Knitting workshop scheduled for January

Idabel, OK (December 26, 2018)—The Museum will host a beginner-level knitting workshop on January 19. The class is scheduled for 10 am to 3 pm and will break at noon for a potluck lunch. Attendees will learn how to create a scarf using 6mm knitting needles. Cost is $45; all supplies are provided. Registration is available online or over the phone, (580) 286 – 3616.

The class will be led by Pat Owens, a local weaver with over six decades of experience, with help from Katie Vick. Owens started knitting at age six using chicken feathers as needles. Later in life, when she saw something expensive in the store, she would, “copy it and make it [herself]…sweaters, scarves, you name it.” She noted, “when you know how to knit, you can do a lot of things.”

Knitting does not require large equipment like looms, which made it attractive to non-agrarian societies. The earliest known knitwear is a collection of 11th century Egyptian socks. The socks are complex, which suggests knitting was well-established by then. In fact, it likely evolved from a similar technique known as nålebinding, which was used for thousands of years. (Nålebinding, sometimes called knotless knitting, uses one needle instead of two and is similar to sewing.) Today, most knitwear is made using semi-autonomous or autonomous machines. Nonetheless, hand-knitting remains a popular pastime throughout the world.

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