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History of Knitting Timeline
(c. 3rd–5th century CE–Present)Origins and medieval development
Coptic stitch emerges as a forerunner
300 - 500
Romano-Egyptian toe-socks from the 3rd to 5th century CE have a structure resembling knitting. Their technique, known as the Coptic stitch of nalbinding, is therefore considered a possible forerunner to knitting.
Egyptian knitted socks are made
1000 - 1100
The oldest known knitted artifacts are socks from Egypt dating from the 11th century. These surviving garments provide the earliest established archaeological evidence for knitting.
Knitted garments appear in Spanish cathedral treasuries
1250 - 1300
Numerous knitted garments and accessories dating from the mid-13th century were preserved in cathedral treasuries in Spain, showing that knitting was used for more than simple utilitarian objects.
Votic knitted fragment is made
1250 - 1300
A knitted fragment associated with the Votic people was excavated in Estonia and dated to the late 13th century. It is among the early archaeological examples of knitting in the Baltic region.
Knitted items are placed in the tomb of Fernando de la Cerda
1275
Knitted cushion covers and gloves were found in the tomb of Prince Fernando de la Cerda, who died in 1275. The finds demonstrate that sophisticated knitted objects existed in medieval Spain.
Siksälä wool mitten fragment is made
1300 - 1350
A fragment of a wool mitten from the early 14th century was discovered in a Siksälä burial in southeastern Estonia, extending the archaeological record of early knitted clothing.
Knitted goods spread through European cities
1300 - 1400
Archaeological finds from medieval cities including London, Newcastle, Oslo, Amsterdam, Lübeck, and Tallinn, together with tax lists, document the spread of knitted goods for everyday use from the 14th century onward.
European paintings depict the Virgin Mary knitting
1325 - 1410
Several European paintings from the 14th and early 15th centuries portray the Virgin Mary knitting. Examples include Our Lady Knitting by Tommaso da Modena and the Visit of the Angel panel from the Buxtehude Altar by Master Bertram of Minden.
Our Lady Knitting is painted
1325 - 1375
Tommaso da Modena produced Our Lady Knitting during the 14th century. The image is one of the notable European artistic depictions linking knitting with the Virgin Mary.
A Lübeck woollen child’s cap is made
1350 - 1450
A woollen child's cap from Lübeck, dated to the 14th or 15th century, is an exception to the broader group of urban knitted-goods evidence and illustrates the variety of surviving medieval headwear.
Image source: Lübeck
Key Facts
- The earliest surviving examples of true knitting include colorful Egyptian socks, often dated to around the 3rd–5th centuries CE.
- Knitting developed after or alongside related looped-textile techniques such as nålebinding, which uses a single needle rather than two needles.
- Knitting spread across Europe during the Middle Ages, becoming especially important for producing stockings, caps, gloves, and other garments.
- In 1589, William Lee invented the stocking frame, one of the first machines to mechanize knitting and transform textile production.
- Knitting remains both an industrial process and a popular handmade craft, with traditions, techniques, and communities found worldwide.
Source
This History of Knitting timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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