Knitting is the art of knotting, that is making loops and knots in a length of yarn or thread into a piece of fabric using needles. Current research places the origins of hand knitting in the middle east, the techniques probably made their way to Europe via the Mediterranean.
Knitting was used mostly to create necessary garments to protect aginst the elements in most european cultures. Different yarn and wool producing areas developed their own styles of knitting and garment making, for example, the Shetland Islands with the Shetland Shawl of the 17th Century - a finely knitted lace shawl with neither a cast on or cast off edge. The cable knit thought to originate in Ireland and the Aran knitted sweaters containing specific designs thought to originate from the 9th Century.