ICON’s Textile Group is hosting an online talk on 20th February 2023 on ‘Identifying loops and other ingredients in evidence for early modern knitting’. Dr Jane Malcom-Davies of the University of Copenhagen and The Tudor Tailor will be discussing the search for terminology for textile analysis. Knitted artefacts are important in expanding our understanding of the craft of knitting, but lack of agreed terminology has led to incomplete or inaccurate cataloguing in museum collections. Identification of structure can be hit-or-miss, exacerbated by the tendency of observers to mix deductions as to methods of construction with reportage of essential characteristics. This in turn has hampered scientific discussion of the extant evidence of knitting, as not all knitted artefacts have been correctly identified. This talk recommends a protocol for evidence-based recording of extant items with the aim of providing reliable descriptive detail for those who cannot view the items for themselves, offering a sound foundation upon which later observers can build further insights. A vocabulary is suggested which is based on English terminology used in textile analysis, craftwork, and in the mechanised knitting industry today.
The Textile Group is one of several special interest groups of ICON, the Institute of Conservation, that support the development of conservation professionals and provide specialised learning and networking opportunities. Establishing a framework in which surviving knitting can be consistently correctly identified and fully analysed is a positive move forward.
The talk will be held online on 20th February 2023 from 7pm to 8.15pm GMT/UTC. Tickets are free to ICON members but non-members can attend for a fee of £10. Details and ticket booking at the ICON website https://www.icon.org.uk/events/textile-group-identifying-loops-and-other-ingredients-in-evidence-for-early-modern-knitting.html