World Wide Knit In Public Day takes place on the second Saturday of June each year so plan on joining your fellow knitters and crocheters on June 8 to share your love of the craft.

Patrons of the Alpine Branch Library are planning to meet at the gazebo at the Alpine Civic Center at 3 p.m. and we hope you can come, too. Bring a lawn chair and your knitting project.

WWKIP was started in 2005 by Danielle Landes as a way for knitters to come together and enjoy each other’s company. This international event promotes the idea that knitting is an activity that can be enjoyed by all (not just your grandmothers!) and encourages people to try knitting who have never done it before.

Known as the biggest knitter-run event across the globe, gatherings have been held in many locations: the U.S., Germany, Sweden, South Africa, Poland, Norway, Ireland, France, Finland, England, China, and Australia.

A little research into the history of knitting reveals that KNIT originates from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, “to knot.”

The oldest known knitted artifacts date back to the 11th century from Egypt, and the oldest known knitted items in Europe date back to the 13th century.  Oddly, the purl stitch was used in Egypt but was lost in Europe and not used there until the mid-1500s.

King Henry VIII (1202-1207) was the first British royalty to wear knitted stockings. Due to the ensuing high demand for this item, Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of King Henry the VIII, encouraged the formation of knitting guilds.

The Fair Isle knitting method, which creates sweaters featuring two threads of different colors, first appeared in the Shetland Islands of Scotland in the 1580s.

As the world of knitting developed and expanded as a trade, it was passed to other nations by European explorers and colonists during the industrial revolution. In 1589 a knitting machine was invented by Englishman William Lee.

Today’s clothing industry can manufacture any knitted item, but hand-knitting has remained popular as a hobby. Patterns, tutorials, and tips can all be found online; social media provides an outlet for sharing projects and meeting other knitters.

According to Interweave.com, the top 5 knitting countries are 1. New Zealand 2. Iceland 3. United Kingdom 3. Canada 4. Australia.  The United States ranks No. 8 and, while Wyoming also doesn’t reach the top 5 (Idaho, Vermont, Maine, Alaska, and New Hampshire hold that title), ask around and you will no doubt find some people to spend time knitting with.

See you on June 8 in Alpine for some Knit In Public fun! Please contact Sarah at the Alpine Library if you have any questions 307-654-7323. And check out your local library for books on knitting; the Alpine Library alone has over 75 books to teach and inspire you. www.linclib.org