KNITTING NEEDLES

History

The earliest items discovered that resemble knitting are socks, found in Egyptian tombs dating back to around 3AD. However this might have been considered more as knotting (using a single needle) rather than knitting.  In fact the word ‘knit', which entered the English language in the 1400s, can be traced to the Old English word ‘cnyttan', which meant ‘knot'.

As with many things, the true origins are lost in time and the process of crafting an item using sticks with some form of yarn may well date back well beyond the time historical records would suggest. That said it can be proven that knitting in a form recognisable to us today was certainly practised in 11^th century Egypt, using silk and cotton. The 14^th to 16^th centuries saw knitting spread throughout Europe but it wasn’t until ordinary working class people began to knit that wool became the most commonly used yarn.

It is likely that the first knitting needles would have been made of wood, although simple metal wires are also considered to be amongst the earliest. The two needle, bobble –ended versions that many of us are using today came about during the 19^th Century (the Victorian era), as did the more orderly method of sizing the needles.

Now knitting needles are available in many sizes and in various lengths. Some are straight ‘two pins’, some are circular, and yet others come in sets of four or five double-pointed. And they can be made from a variety of materials, such as metal, wood, bamboo, plastic, resin, etc

Sizes

There are a number of cases where there is not a comparable size between the different sizing options. Where this situation occurs the nearest needle size can be used, subject to the usual proviso of working a tension square to ensure its suitability.