HISTORICAL KNITTING  
Updated 22nd of January 2008.
Due to links to the V&A and the British Museum frequently being broken , I recommend copying and pasting the item numbers/classification into the different museums own search engine.
 
EXTANT KNITTED GARMENTS
17th C knitted silk nightshirts 
17thC knitted silk jackets     
 
 
 
EXTANT KNITTED GARMENTS ON EXTERNAL WEBSITES
11th-13thC A Mysterious Medieval Egyptian Knit Object with original, copy and research
1500-50 Knitted infants socks, mitts and vest , (keyword; baby, specific date; 1500) Museum of London
16th C (?) nightshirt     
1649 King Charles I's blue silk vest worn at his execution  ,(keyword; blue, specific date ; 1649) Museum of London
17th C knitted Italian silk jacket
17th C knitted silk hose and linen hose
18th C knitted silk strumphose and cotton hose
18thC knitted baby's vest and 2 miser's purses
1899 Early Swiss Knitting Pattern Sampler
 
 
KNITTED GARMENTS OF INTEREST IN THE V&A
For info and photos / more photos ;
Search the Collections or Knitting items from the Collections   Home> Collections> Fashion, Jewlery & Accessories> Fashion & Jewellery Features > Knitting > Knitting Items from the Collections
 
300-499 Pair of socks ,Nålbindning or 1 needle knitting (sewing stitches) wool , 2085&A-1900  detail
16thC knitted and felted wool cap  1562&A-1901
16thC pair of spanish knitted gilt and silk gloves   437&A-1892  detail of pattern
1640s knitted wool hose  T.63&A-1910
1660-70s men's silk embroidered linen hose  T.126&A-1938  detail
1690-1700 Lady Clapham's stockings  T.846I      J-1974  - T.846&A to Y-1974
1690-1700 Lord Clapham's stockings  T.847G     H-1974 - T.847-1974
17thC knitted white cotton jacket in the V&A T.30-1932
1700-50 dutch knitted 2ply wool petticoat  T.177-1926  detail
1733 knitted silk and silver gilt pin cushion T.251-1960
1775-99 knitted wool pence jug  T.31R-1935
1700-99 knitted pink, brown and gray silk purse, with gilt opening bars and finger-ring  T.257-1922
1700-99 Silk purse, decorated with beads, silk cords and tassels  T.321-1965
18thC hand knitted silk cap  T.176-1958
18thC hand knitted silk pincushion 545-1864 detail

 

 
ONLINE SOURCES
ARTICLES
Knitting and Knitwear in the Stuart Period , Clarissa Thomas, Orders of the day, Volume 32, Issue 5, Sept 2000
The Carnamoyle Stockings - Irish wool stockings from the 16thCentury , Kass McGann 
Notes on 18th Century Knitting
Notes on 18th Century Stockings 
Making 18th Century fitted stockings , by Rebecca Manthey
Regional Knitting in the British Isles & Ireland V&A  Home> Collections> Fashion, Jewlery & Accessories> Fashion & Jewellery Features > Knitting > Regional Knitting in the British Isles & Ireland
1840 to 1879 The Hook and The Book: The Emergence of Crochet and Knitting in American Popular Culture
WW2 Knitting for Victory  , from History Link
Tall Stories, True Stories Myths about knitting on Shetland
 
 
ASSORTED
 
HOW TO KNIT
Knitting Techniques , continental or german style
 
Socks 101
 
 
KNITTING PATTERNS ONLINE
3rd C knitting pattern
Medieval Egyptian Socks
17th & 18th Century Knitted Caps & Bonnets
Chart for 18th Century Stockings
Mid 19th C Knitting Patterns, Godey's Lady's Book
Overgloves from 1857
Lace patterns from 1886
Traditional knitting patterns in Austria , from Styria in Austria
Victorian Knitting , The Vintage Connection's Guide to Victorian Knitting
Antique Knitting Patterns , mostly 20th C as far as I can see
1930 (?) Lady's Dressing Gown, "Linda Design" from Patons and Baldwins' Specialty Book No 35
1938 "FIVE O'CLOCK" HAT ,From "Chic Hats
Stitch-one-purl-two: American Red Cross Knits!, WW2 patterns
WW2 Lady's Vest
1940s Patterns to Knit  V&A Home> Collections> Fashion, Jewlery & Accessories> Fashion & Jewellery Features > Knitting > 1940s Patterns to Knit
1942 Cable cardigan ,The Complete Guide to Modern Knitting and Crocheting, Alice Carroll
1944 Lady's Vest and Knickers
Conrad' gloves by Freddie Robins V&A Knit a Work of Art from a Free Pattern   Home> Collections> Fashion, Jewlery & Accessories> Fashion & Jewellery Features > Knitting > Knit a Work of Art from a Free Pattern
Knitting Patterns for Children V&A Home> Collections> Fashion, Jewlery & Accessories> Fashion & Jewellery Features > Knitting > Knitting Patterns for Children
Knitted Elvis Wig Pattern  
 
 
COMERCIAL PATTERNS
Yesterknits , the largest collection of vintage knitting patterns in the world, mostly  published in the UK between 1880 and 1980.
 
 
NÅLEBINDING (sometimes called one needle knitting too)
Nålebinding is not a knitting technique, but can produce a texture that looks like knitting. Predates knitting in Europe.
 
*Nålebindings stitches gallery. German site.
*Basic Nålbinding part 1: Oslo Stitch (F1 UO/UOO).Taught by Gudrun Ottosdottir at University of Atlantia
*Bernhard's Nadelbinden. Very useful if you can figure out how-to from photoes of stitches
*Nadelbindung.Ein-Nadel-Stricken. German site with fairly clear drawings of how to do the York stitch.
*Nålbinding, Anne Marie Haymes . A website with the history of nålebinding, construction methods,examples and more
*Socks of Nalbinding, 10th century , based on 10thC sock from Coppergate,Jorvik
*The Russian join. A methode of joining threads also useful for nålebinding.
*Viking and Medieval Nålebinding Mitten Reconstructions - Based on archaeological finds from Finland, By Satu Hovi
 
 
 WRITTEN SOURCES
Of knitted "nightshirts" and detachable sleeves in Norway in the seventeenth century
Marta Hoffmann
Opera Textilia
Studies 8
ISBN 91-7192-742-5
 
Knitting and the use of knitted goods in Norway before 1700.
From archeological finds to documentary evidence.
Anne Kjeldsberg
Opera Textilia
Studies 8
ISBN 91-7192-742-5
 
History of knitting before mass production
Irena Turnau
Institute of the History of Material Culture
Polish Academy of Sciences
ISBN 83-900213-2-3
 
A History of Hand Knitting
Richard, Rutt
ISBN 1931499373