The "Game of Wool" on Channel 4

is not something I can watch here in Downunder. It might be on a pay channel I do not have access to but it is not on any other channel I am aware of. That has not stopped me following the outrage at the way my ancestors approach to knitting has been treated.

For those of you who are not familiar with the show it is hosted by, among others, Tom Daley - the Olympic swimmer who made headlines when he sat by the pool knitting. He probably gave knitting a boost when he did this. Here was an Olympic athlete knitting - and a male Olympic athlete at that. 

I have to admit I was pleased to see him knitting. I thought it might increase the profile of the craft and convince some that it is not a "hobby for little old ladies".  Yes, there are some little old ladies in nursing homes who now knit nothing but "squares" because that is all they feel they can now knit. Careful though! I know one "old lady" in a nursing home who can still knit prize winning standard socks and who knows how to adjust patterns to fit the recipient and much more. I would still go to her for advice.

I also know that knitting is not just a female occupation - look at Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, Franklin Habit and Stephen West and many others. One of the most extraordinary things I have ever seen was a Shetland lace shawl knitted in cobweb weight wool - and it was made by a man.  Men knitted long before women. I have told many people it was an at least seven year apprenticeship at one time. Women were expected to spin the yarn for the men to use.

In Shetland, Fair Isle, the Orkneys and surrounding areas knitting was used to supplement the income of poor crofting families. Those incredibly fine Shetland shawls were made by men as well as women, by people who were not able to do the very hard physical labour on the croft or at sea. Their hands needed to be kept smooth so that the very fine yarn did not snag and break. These are things which experienced and well informed knitters know about.

"Fair Isle" knitting has many variations but it is not done with big needles and thick wool. Garments made that way are simply not practical. They are uncomfortable to wear. Whoever was doing the research for the program failed to understand that very basic thing indeed. 

I wonder where else they will go and what other myths they will perpetuate. Will they go to Aran and retell the false idea that each family had their own pattern or that ganseys were also knitted the same way?

There is an immense amount of knitting history still to be explored. It is difficult to do because there are not nearly as many such items to have survived. There are only rare examples from before the nineteenth century. We do have information from that time though and we need to continue to preserve it. Carol Christiansen and her team are doing an extraordinary job in documenting some of it but it needs support. I doubt the Game of Wool will do much to help that.