| Good morning everyone. |
| So today we're going to look at an important creative activity |
| and that's hand knitting. |
| Ancient knitted garments have been found in many different countries, |
| showing that knitting is a global activity with a long history. |
| When someone says the word 'knitting' |
| we might well picture an elderly person - |
| a grandmother perhaps - |
| sitting by the fire knitting garments for themselves or other members of the family. |
| It's a homely image, |
| but one that may lead you to feel that knitting is an activity of the past - |
| and, indeed, during the previous decade, |
| it was one of the skills that was predicted to vanish from everyday life. |
| For although humans have sewn and knitted their own clothing for a very long time, |
| many of these craft-based skills went into decline |
| when industrial machines took over - |
| mainly because they were no longer passed down from one generation to another. |
| However, that's all changing |
| and interest in knitting classes in many countries is actually rising, |
| as more and more people are seeking formal instruction in the skill. |
| With that trend, we're also seeing an increase in the sales figures for knitting equipment. |
| So why do people want to be taught to knit |
| at a time when a machine can readily do the job for them? |
| The answer is that knitting, as a handicraft, |
| has numerous benefits for those doing it. |
| Let's consider what some of these might be. |
| While many people knitted garments in the past |
| because they couldn't afford to buy clothes, |
| it's still true today that knitting can be helpful |
| if you're experiencing economic hardship. |
| If you have several children who all need warm winter clothes, |
| knitting may save you a lot of money. |
| And the results of knitting your own clothes can be very rewarding, |
| even though the skills you need to get going are really quite basic |
| and the financial outlay is minimal. |
| But the more significant benefits in today's world are to do with well-being. |
| In a world where it's estimated that we spend up to nine hours a day online, |
| doing something with our hands that is craft-based makes us feel good. |
| It releases us from the stress of a technological, fast-paced life. |
| Now, let's look back a bit to early knitting activities. |
| In fact, no one really knows when knitting first began, |
| but archaeological remains have disclosed plenty of information for us to think about. |
| One of the interesting things about knitting |
| is that the earliest pieces of clothing that have been found |
| suggest that most of the items produced were round rather than flat. |
| Discoveries from the 3rd and 4th centuries in Egypt |
| show that things like socks and gloves, |
| that were needed to keep hands and feet warm, |
| were knitted in one piece using four or five needles. |
| That's very different from most knitting patterns today, |
| which only require two. |
| What's more, the very first needles people used were hand carved out of wood |
| and other natural materials, like bone, |
| whereas today's needles are largely made of steel or plastic |
| and make that characteristic clicking sound when someone's using them. |
| Ancient people knitted using yarns made from linen, |
| hemp, cotton and wool, |
| and these were often very rough on the skin. |
| The spinning wheel, which allowed people to make finer yarns |
| and produce much greater quantities of them, |
| led to the dominance of wool in the knitting industry - |
| often favoured for its warmth. |
| Another interesting fact about knitting |
| is that because it was practised in so many parts of the world |
| for so many purposes, |
| regional differences in style developed. |
| This visual identity has allowed researchers to match bits of knitted clothing |
| that have been unearthed over time to the region from which the wearer came |
| or the job that he or she did. |
| As I've mentioned, |
| knitting offered people from poor communities a way of making extra money |
| while doing other tasks. |
| For many centuries, it seems, |
| men, women and children took every opportunity to knit, |
| for example, while watching over sheep, |
| walking to market or riding in boats. |
| So, let's move on... |