We’ve visited Hawes in North Yorkshire many times in the motorhome, but somehow there has always been one place I’ve never managed to properly explore — the Dales Countryside Museum.

The reason? Well, we usually have Jed, our GSD, with us, and unfortunately dogs and museums don’t always go together!

This time, though, my sister-in-law was with us, so I finally managed to escape for a couple of hours and have a good look around.

And I’m so glad I did.

The first thing that caught my eye was actually in the museum shop. There, on display, was a copy of Angharad Thomas’s book on knitted gloves.

Naturally, I had to take a peek!

But it was the display upstairs in the museum that really caught my attention.

Knitting was work, not just a hobby

The display explored how, through the centuries, hand-knitting provided a livelihood for thousands of people.

It was a fascinating reminder that knitting wasn’t simply something people did for pleasure or to fill a few quiet hours. For many families, it was an important source of income — or at least a way of bringing in some much-needed extra money.

Men, women and children all knitted stockings, caps and guernseys as part of their daily routine. And I particularly loved the fact that miners would knit on their way to work!

In fact, it was this part of the display that prompted my sister-in-law to turn to me and say:

“I didn’t know men knitted!”

Well, you can imagine my response!

Of course they did — and I was more than happy to put her straight. 😂

It’s easy to think of knitting as something traditionally associated with women, but the history tells a very different story. Knitting was a practical skill, and if you could knit, you could potentially earn money from it — whoever you were.

What really struck me was just how embedded knitting was in everyday life.

People knitted while travelling, while walking to work and alongside all the other things they had to do each day. It was a skill that could be fitted around life because, quite simply, life depended on it.

And I think that’s something worth remembering when we pick up our needles today.

For us, knitting might be a creative outlet, a way to relax, a social activity or simply something we love doing. But for previous generations, those same needles could help provide an income and support a family.

Standing in that museum and seeing the history brought to life made me look at our humble knitting needles in a slightly different way.

And, of course, I was delighted that my little visit also gave me the chance to spot Angharad’s book in the shop!

It just goes to show — even somewhere you’ve visited time and time again can still have something new to discover.

Have you visited the Dales Countryside Museum? And did you know that men were such an important part of the history of hand-knitting?

I’d love to hear what you think — especially if you have a story about knitting being passed down through your own family.

Happy knitting,

Sandra