0:00:02 > 0:00:04SHEEP BLEATING
0:00:04 > 0:00:08Britain is home to 32 million sheep.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11And for centuries, we have relied on our four-legged friends
0:00:11 > 0:00:14for wool to knit with.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17But it was only in the 20th century
0:00:17 > 0:00:20that knitting rose from a humble craft...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23to the height of popular fashion.
0:00:23 > 0:00:29Over six glorious decades from the Roaring Twenties to the 1980s,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33knitting would become the staple of every wardrobe.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Well, I wonder if you've noticed the sweater that I'm wearing.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39It's, I think, just about the chunkiest sweater I've ever seen!
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Young and old,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45male and female,
0:00:45 > 0:00:47and in every style imaginable.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52From hand knits made from real wool -
0:00:52 > 0:00:57soft and fluffy, or a bit scratchy -
0:00:57 > 0:01:00but also smooth knitted fabric made on machines,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and synthetic knits - colourful,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05and even sexy.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10You know where you are with knitting needles.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13There's something safe, secure, and methodical,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15and, at the same time, creative.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18During this golden age,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22the art of knitting would come to define Britain.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24In days of leisure,
0:01:24 > 0:01:25but also times of hardship.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29We just knitted, and...
0:01:29 > 0:01:33giggled and knitted and giggled some more and...
0:01:33 > 0:01:35It was good.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40It's a craft that has captured our national spirit.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I think that knitting is particularly British
0:01:42 > 0:01:45because it's thrifty, it's hard work,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48but also, it's great fun.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50It's quirky, it's about sharing,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and it's full of humour.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01This is the story of our nation told through two needles
0:02:01 > 0:02:03and a length of yarn.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08A golden age of British knitting.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32For hundreds of years, the knitted jumper was a functional garment.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40A working class staple - cheap to make, warm and practical,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43worn by the army, sailors and fishermen.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50One thing a knitted jumper was not...
0:02:50 > 0:02:53was fashionable.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57JAZZ MUSIC
0:02:57 > 0:03:00All that was to change in the 1920s,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03with a new generation of bright young things,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07who wanted to put the misery of the First World War behind them,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and begin a new age of fun and frolics.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14And it all started with one man.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20The pin-up of the age -
0:03:20 > 0:03:22the Prince of Wales.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29This was the '20s - people were looking for colour, fun,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and generally more relaxed living.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35I think the Prince embodied this youthful spirit.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And so he was extremely popular as a prince.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42He was considered to be very handsome, although he was minute,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44and, of course, photography was getting better
0:03:44 > 0:03:47so the newspapers carried reports on him.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49And everyone could go to their cinema
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and they would see news programmes of the prince
0:03:52 > 0:03:54on these royal tours that he went.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56And he really was a breath of fresh air,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58and people adored him.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07On 27th September, 1922,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09the Prince of Wales stepped out
0:04:09 > 0:04:12on the golf course at St Andrews in Scotland,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14in front of a huge crowd.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20All eyes were on his outfit -
0:04:20 > 0:04:22knickerbocker trousers
0:04:22 > 0:04:24stuffed into socks,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and on his head, a cloth cap.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34But it was what he wore under his tweed jacket
0:04:34 > 0:04:36that was to cause a sensation.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40A Fair Isle jumper...
0:04:40 > 0:04:42later immortalised in a painting.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48With its bold geometric pattern,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51no-one had seen a jumper quite like it in society,
0:04:51 > 0:04:53let alone on a prince.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Made on a remote Scottish island
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and entirely hand knitted,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03this was a fisherman's working garment,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06reinvented as high fashion.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10It was quite startling to journalists
0:05:10 > 0:05:12and fashion commentators at the time.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Almost vulgar in its brightness,
0:05:14 > 0:05:16and in the way the knitwear
0:05:16 > 0:05:19offered a sense of informality
0:05:19 > 0:05:22that was quite shocking but very, very chic.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27So, what Edward really did was he brought the comfort
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and the functionality of knitwear
0:05:30 > 0:05:32into a fashionable context.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42The Prince's wardrobe choice
0:05:42 > 0:05:44was to put Fair Isle,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47a tiny remote island off the north coast of Scotland,
0:05:47 > 0:05:50firmly on the fashion map.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55In the 1920s,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57the islanders were flooded with new orders
0:05:57 > 0:05:59for their hand knitted jumpers.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06But making a jumper was hard work.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09The whole process - from plucking the fleece
0:06:09 > 0:06:11to spinning the yarn - was done by hand.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Knitting was an income,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21it was a livelihood,
0:06:21 > 0:06:22it wasn't done as a hobby
0:06:22 > 0:06:24as it might be done now.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27It was done to supplement the subsistence incomes
0:06:27 > 0:06:30they had from farming and fishing.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33And so they would take every opportunity to knit,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35because it was very precious time to be spent,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39so they really had to knit as fast as possible.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43They could knit whilst walking along,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and so they were never idle, and their hands were always working -
0:06:46 > 0:06:49whether they were walking or tending to flocks.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53So they were really doubly employed a lot of the time.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56And the knitting of the Fair Isle jumpers from the '20s
0:06:56 > 0:06:57became so fashionable,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00this was a real income for them.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Fair Isle has its own unique style -
0:07:12 > 0:07:15hard-learned and complex to do.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Always a lovely knitter - so even!
