All about knitting sticks and sheaths

Jay Angler asked a question here, quoted below for convenience.

Jay Angler wrote:OT - the video carried on to show the ladies knitting. They had an interesting holder that they put the right hand needle in, so that the right hand only had to do the yarn moving. Does anyone know anything more about this? Maybe we could open this discussion in a knitting thread later. I can crochet, but I never mastered knitting, and I'm thinking that if I used a system such as was shown, it would make a big difference.

The holder here is called a knitting stick or a knitting sheath. They were extraordinarily common during the days (and in many areas) of production knitting, in many parts of Europe.

(Note: knitting has been practiced in quite a bit more of the world than Europe. I’m only covering that continent because that’s where my knowledge base is. I would love to learn more about knitting traditions in other parts of the world, if anyone has knowledge or resources to share!)

Some history and background
From the time Queen Elizabeth I fell in love with her first pair of silk stockings, all the way through the 1800s, knitting was a way for poor folk to earn a bit of extra money to support themselves. So they got very, very good at it. Speeds of 200 stitches per minute - or more! - were the norm in many areas. Hazel Tindall, one of the fastest knitters in the world today, knits about that fast. In the Dales of the UK, the knitters were said to knit as fast as 400 stitches per minute, using a now-lost technique known as swaving. (For reference, the average knitting speed today seems to hover around 35 stitches per minute for most people.)

There are several different efficiencies that developed in various places to solve the problem of “how do I knit faster?” How you hold the yarn and the needles can make a big difference to your speed, for instance. Tensioning the yarn in the left vs the right hand, holding both needles overhand vs the right one like a pencil, which and how many fingers the yarn runs through on its way from ball to stitch - all impact your knitting. Even the ply direction of your yarn can be important for some techniques.

Production knitters, clever people that they were, knew all this and developed specific traditions and techniques to make their job as easy and fast as possible. When you’re being paid by the piece - and not very much per piece at that - being able to knit even two or three extra stitches a minute becomes a big deal.

One of those efficiencies was figuring out a way to hold the right-hand needle stationary while you knit. If your working needle is held still, then your hands have one less thing to worry about while they’re working.

Enter the knitting stick.

Knitting sticks, knit sheaths, and knitting belts
A knitting stick is, at its simplest, a stick with a hole drilled in the end to hold the end of a knitting needle. It’s wrapped in the apron strings to hold it where you want it. If you want to make it really secure, a hook shape can be carved in the back.

If you have a sweetheart and want to show off your carving skills, then knitting sticks are a perfect courting gift. If you were more well-to-do, a stick could be tipped with metal, such as this German example from the 1700s.

This link shows some of the more unusual carved designs: https://www.opusantiques.co.uk/single-post/2018/02/19/Antique-Knitting-Sticks-in-unusual-Forms

This blog post collects several other examples, and talks a bit about why knitting sticks aren’t more common today (spoiler: the gentrification of knitting by upper class Victorians is to blame): https://rovingcrafters.com/2015/10/20/why-dont-i-have-knit-sheath/

Shetland Islanders use a belt instead of a stick. The belt holds a leather pouch stuffed with horsehair, with holes of different sizes punched into the top leather of the hold different sizes of needles. These are still sold today by various companies, such as Jaimieson's of Shetland.

Wow.  I'm so glad this came up on my Daily email. . . soooo:
I switched to Crochet (which is a yarn hog) because my time is more valuable than *most* yarns, and I save knitting for 1) Sweaters, 2) fancy wool, for those times when the yarn is more expensive than my time =)

SO: it never occurred to me that knitting could be made more efficient than crochet.  I have seen so many looms (including a 400 year old design for knitting stockings by hand crank) that I thought that knitting was mechanistic in large-scale.  I never knew human hands could do 200+ stictch-per-minute.  

I was wildly disappointed that there were no blogs, links, or techniques posted to show HOW to get up to 200 stitches per minute.  I would love to learn HOW to do this!!! Do you have any such links, instead of just products, to show us how to use aforementioned products?  I would willing get a courtier/loved one to make me a metal-tipped knitting stick, if I knew how one was used. . .

