Submitted by the staff of the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH)
Now that it is winter, most of us are donning cozy sweaters to make it through the freezing temperatures. This week, we are featuring a small sweater perfectly sized to fit a doll.
We don’t know much about this item, although any sharp eye can spot that it was made using a method of textile production called knitting.
Knitting is a common craft today with a storied and interesting history. The oldest example of knitting comes from Egypt, dates to the 11th century and is a pair of socks. The complexity of those socks shows knitting has existed longer than the archeological record can prove.
Knitting has always been a popular craft due to the usefulness of the creations that can be made. Additionally, it is one of the only textile crafts that does not need many complicated tools and can be moved around with ease.
Around the 14th century, knitting’s popularity among women skyrocketed and is reflected in many paintings from Europe that only depict women knitters.
This important craft had always been done by hand, until 1589, when William Lee developed a mechanical knitting machine. The knitting loom spread quickly from England throughout Europe and eventually reached all corners of the world. The Industrial Revolution saw the development of knitting factories, which contained many of these looms that could create lots of knitted goods to be sold.
By the 1850s, hand knitting was no longer in such demand due to the popularity of knitting machines, so people began to knit as a hobby or for pleasure. Around this time, companies began to sell knitting patterns, which could direct the creation of anything from stuffed animals to socks to doll clothes.
In the past 50 years, knitting has seen a decline in popularity and then a swift growth in popularity in the 2010s. Today, many people enjoy knitting items for fun and as presents, and carry on with this interesting history.
Next week, we will feature another object from the OMAH collection that showcases our local history.
