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Video: Why until the 17th century only men were engaged in knitting, and how women won the right to this craft
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The origins of ancient handicrafts are lost in the depths of history long before our era. And now no one knows for certain who and when the first loop was tied. However, according to the researchers, hand knitting was invented by men, and the Arabs were considered the most skillful craftsmen in ancient times, who 2000 years ago already knew how to create multicolored complex patterns on bone knitting needles and possessed many knitting secrets.
Scientists archeologists claim that the most ancient knitted products appeared in the III-I centuries BC on the territory of ancient Egypt. So in one of the burials, archaeologists found a children's shoe, tied more than four thousand years ago. Rich Egyptians in those days in their wardrobe had kalaziris - a knitted skirt knitted by hand, tightly fitting the body and fixed under a bare chest with a ribbon.
In the 3rd century AD, historical annals already mention the simplest tools used in knitting - bone knitting needles. Since that time, knitting moves to a higher level, and the most complex ornamental technique of silk knitting appears. The very same handicraft is becoming more and more popular and spreading around the world.
According to the researchers, knitting came to Europe with Egyptian Christians, and in the 12th century the Spaniards and Italians began to knit. And by the 13th century in France, knitting had become a fairly lucrative industry.
Whole artels of male knitters began to knit socks, hats, gloves, sweatshirts, stockings. And in Scotland, a traditional headdress appears - the beret. True, knitted products were produced so little that they were barely enough only for members of the royal families and the close aristocracy.
In the 16th century, knitting has already conquered the whole of Europe. For a very long time, male knitters tried to prevent women from engaging in lucrative craft, which were only allowed to spin yarn for their products. Thus, according to documentary evidence, in 1612 the Prague hosiery declared that "under pain of a monetary penalty, not a single woman would be hired into the artel."
And the fears of the men were not in vain. Over time, this handicraft gradually migrated into the hands of women. Women adopted all the secrets of knitting and became skilled knitters. It is worth remembering the Irish lace, which the craftswomen raised to the rank of art and brought to the level of masterpieces.
In Europe, knitwear began to gain popularity at the turn of the 16th-17th centuries. Then the first knitting machine was invented by William Lee. According to legend, the inventor turned out to be a priest who fell in love with the stocking knitter Marie, who had to knit day and night. To free his beloved from exhausting labor, William worked on the invention for three years.
The miracle machine in its design had 2500 hooks, which made 1200 loops in 1 minute. For comparison, a knitter could only knit 100 loops by hand in one minute.
At the end of the 18th century, a circular knitting machine, knitting in a circle, was invented in France. The products that this machine knitted quickly replaced hand-made products, since they were much cheaper.
In the 19th century, with the advent of trousers, men's stockings were shortened into socks. To this day, they are an integral part of the men's wardrobe.
At one time, it seemed that machine knitting would completely replace hand knitting, but handmade things did not lose their value, but gained even more importance and popularity.
Knitting in Western European painting
In the paintings of many old masters of Western European painting, as well as in ancient iconography, this ancient handicraft is reflected. As evidenced by the following selection of paintings.
Nowadays, hand knitting is widely popularized in almost all corners of the world. Millions of women and very few men devote their free time to him. It spread like an epidemic across the planet. And hand-knitted things are almost always in vogue.
Knitting is so popular these days that some artists use this technique in street art … It is somewhat similar to graffiti, but instead of paint and chalk, knitting needles and threads are used here.
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