Knitting in Middle-earth: An Hypothetical Essay
Rate this post There is no direct evidence of knitting in Middle-earth, but if Middle-earth existed, knitting would have certainly existed in it. Several characters in The Lord of the Rings are mentioned as wearing stockings, which are defined as nearly always being knit garments, but knitting itself is not mentioned. In fact, almost anything […]
3 Comments
Very nice article wich I have been waiting to read for a long time. It would have been interesting to see some pictures of the kind of stockings they might have worn…wonder if they had turnd heels or not? 🙂
Good job!
Nan
Excellent! I agree that the stockings must have been knitted. Tolkien lived in a world in which it was common for women to knit stockings/socks for their children and men-folk, and I’m sure he merely took it for granted that this simple art was widely practiced in Middle Earth. That he mentions rather the grander art of weaving reflects its higher status perhaps. You do not mention a couple of other fibres that I think could have been used. These are linen, from the flax plant, which would have grown even better I suspect than cotton around the (relatively northern) Shire; also the nettle, which was cultivated from early times as a source of fibres and a welcome spring vegetable. Seriously! I’ve eaten them they don’t sting when cooked! Linen was used by the Viking folk, whose culture Tolkien used as a base for his Rohirrim.
I like to think also that the peoples of Middle Earth would have indulged in some other fibre crafts which are lesser known these days. Possible the use of the lucet for pre-zipper cords (see my article in LHH) and naalebinding – a Viking method of making an extremely thick, elastic material suitable for stockings, gloves etc. Fun to speculate isn’t it? 🙂
They definitely had sheep: Chapter II of The Hobbit: Roast Mutton!