Textile Group: Identifying loops and other ingredients in evidence for early modern knitting

What's in a name? Dr Jane Malcom-Davies discusses a search for terminology for textile analysis

Knitted artefacts are important in expanding our understanding of the craft of knitting at a specific point in time, including the materials, tools and skills that would be needed. A lack of agreed terminology has led to incomplete or inaccurate cataloguing in museum collections which renders relevant items invisible. This in turn hampers the opportunity for scientific discussion of the extant evidence of knitting, as not all knitted artefacts have been correctly identified. Published descriptions of knitted artefacts are likewise unreliable in part because of incomplete data but also because of the tendency for observers to mix deductions as to methods of construction with reportage of the essential characteristics. A protocol for the evidence-based recording of extant items is recommended with the aim of providing reliable descriptive detail for those who cannot view the items for themselves and to offer a sound foundation upon which later observers can build further insights.

This talk also suggests a vocabulary based on English terminology used in textile analysis, craftwork, and in the mechanised knitting industry today.