0:07:20 > 0:07:22I learnt to knit egg cosies.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24You got three and sixpence each when you sold them,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26so that was the pocket money.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And it was the four of us together.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35It's not just an island tradition, but a family one -
0:07:35 > 0:07:39passed down generation to generation, mother to daughter.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Fair Isle knitting is a very clever way
0:07:53 > 0:07:56of creating very complicated colour patterns
0:07:56 > 0:08:00but working just with two colours in a row at a time.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I'm holding the two colours in my right hand -
0:08:06 > 0:08:11alternately, I'm knitting three stitches of the cream,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and then one stitch with the brown colour.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21Three of one colour, one of the second colour in this row.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24And that will change row by row,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28so that I can then create the colour pattern.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33The colour which isn't being knitted at the time,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35it waits until I need it next,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and then I have to knit that loop
0:08:38 > 0:08:41and by bringing it forward, it creates a strand.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45And it also makes the fabric very thick and warm and cosy,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and that was something that in Fair Isle they really needed.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And the first Fair Isle items were actually hats and gloves
0:08:52 > 0:08:55and scarves, before they did sweaters.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08After the Prince, it wasn't just Fair Isle that became popular,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12but hand-knitted jumpers of every kind.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18What you see in countless photographs of the 1920s
0:09:18 > 0:09:21of middle class and lower middle class men
0:09:21 > 0:09:24is the mass adoption of knitwear.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Jumpers and socks made at home,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31with love, become acceptable presents.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33So, you suddenly see the man's wardrobe,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35the husband's wardrobe,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37the son's wardrobe,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39transformed by this knitting craze.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And knitwear wasn't just about jumpers.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54There were knitted vests,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56long johns
0:09:56 > 0:09:58and women's all-in-ones.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Chief of the knitted underwear industry
0:10:03 > 0:10:06was Derbyshire company John Smedley.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13With a history stretching back nearly 230 years...
0:10:13 > 0:10:18today, it's the oldest factory in the world still in operation.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34John Smedley still makes some of its garments on knitting machines
0:10:34 > 0:10:38similar to the ones used for underwear in the 1920s.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Operated by hand, machine knitting is a skill in its own right.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49First of all, you have to set the width of the garment
0:10:49 > 0:10:51that you're starting at.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53That is done with the levers on the end.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56You can select "widning", which is to widen,
0:10:56 > 0:10:57or "narrowing", which is to narrow.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01You put the bar in.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04And we put weight on it.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Then on an outergarment, we'd normally have 12 plain courses.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13So you would do
0:11:13 > 0:11:14one,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16two,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18three,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20four...
0:11:21 > 0:11:24That counts the courses.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27In a garment you might have, say, 269 plain courses.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32A lot of knitters could actually keep count in their head,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35but you've only got to let your concentration wander
0:11:35 > 0:11:38and you're thinking, "How many?"
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Some of the original underwear is still kept in the mill's archives.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57One of the other great advantages of being able to knit garments
0:11:57 > 0:11:59is you can shape them to fit -
0:11:59 > 0:12:01what we call fully fashioned fit.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05And Smedley was doing that from quite early on.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08So you can see on these garments, you can see evidence of them
0:12:08 > 0:12:10shaping the leg or the arm
0:12:10 > 0:12:12or the body,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and for the breast gores, as they're called,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18you can see they were capable of shaping the garment to fit.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21So this means that they're very comfortable.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24And, of course, they have to be worn in combination with corsets.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27So something like this would sit very comfortably under that.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29And it did enable you, obviously,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32to have something you could wash and change frequently
0:12:32 > 0:12:35because the outer clothes weren't washed or changed so frequently.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40And, of course, these garments enabled people to survive in houses
0:12:40 > 0:12:42which didn't have central heating.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45When you're wearing a garment like this,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49there are certain practical details which have to be remembered.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52And right up until the 1920s,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56women wore undergarments with open gussets,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58because they had long skirts
0:12:58 > 0:13:03and for simple practicalities, you needed relatively easy access.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14But the world of machine-knitted fabric was about to explode.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20The fine knit material so suitable for underpants and long johns
0:13:20 > 0:13:22had attracted the attention of a woman
0:13:22 > 0:13:27who would become one of the most famous designers in the world...
