Knitting

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31653, 13 April 1968, Page 4

Knitting

The Sacred History of Knitting. By Heinz Edgar Kiewe. Art Needlework Industries, Ltd. 201 pp. Illustrated.

Mr Kiewe’s deep interest in knitting has led him along some unexpected lines of thought in this unusual book. With biblical quotations he traces man’s early affection for the lamb and its white fleece and delves into commentaries on the Bible for information about “knitted and other non-woven elastic apparel.” His investigations took him on a journey to the museums of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Cyprus, where he studied early statuary, in which he claims the perpendicular ridges represent garments knitted in ribbing. Painting, particularly the 14th century Madonna Buxtehude by Master Bertram, also gave him further evidence of the antiquity of this craft. Mr Kiewe brings his researches up to the present day with comments on the thermal qualities of wool compared with those of 20th century synthetic fibres. He has a great admiration for modern youth who wear the casual heavy knit pullovers, which he feels are so much more practical and suitable to their way of life than the formal clothes of earlier generations. The author is an enthusiast and if, sometimes, his enthusiasm exceeds his facility with the English language, he has, nevertheless, produced a most interesting book.