Early Origins of Knitting.

An exact geographical origin for knitting cannot be specified. Some people may believe that the craft was developed B.C. but this is strongly disputed today. The oldest remnants of seemingly knitted pieces are those that were worn as socks. It is believed that socks and stockings were the first pieces to be produced by techniques similar to knitting as they had to be shaped in order to fit the foot, whereas woven cloth could be used for most other items of clothing. Today it is known that these early socks were worked in knitting and crochet, an ancient craft which involves creating fabric from thread by making multiple knots or loops. It is done with a needle (originally of wood or bone). There exist numerous techniques of nalebinding, and some of them look very similar to true knitting. This craft was almost dead by the time archaeological excavations started except in some very remote areas, so no one thought about it. Some of the oldest textiles ever found are today believed to be a kind of knitting-crochet. It has been speculated that nalebinding or related techniques may have preceded the ability to spin continuous thread, because nalebinding isn't worked with a continuous thread and so doesn't require one. Several other pieces done in now almost extinct techniques have been mistaken for knitting or crochet by archaeologists who had no training in the history of needlework.

The first references to true knitting in Europe were in the early 14th century, although the first knitted socks from Egypt are older, some scholars dating them to the 11th century. At these early times, the purl stitch was unknown; in order to produce plain knitting it was necessary to knit in the round and then cut it open. The first reference to purl stitch dates from the mid-16th century, but the knowledge may have slightly preceded that.

From Wikipedia. History of Knitting