Textile Fragment
300-499 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Before the technique of knitting with two needles evolved, textiles with a very similar structure and texture were created by a technique known as ‘single-needle knitting’. This small bag, made in this method was excavated from Christian burial grounds of the 3rd to 5th century AD, found in the present-day city of al-Bahnasa in Egypt and was possibly made as an accessory for a child’s doll.
Single-needle knitting used yarn threaded through the eye of a sewing needle worked in the round through a series of loops. It was much more laborious and slower than knitting with two needles, as the yarn could only be worked in short lengths. Extra pieces of yarn had to be spliced on as the ‘knitting’ progressed.
Single-needle knitting used yarn threaded through the eye of a sewing needle worked in the round through a series of loops. It was much more laborious and slower than knitting with two needles, as the yarn could only be worked in short lengths. Extra pieces of yarn had to be spliced on as the ‘knitting’ progressed.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Wool, single-needle knitted |
Brief description | for a doll? single-needle knitting, 300-499, Egyptian, green, coral wool, Oxyrhynchus |
Physical description | A small bag, possibly for a doll, worked in single-needle knitting in purple, green and coral wool with drawstring of gold yarn at one end and a bead-shaped woollen ornament at the other. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Credit line | Given by the Egyptian Exploration Fund |
Object history | Excavated from Christian burial grounds in the late Roman city of Oxyrynchus (now known as al-Bahnasa) during excavations by the Egypt Exploration Fund during the winter of 1903/4. Historical significance: A rare example of single-needle knitting from the late Roman period - possibly representing a child's toy. |
Summary | Before the technique of knitting with two needles evolved, textiles with a very similar structure and texture were created by a technique known as ‘single-needle knitting’. This small bag, made in this method was excavated from Christian burial grounds of the 3rd to 5th century AD, found in the present-day city of al-Bahnasa in Egypt and was possibly made as an accessory for a child’s doll. Single-needle knitting used yarn threaded through the eye of a sewing needle worked in the round through a series of loops. It was much more laborious and slower than knitting with two needles, as the yarn could only be worked in short lengths. Extra pieces of yarn had to be spliced on as the ‘knitting’ progressed. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1288-1904 |
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Record created | October 31, 2006 |
Record URL |
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