That is soooo interesting! I had no idea there was such a thing, but it makes sense. I guess knitting for relaxation, as I do, would never have paid the bills for people back in the day. It would be fun to try knitting fast like that, though.

Never until I heard the phrase terrible knitters of dent and 200 stitches per minutes did I feel so compelled to learn a textile craft. Thank you for the very interesting read and links.

Highly intrigued. I started to move to felting over knitting due to time but I want to try this now. I know it won't make me a 200 stitch per minute knitter but might make it more enjoyable.

I used to see the old Italian ladies knitting by holding one of the needles anchored under their arm.  I think they were approximating using a knitting stick.  Gotta say, they were darn quick!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c-M37brGx8

Is there any way to learn to knit this way? I’d be very interested.

Interesting! I have learned to knit, years ago, but I never did it because it goes SO SLOW. I don't want to knit to while away the hours, I want things made and lack time.

I read the first post here, followed some links, the one called Why Don't I Have a Knitting Sheath  made a LOT of sense:: (from rovingcrafters.com article  )

Which brings me back to the question I’ve been harping on: Why don’t we have knit sheaths? I think (and this an opinion based on my reasoning and not any facts I could find) that we don’t have them because modern knitting traditions come from the fashionable drawing rooms of Europe and not the hard-working country villages. Knit sheaths were used by people who had to knit if they wanted sweaters to wear and socks on their feet. They knit first to keep their family clothed and second to earn every extra penny to keep their families fed. Knit sheaths were for knitters of a lower social class.

The knitters of the upper social class sat around in comfortable rooms are worked on their frilly, lace-y something-something to keep themselves occupied. Speed wasn’t as much of a concern as looking dignified and composed while knitting. I’m thinking you can’t look very dignified with a long knit needle stick up out of your clothes. The upper class knitters were the hobby knitters and we, the modern knitters, are descended from them. Which is how we got gibed out of our knit sheaths.

I followed more links on her site, and am reading these two, there are videos on them, I'm not a person who learns well from video, so I can't say if they are any good.
Learning to Use a Knit Sheath – Part 1
Learning to Knit All Over Again – Using a Knit Sheath


Fascinating! Thank you Jay Angler for asking the question, and Phoenix Blackdove for answering it!!
I'll have to think on this!
:D

Briana Great wrote:Wow.
I switched to Crochet (which is a yarn hog) because my time is more valuable than *most* yarns, and I save knitting for 1) Sweaters, 2) fancy wool, for those times when the yarn is more expensive than my time =)

There have been studies done involving The Crochet Council that have gone to show the above fallacy is now proven false. Crochet takes more yarn than knitting and doesn't drape as well for values. There are pluses and minuses for both yarn/fiber skills but, in general, knitting produces a drapier fabric than crochet. Crochet is better suited to certain trims and styles.
There are whole papers written on this.

Crochet uses roughly, depending on the stitch, 1/3 more yarn than knitting something comparable. So, yeah it uses more yarn. No, it's not a "yarn hog" unless needing ~400 m to do something is "hoggish" if you can knit the same with 300m. Fighting against Victorian value systems is a good way to spend time, though.

Speed is not the only thing that has me curious about this. I know that R Ranson had to give up knitting because of hand issues of some sort.

I actually wonder if people with some arthritis, like me, or other hand issues, might be able to knit effectively again, if they used a knitting sheath to do so. They seem simple enough to make (if you don't go for the fancy versions in the museum pictures), that trying one wouldn't be an expensive gamble!

I'm so glad that some knowledgeable permies have enlightened me about a simple piece of "traditional technology" because I noticed it in a movie and thought to ask. Thanks everyone!

I feel privileged to live in this situation in which I can knit (and crochet and other textile techniques) as a hobby. No need for speed. What I make and how I make it ... it's completely my own choice. Even some experimenting, trying out my own 'design', and if it doesn't work out as I wanted I can 'frog' it (rip it out) and start all over again.
If my choice is to have cheap clothing ... I won't make it myself (but buy second-hand). When I want to make something I use the best quality materials (from 'fair' and if possible organic origin) and a timeless design. And I enjoy my hobby!

