Knitting in History Trivia Quiz

Answer: It produces a textile with one threaded needle.

Nalbinding is actually a textile that is created by developing loops to create fabric using one threaded needle, not two unthreaded needles like in knitting.

Answer: In Egyptian tombs

Many examples of socks made using nalbinding can be found in history museums around the world. All have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Most have divisions for the big toe, thought to accommodate sandals.

Answer: Cotton or wool

These socks are typically recognized as the first sign of true knitting because the heel construction is knit like modern-day socks, unlike other examples of nalbinding that pre-date these. These examples of true knitting are estimated to have been created in the 11th century CE.

Answer: High Middle Age

The colours used were mainly blue and white to knit socks in the round. There are also examples of Muslim script knit into the socks.

Answer: In holy paintings known as the "Knitting Madonnas".

There are many different examples of the knitting Madonnas, painted by various artists. Most were painted by Italian artists of the day. There is also evidence of knitting Madonnas in works created in Germany.

Answer: Monmouth, Wales

It is thought that caps knit in Monmouth were designed for use by sailors, or to be fit under military helmets of the day.

Answer: All of these choices

Shakespeare (1601) refers to "knitters in the sun". Sir Philip Sidney (1577) states "a young shepherdess knitting and withal singing, and it seemed that her voice comforted her hands to work, and her hands kept time to her voice's music." The Essex County criminal record (1580) records a theft from a clothesline of "a pair of knit sleeves, being not fully finished, with the knitting pins."

Answer: To help in the identification of dead bodies that washed up on shore after bad storms.

In the 1800s when the traditional "fisherman's knit" sweaters were created, there was no forecasting bad weather. If multiple boats were lost during storms, help was often needed in identifying bodies that washed up days or weeks later. The sweaters served two purposes - they kept the fishermen warm while they worked, and also assisted families if there were tragedies on the water.

Answer: William Lee

William Lee invented the first sock knitting machine in 1589. More knitting machines were developed over the years until they became very popular during the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s. Knitting machines are still used today to create relatively inexpensive clothing and accessories.

Answer: The American Revolution

There is evidence that women knit clothing for their own husbands and sons during the American Revolution. There is also evidence that by the War of 1812, women were knitting for soldiers who were not related to them. Sometimes, they would place notes inside socks, etc. that were donated. One such note from the War of 1812 reads "The fortunate owner of these socks is secretly informed that they are the one-hundreds and ninety-first pair knit for our brave boys by Mrs. Abner Bartlet of Medford, Massachusetts, now 85 years."

Answer: Primates in zoos and laboratories around the world.

It seemed that everyone wanted to do their part for the "boys on the front" during WWI. The media stoked the knitting frenzy with articles and photos on the subject, and included many patterns that could be used for the effort.

Answer: Knit "onesies" - one-piece woolen underwear designed to cover from the ankles over the entire body and down to the wrists.

Knitting patterns for the War Effort were designed to be knit up quickly while keeping soldiers and sailors warm but also comfortable. Onesies may have been warm, but not convenient on the battlefield.

Answer: Glenn Miller

This song tells the story of a woman knitting a sweater for her husband who is fighting in WWII, as she pleads with him to come home safely.

Answer: Knotting fishing nets

Nobody can be positive, but many scholars believe that knitting has its roots in knotting fishing nets. Making nets creates a fabric of sorts, and involves looping the strings, just as knitting involves looping the yarn. However, making nets involves creating a lot of knots, while knitting does not (a properly knit piece could however technically be considered a single, very complex, knot).

Answer: A funeral cushion.

Crown Prince Ferdinando de la Cerda died in 1275 and his tomb was excavated and conserved in 1945. The cushion has tassels on the corners, and was knit using two colours and various patterns that show diamond shapes, eagle shapes, castle shapes, and text around the edge.

Although the Crown Prince was Christian, the text is in Islamic script and reads "Blessing to the owner." This suggests that a Muslim servant or shopkeeper knit the cushion that was included in the Prince's tomb.