Knitting Nancy

A modern day Knitting Nancy with a crank

A Knitting Nancy is a small, often handheld device that enables items to be constructed out of yarn by some knitting-like technique. Knitting Nancies are the oldest members of the loom family, with a history dating back over 400 years.[1] Such devices are often marketed to children.[2]

Knitting Nancies can be store-bought or homemade. Some commercial versions can be straight, enabling flat items like blankets or scarfs to be made, or round for making socks, hats, or other similar items. Simple versions contain just peg-like structures sticking up from a solid object. More complex ones operate complex mechanisms and automatically produce a knitted item with just a simple motion, such as a turn of a crank.

Homemade Knitting Nancies are often made by placing a peg-like object, such as a nail, into a hard solid object, such as a block of wood.

With a Knitting Nancy, the knitting takes place when the yarn is wrapped around the peglike objects. It is then lifted over, thereby creating stitches. This process is repeated continually until the project is complete.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Phelps, Isela (2007). Loom Knitting Primer: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting on a Loom, with Over 30 Fun Projects. Macmillan. pp. 8–. ISBN 978-0-312-36661-2.
  2. ↑ Fisch, Arline M. (2003). Textile Techniques in Metal: For Jewelers, Textile Artists & Sculptors. Lark Books. pp. 64–. ISBN 978-1-57990-514-9.