Jay angler wrote: I actually wonder if people with some arthritis, like me, or other hand issues, might be able to knit effectively again, if they used a knitting sheath to do so.

That's a major part of why I'm curious about it all.

Thank you Phoenix, one of the links that you shared led me down a rabbit hole and found this video of Hazel Tindall a lady who knits with a sheath and holds several records for fastest knitter.

Impressive skills indeed.

Megan Palmer wrote:Thank you Phoenix, one of the links that you shared led me down a rabbit hole and found this video of Hazel Tindall a lady who knits with a sheath and holds several records for fastest knitter.

Impressive skills indeed.

Thank you so much for that video! What stands out to me is that the knitting style is basically like “throwing,” but the right arm doesn’t need to make such big movements to get the yarn around the needle. You’ve made me want to try it even more!

Megan Palmer wrote:Thank you Phoenix, one of the links that you shared led me down a rabbit hole and found this video of Hazel Tindall a lady who knits with a sheath and holds several records for fastest knitter ...

I knit the same way ... but not that fast!

Briana Great wrote:I was wildly disappointed that there were no blogs, links, or techniques posted to show HOW to get up to 200 stitches per minute.  I would love to learn HOW to do this!!! Do you have any such links, instead of just products, to show us how to use aforementioned products?  I would willing get a courtier/loved one to make me a metal-tipped knitting stick, if I knew how one was used. . .

The answer, sadly, seems to be “learn to knit at age 4 and turn out a pair of stockings a week, until you’re old enough to turn out several pairs a week”. Yes, there’s efficiencies in yarn management and using tools like a knitting stick or belt. But the number one way to get fast  - and this is true of any physical skill - is to practice. A lot. Muscle memory is the key here.  Heck, even the Yarn Harlot (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee), who gives knitting lessons for a living, only does her “Knitting for Speed and Efficiency” course in person, because there’s too much personal feedback required to make sure you’re learning effectively.

It’s further complicated by the fact that production knitting at that scale/speed is effectively a lost art. You could probably count the number of living people who have these skills, and are able and willing to teach them, on your fingers. The few I’ve managed to discover (eg Hazel Tindel, mentioned above) are all well above 50.

As you noticed, knitting machines were invented quite early in the process of textile industrialisation. That plays a part as well. Knitting machines were sold to Victorian housewives as a way to make pin money, as you could turn out an entire pair of socks in an hour or so, without the skill previously required to do so.

That said, this YouTube video gives a brief idea of how one uses a knitting stick:


This one shows Hazel Tindall just knitting her knits, one yarn in each hand:


This one shows footage of Shetlanders at the turn of the last century, knitting lace, socks, while walking, and all without a tool at all. The yarn is held in the same manner as if using a belt or sheath, but the needle is somewhat braced by the body when needed.


Edit: spelling

Dianne Justeen wrote:I used to see the old Italian ladies knitting by holding one of the needles anchored under their arm.  I think they were approximating using a knitting stick.  Gotta say, they were darn quick!

This is another style of production knitting. I’ve heard it called pit knitting, lever knitting, or Irish cottage style knitting. It was prevalent in Ireland and parts of Scotland (supposedly “pit” knitting is a reference to the coal pits that the knitters lived near and worked in, rather than the fact that you stick the needle in your armpit). Wonderful to know it’s used in other areas of the world as well!

Here’s a short video of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee demonstrating the technique that she learned from her grandmother. Is it anything like the style you saw from Italy?

Pearl Sutton wrote:

Jay angler wrote: I actually wonder if people with some arthritis, like me, or other hand issues, might be able to knit effectively again, if they used a knitting sheath to do so.

That's a major part of why I'm curious about it all.

I suspect it would depend on the individual. But I’ve heard several people who’ve learned the Yarn Harlot’s style of knitting say that even if they aren’t any faster, they’re certainly more comfortable while knitting.

I think having something to take the strain of the growing knitting would certainly help with the whole thing, though. For example, I like how technically simple jumpers knitted in the round on a circular needle are to make. I dislike immensely how heavy they get once you’re more than a few inches into the body. My wrists start to bug me after a while, no matter how I hold the needles or where I put my arms. (I don’t have arthritis, just dodgy wrists and shoulders from too much computer work, so I don’t know if/how any of this would translate.)

