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Knitting History & Technique
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Greenland, Norway, Iceland: How a Collar Became the Yoke Sweater
Annichen Sibbern's 1930 design, most likely the first circular yoke, and the yokes that followed in Sweden and Shetland
Oct 8
•
Jonathan Lasham
53
8
5
Before the Circular Yoke: Round Yokes on Ordinary Sweaters in the 1930s
Crocheted, knitted and sewn-on round yokes in 1930s patterns from Australia, Britain and the United States
Sep 25
•
Jonathan Lasham
57
2
6
90 Years of Sweater Styles
Set-in sleeve construction went from 90% of patterns to the least common: how sweater styles have shifted over the past century.
Sep 11
•
Jonathan Lasham
82
19
7
Knitting vs. Crochet at Work: Why One Was Fine and One Wasn't
Crochet and knitting may seem alike, but in 1867 only one got a matron investigated for insubordination at work. A Victorian case study in the double…
Aug 28
•
Jonathan Lasham
145
22
15
How 'English' Is English Knitting, and How 'Continental' Is Continental?
A look at why we call them English and Continental knitting styles, and how school curricula in England, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia shaped them.
Aug 4
•
Jonathan Lasham
126
21
11
The Knitting Sheath: The Forgotten Tool Behind Hands-Free Knitting
A carved stick every working knitter kept at the hip for 300 years. So why did it disappear?
Jul 21
•
Jonathan Lasham
510
41
41
Going A-Sitting: The 200-Year-Old Knitting Circles That Came With Their Own Songs
The rotating knitting nights that turned an evening chore into the social life of an entire community.
Jul 7
•
Jonathan Lasham
148
13
9
The Hidden History of Knitting: Poverty, Workhouses, and Survival in England
The knitters in the historical record are not doing it for pleasure. They are doing it because they have almost nothing else.
Jun 30
•
Jonathan Lasham
157
21
21
What a 13th-Century Knitting Mistake Reveals About Medieval Technique
One wrong stitch in a 13th-century Votic mitten, and why it tells us more than all the correct ones
Jun 16
•
Jonathan Lasham
351
33
17
Why Sweaters Need Myths
The Aran sweater, Fair Isle, the gansey: each comes with an origin story attached. Most of those stories are later inventions. But why does this keep…
Jun 10
•
Jonathan Lasham
37
14
4
Is Purling Optional?
The purl stitch is often described as the other half of knitting. Yet many knitters go to significant lengths to avoid it, and there is a longer history…
Jun 2
•
Jonathan Lasham
100
37
5
A Simpler Provisional Cast On
A waste-yarn method borrowed from machine knitting, for hand knitters who’d rather skip the crochet hook.
May 26
•
Jonathan Lasham
20
4
6
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