A history of hand knitting cover

A history of hand knitting

by Richard Rutt

Hand knitting, to date, has received relatively little attention from textile historians. In this full history of the craft, the author offers a definition of the process in relation to other yarn crafts such as crochet. Literary evidence is drawn upon and the social aspects of knitting are a main concern. Well-known legends about knitting history are re-evaluated and the development of techniques and tools is covered, together with the history of the craft from before 1500 to the present day. Some local traditions of the British Isles are investigated, including the knitting of Shetland, Aran, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Yorkshire Dales. Knitting tradtions east of the Adriatic and in the Americas have separate chapters, and the book includes a historical glossary and a transcription of the earliest English knitting pattern. Richard Rutt's previous books have been about Korean and Chinese literature.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?