Knitting is a one of the most popular Crafts for customers at Calico Laine and people of all ages are taking it up as a hobby, knitting clothes and accessories throughout the year and not just in the winter months as you would expect. Knitting has been a Craft for centuries, with the first evidence of knitting believed to be from Egypt. This early piece of knitting, using two needles, is a pair of socks and is believed to date back to the 11th Century. The word knitting is thought to originate from the Dutch language and is derived from the work knot. Originally people took to knitting, a process of using needles to loop yarn is a number of interconnected loops to create a form of fabric, in order to create clothing to protect the wearer from the elements. Over the years. this Craft has evolved from simply creating clothing to serve a basic human need to become more of a hobby. People are obviously still creating clothes through knitting however it is now also used to make bags, children's toys and home accessories. Crafts in general have become increasingly popular in the last decade and it is important for anybody taking up a new craft to have all the correct accessories. The following items would be useful for anybody trying their hand at knitting or experienced knitters. Row Counter : When you are knitting it can be so easy to forget the amount of stitches you have done, something that is important if you are following any sort of pattern. If you miscount the number you have done, your whole pattern can look wrong and this is where a row counter can help you out. This gadget sits on the top of your knitting needle and as you knit each row you turn the numbers to keep you on track. There are two sizes, small, which fit on 2-5 knitting needles and large, which fit onto 5.5 - 7.5 needles. Stitch Markers : This Crafts item from Prym comes complete with 21 pieces of different coloured stitch markers. Add these into the stitch that you would like to remember, for example if this is the stitch that changed from one type to another; or to keep track of the number of stitches you have done. Pom Pom Makers : Now we all know how cute babies look with a knitted hat with a pom pom stuck on top, this makes making the pom pom quicker and easier to do. Our Knitting in Elastic is also made by Prym and is on a 200 metre card. It helps to retain the shape and hold all the seperate pieces of your knitting together brilliantly.