspiration. Knitting has lent itself to innumerable trends and aesthetics, many of which are revived time and again, far from home, because they are simply too beautiful to lose.

Whether playing at work by knitting, or working at playing by knitting, these women artisans have left their mark on society, fashion and warm clothing in general. Those who follow in their footsteps by either reviving their work or adding to it are their knitting sisters.

About the Author

Chaka is a knitting enthusiast who loves to knit baby clothes. She is, in fact, a great fan of baby knitting patterns which recommend to anyone who likes to knit baby clothes. Or, if you want to know more about fabulous scarf knitting patterns you can find out more.

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