I originally learned to knit English style - yarn tensioned with the right hand and the right needle held like a pencil. In my quest over the years to get faster and stay comfortable, I’ve tried just about every knitting method I could find. Lever/armpit knitting, the Shetland method in the “they really did knit 200 stitches per minute” video I posted above, and using a knitting stick, are all ones I’ve found most comfortable for my hands over long sessions.

The Shetland and knitting stick styles keep both my hands in a neutral position, which I think plays a large role in the comfort level. When you hold the right needle like a pencil, your wrist turns inward (pronates) and the weight of the knitting is taken by the arm at the point the needle crosses the base of the thumb. Not a lot of muscles there to hold things up - they get tired fast. I find it fine for socks, but anything bigger and I need a different technique.

The wrist pronates when you’re lever knitting, too, but the weight of the knitting is under the wrist instead of on top of it. And the hand motion to throw the yarn is much bigger. As long as my nerves have been properly stretched (not a euphemism, I have physio exercises to stretch my arm nerves), and I exercise correct posture (lever knitting is awkward while slouching), I find it lovely for flat knitting. Along with a knitting thimble, it was absolutely fantastic for double knitting blanket squares.

A word to those looking for speed rather than comfort - if you can, try to pick a style that works for you, and stick to it like peanut butter. While I’ve certainly gotten faster with more efficient techniques, I’ve deliberately traded speed for range by learning so many different ways to knit.

Here's a short video of Hazel Tindall purling. It's nice, close up, knitter's eye view, so it gives a good idea of how the needles are held and the yarn tensioned.

Pearl Sutton wrote:
I followed more links on her site, and am reading these two, there are videos on them, I'm not a person who learns well from video, so I can't say if they are any good.
Learning to Use a Knit Sheath – Part 1
Learning to Knit All Over Again – Using a Knit Sheath

:D

I followed a link from Roving Crafters to A Fisherman Knits and he swears by knitting sheaths. He uses them with worsted wool that he spins himself to make weatherproof socks and gansey sweaters. A couple quotes from his site:

From A Super Resource

Twenty years of experimenting with knitting sheaths, knitting shields has taught me that they support at least a dozen different knitting techniques. Different techniques allow the production of different fabrics...

Flat ended, spring steel needles allow faster knitting, because motions can be smaller.  The right needle tip is slid (by flexing the needle) along the left needle, into the stitch to be knit. (The motion is driven by the large muscles of the upper arm. If I suddenly do a lot of knitting, it is my right deltoids and left bicep that get sore.) The motion of the right hand as it holds the working needle positions the finger carrying the yarn over the working needle's tip. Then a dip of the finger loops yarn over the working needle.  I release the pressure on the working needle, and spring action of the needle pops it out of  the old stitch. The relaxation of my arm  pulls the new stitch onto the right needle, keeping it from being dropped as the needle is flexed /slid into the next stitch on the left needle.  The angle between the needles must change by about 20 degrees when purling.  When you work out the required needle angle to allow the working needle to slide into the front of the stitch for purling, purling becomes just as fast.  I find switching back and forth between knitting and purling to be a bit slower, but still faster than anything I could do with  pointed needles.

You may need to keep a crochet hook and a fine pointed needle handy to fix some problems. I also use them for bobbles.  

And from My Technique

In fact, I use 3 different knitting techniques using the spring of steel needles. One works with 2.3 mm needles, one with 2 mm needles, and one works with fine needles. The description I sent out was vague, because these 3 techniques were all jumbled together in my head, and I was trying to describe a dozen knitting techniques as 2 knitting techniques, one using spring loaded flexing needles, and one using stiff needles   My muscles know what works, but I did not have the 3 techniques well defined in my head.  These were issues I tend to work out as I swatch and assemble project kits. I have an idea for a fabric, and then I figure out how to knit the fabric.

