Knitting produces a fabric by creating interlocking loops from one or more yarn sets using a pair of knitting needles. While there are knitting machines, most people identify knitting as an activity done by hand. Besides crocheting, knitting is the other popular method for creating yarn crafts.
There is no consensus as to the time knitting started. This is because knitting yarns decay, making it hard to trace some of the earliest knitted crafts. Still, some archaeologists say they found evidence of yarns and fabrics, some about 7,000 years old.
Nonetheless, some historians claim that knitting dates back to the third and fifth centuries, and the craft involved creating interlocking loops like today. Others state that knitting started in the Middle East and later went to the West via crusades.
Over the decades, different parts of the world adopted knitting and invented varying knitting techniques. The methods differed in how one holds the needles, colourwork, and stitch manipulation, resulting in different knitting patterns.
Despite the varying knitting techniques in different parts of the world, they are all based on two stitches: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. While the knit stitch creates a fabric by making loops at the back of a knitter’s work, the purl stitch does so at the front of the work.
Variations, such as the garter stitch, stockinette stitch, one-by-one (1x1) rib stitch, seed stitch, moss stitch, basketweave stitch, and purl ridge stitch, can be created from stitches. The garter stitch is the most popular and most beginner-friendly of them all. This stitch creates horizontal ridges formed by knitting loops on every row.
The stockinette stitch alternates rows of knit and purl stitches. For instance, the first row is a knit stitch, and the second is a purl stitch. The third row would be a knit stitch, and the pattern continues. This results in a fabric with v-like shapes. The one-by-one rib stitch makes a vertical rib-like fabric by alternating knit and purl stitches at even intervals.
A seed stitch is a complex style that creates different patterns by combining knit and purl stitches. It is most common in the United Kingdom. Similarly, the Moss stitch results in complex patterns and textures and is used in the United States.
With the basketweave stitch, a knitter uses the knit and purl stitches to create a design resembling the weaves on a basket. Last, the purl ridge stitch adds an extra row of knitted stitches to create purl bumps on the basic stockinette stitch.
Besides being an activity for creating crafts and a hobby for many, knitting has its benefits. One study reported a connection between knitting and feelings of calmness and relaxation. As a result, experts claim that it aids in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.
Other research states that it helps to deal with chronic pain. Today, there are knitting groups on online platforms such as Facebook. According to scientists, when people with chronic pain reach out to such groups, the support they receive is numbing to their condition. In one study, knitting resulted in physical relief for those with chronic pain and was part of these forums.
Similarly, through such groups, knitting helps create social connections. This results in creating networks of like-minded people. Indeed, bonding with other people with similar interests boosts self-confidence and elevates one’s self-image.