For example, there is a classic description of  knitting gloves very fast (using a knitting sheath) with the needles being pushed down and forward.  With pointy needles, this motion does not get you to "fast". With short stiff, blunt needles, one must push down and then pull up and the motion gets you to "fast". With short, blunt, 2 mm needles, you push down, loop the yarn, relax, and the spring of the needle finishes the stitch, very fast.  However, that spring only works for a limited range of needle diameters, which means the technique only works for a limited range of yarns. This is a specialized technique for people that need to knit many small objects quickly - and are willing to put in the effort to find the right knitting sheath, the right needles, and the right yarn. If you learn this technique as knitter in a glove factory, they will teach you which knitting sheath to use, how to use it, which needles to use, and they will supply the yarn.  This is not a path to Sheringham.

Jeremy VanGelder wrote:I followed a link from Roving Crafters to A Fisherman Knits and he swears by knitting sheaths. He uses them with worsted wool that he spins himself to make weatherproof socks and gansey sweaters.

I had a poke around this website, and oh, lawdy! What a wonderful blog! I can’t wait to sit back and read the whole archive.

The thing that stuck out for me during my brief perusal was not the worsted weight yarn - it was that it was being knit on tiny needles (2.3mm) for that weight. Most knitters nowadays use ~5mm needles for worsted (10 ply over here).

I can’t help but think the knitting belt helps considerably with that. The closest I’ve ever come to a similar feat was knitting 8 ply (DK) wool into a sock on 2.75mm DPNs (usual size is 4mm). That made my hands cramp something fierce if I went too long, but the socks wore well for not being a sock yarn.

Phoenix Blackdove wrote:

Jeremy VanGelder wrote:I followed a link from Roving Crafters to A Fisherman Knits and he swears by knitting sheaths. He uses them with worsted wool that he spins himself to make weatherproof socks and gansey sweaters.

I had a poke around this website, and oh, lawdy! What a wonderful blog! I can’t wait to sit back and read the whole archive.

The thing that stuck out for me during my brief perusal was not the worsted weight yarn - it was that it was being knit on tiny needles (2.3mm) for that weight. Most knitters nowadays use ~5mm needles for worsted (10 ply over here).

I can’t help but think the knitting belt helps considerably with that. The closest I’ve ever come to a similar feat was knitting 8 ply (DK) wool into a sock on 2.75mm DPNs (usual size is 4mm). That made my hands cramp something fierce if I went too long, but the socks wore well for not being a sock yarn.

There's a difference between 'worsted weight' yarn and 'worsted spun'. I think this yarn is not worsted weight. In my opinion it's impossible to knit that weight with such small needles. Worsted spun yarn can be of any weight.
Here's some info on the meaning of 'worsted spun': https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/2018/01/26/woolen-worsted-mean/

Phoenix Blackdove wrote:I had a poke around this website, and oh, lawdy! What a wonderful blog! I can’t wait to sit back and read the whole archive.

I think a good approach to read that blog would be to read the first page, to see how he does things now. And then go to the beginning (all the way back in 2006) and read forward from there.

He has a video of knitting with a stick in this post. I think it is a Blogger video, not a YouTube one.

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:
There's a difference between 'worsted weight' yarn and 'worsted spun'. I think this yarn is not worsted weight. In my opinion it's impossible to knit that weight with such small needles. Worsted spun yarn can be of any weight.
Here's some info on the meaning of 'worsted spun': https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/2018/01/26/woolen-worsted-mean/

Having now read through about four years of the archives of that blog, it is indeed worsted weight yarn. The author turned to spinning his own worsted spun, worsted weight yarns to get exactly what he wants for his knitting. His singles (circa 2011 at least) seem to be in the range of 9,000 ypp grist, and he plies up to worsted or even aran weight.

One of his 2022 blog posts mentions that he was using "2.3 mm needles to knit 4-ply, worsted weight yarn at 6 spi and 6-ply gansey yarn (1,000 ypp) at 7 spi".

He does state repeatedly that the only way he can knit such large yarn on such small needles is with the aid of a knitting sheath, and the correct needles. Apparently there's some physics involved with using springy steel needles that greatly change things in the knitter's favour, mostly by taking the strain off the wrists and transferring it to the large muscles in the arms and shoulders.

---

I just checked my copy of "Cornish Guernseys and Knit-Frocks" by Mary Wright, which is a historical account of guernsey knitting taken in Cornwall (first published 1979). On page 7 she states: "The yarn used for making guernseys is dark navy worsted, in four- and five-ply. It is not, as some people believe, an oiled yarn, but relies on a tight spinning twist and a closely knitted fabric for its weatherproof qualities."

When I first read that passage, I assumed she meant a worsted-spun yarn in a 4 ply or 5 ply weight, as the terms are used in Australia (roughly fingering and sport weight in the US). Now I'm not so sure.

Ms Wright talks about needles on page 19: "Knitting needles used for traditional guernseys were made of steel, pointed at both ends, and about fourteen inches (36 cm) long. They were purchased in sets of five. Everyone who remembers this type of knitting, mentions that the needles were 'very fine', with size 16 (1.5mm) being specified at Mevagissey!"

Even with a 4 ply/fingering weight yarn, 1.5mm needles is impressive. I'd love to knit that yarn and needle size into a swatch and see what the fabric is like. I don't have 1.5mm needles, but I do have a set of 1.75mm steel DPNs that need some rust removal before they're usable. Perhaps that will be my project for next month...

Phoenix Blackdove wrote:I just checked my copy of "Cornish Guernseys and Knit-Frocks" by Mary Wright, which is a historical account of guernsey knitting taken in Cornwall (first published 1979). On page 7 she states: "The yarn used for making guernseys is dark navy worsted, in four- and five-ply. It is not, as some people believe, an oiled yarn, but relies on a tight spinning twist and a closely knitted fabric for its weatherproof qualities."
...

I don't have 1.5mm needles, but I do have a set of 1.75mm steel DPNs that need some rust removal before they're usable. Perhaps that will be my project for next month...

Please keep us posted. One of the things I'm contemplating at the moment is some sort of replacement for my current all artificial and dying rapidly farm coat. Using second hand for farm use only goes so far regarding the environmental damage the artificial fabric industry is doing. However, I'm in a rainy/windy winter eco-system, and I get cold easily, so coming up with something that works for me in natural fabric that also isn't too heavy or stiff for working in, is not going to be easy. I'm well aware of my ignorance about what wool is capable of! The poor examples I've used in the past didn't block the wind enough and I didn't generate enough body heat to keep dry either. However, I'm not prepared to blame the failure only on my body!

Thank you for this explanation Phoenix. So it is really worsted weight yarn he knits with such fine needles.
I don't think I am able to do what he does. I mean: I can not do it without getting pain in my arm (wrist). Maybe such a knitting sheath would help, but I think one needs strong arm muscles too (like male persons have).

At the moment one of my WIPs (Works in Progress) is a Bavarian twisted stitches sock which I knit with fingering yarn on needles 1,5 mm. I already decided this will not become a pair of socks. I will make only one, to have practiced this stitch pattern (maybe I'll use it as a phone cover ...). Because of this I could not imagine how anyone could ever knit worsted weight yarn with needles 2,25 mm.

I gave into temptation yesterday, and drilled a 2mm hole in a spare piece of wood to use as a knitting stick with my next pair of socks. It’s hard to measure accurately on such a tiny toe, but the gauge seems to be about 9.5 st/in with the aid of the stick.

My usual gauge, knitting in hand with 2.25mm needles and this brand of yarn (Bendigo Woollen Mills sock), is 8 st/in. (That’s due to comfort rather than because I think it’s the best gauge for purpose. I think it could stand to be more tightly knit for socks.)

I measured a pair of socks I made with a thinner sock yarn (Socks Yeah by Coopknits, a US brand) and 2mm needles. The gauge on those is 9 st/in. I didn’t enjoy making them very much. I don’t like the feel of 2mm DPNs held in hand, I find them uncomfortable.

This new pair of socks, knit with the knitting stick, has been perfectly pleasant to make so far. I haven’t noticed any extra strain on my arms from the tighter gauge, though I’m still figuring out the technique to use the big muscles instead of the little ones. Standing up straight with good posture certainly helps. So maybe I’ll end up with healthier back muscles too…