0:13:28 > 0:13:31..Coco Chanel.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34The woman's wardrobe would never be the same again.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Coco Chanel, of course, is somebody
0:13:38 > 0:13:40who is really credited with bringing
0:13:40 > 0:13:42modern dressing for women to the fore.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46And she was very much about comfort and relaxation and wearable clothing.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51She worked with a lot of British knitwear companies
0:13:51 > 0:13:57to produce knitted suits and lots of jersey garments within her designs.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Really, knitwear provided a revolutionary way of dressing,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05because it meant that soft separates were available for the day,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07and women were no longer constrained
0:14:07 > 0:14:10to tightly tailored and corseted garments.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13So it's really the beginning of the modern way of dressing.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Chanel was the first to introduce the idea of wearing jersey layers,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27which would become the basis for that quintessential British look -
0:14:27 > 0:14:29the twinset.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32A matching jersey and cardigan... worn with pearls.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38It's really a code of dressing that's actually incredibly hard
0:14:38 > 0:14:40to get right and incredibly hard to read.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45You either end up looking like a prim Sunday school teacher...
0:14:45 > 0:14:48or you can look like the most glamorous thing
0:14:48 > 0:14:51that's wafted in from the Continent.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Chanel sort of played with those extremes, I think,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58and it's a look that British aristocratic women
0:14:58 > 0:15:00are very good at pulling off.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11In the 1930s, the British had started to lead
0:15:11 > 0:15:12a more active lifestyle -
0:15:12 > 0:15:16having discovered the health benefits of the great outdoors
0:15:16 > 0:15:17and the sun.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23You get a new enjoyment of the body and of exercise,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27so people are getting outside, they're stripping off.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32So all those thin fine undergarments suddenly become outer garments,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and there's something about the pleasure of wearing light layers
0:15:35 > 0:15:38that knitwear gives.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Casual sportswear was now such big business
0:15:41 > 0:15:46that even traditional underwear companies broadened their range
0:15:46 > 0:15:49to make fine knitted tops and leisurewear.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Knits were everywhere... even at the beach,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59where the epitome of style was a knitted bathing costume.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08WOMAN: This specially woven bathing suit is the very latest for the beach,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10and has marvellous sea and sun-resisting properties.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11- MAN:- What's it made of?
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Wool, if you must know. Wool!
0:16:13 > 0:16:15You know, sheep's hair.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- I say, doesn't she knit fast! - Quite!
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Everybody, really, was wearing them who went to the beach.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26It was an extremely popular pastime.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Swimming, as well as all other sports,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32had become a hugely fashionable thing to do.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34And, of course, for ladies -
0:16:34 > 0:16:37they wanted to still look glamorous when they went to the beach.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43They were all very fitted
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and all were built with what is called "negative ease",
0:16:46 > 0:16:49which meant they were all supposed to be smaller than the person wearing them,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53so they were very tight and clinging.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Lots of women knitted their own swimsuits in the 1930s.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Using an old pattern from the time,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Susan has recreated one of those original costumes.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20This garment here...
0:17:20 > 0:17:23is a swimsuit from 1932,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and it's known as Call Of The Sea.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29The shorts are built in,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and then it has a skirt over the top,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and then it has these little built-in straps,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37and it's got a seagull on the front.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43The biggest problem we're aware of with knitted swimsuits of the time,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47is the thing that everybody knows about, which is
0:17:47 > 0:17:52when you go in the water and you immerse your swimsuit in the water,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55the swimsuit does not stay on your body -
0:17:55 > 0:17:59it sinks from your body and holds all the water.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01So when you try and come out the water,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03your swimsuit doesn't want to come out with you!
0:18:03 > 0:18:06So today I have got a model friend of mine, Fleur,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08who's a very brave young lady,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10and she's going to try on this swimsuit,
0:18:10 > 0:18:15and she's actually going to go into the sea behind us.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18And we'll see what happens to the swimming costume
0:18:18 > 0:18:21when she comes back out the water!
0:19:08 > 0:19:10It's a little bit heavy.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Erm, not too bad.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Not a lot of support in this area,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16but I think I could've lived in the 1930s.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It definitely wouldn't have stopped me going to the beach.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24The 1930s knitted swimming costume
0:19:24 > 0:19:28is probably the most glamorous swimming costume that you can wear.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31And I, for one, think we should bring them back!
0:19:41 > 0:19:46But the carefree days of holidays and leisure were drawing to a close.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51Now knitting would move from popular fashion to basic survival.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57AIR RAID SIREN
0:20:08 > 0:20:11From the earliest days of the Second World War,
0:20:11 > 0:20:15knitting would become an obsessive occupation through the dark hours
0:20:15 > 0:20:18of hardship and bombing raids.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33In long-standing community clubs,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37there are people who remember those days only too well.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43These women knitted during the war as teenagers.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46And haven't stopped since.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Dot Bradnam was first taught to knit aged six,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and is still at it, more than eight decades later.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06Well, apart from anything else, it's lovely to see something grow.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10"I did that", "I can have that", "So and so can wear that".
0:21:10 > 0:21:12I used to love it.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And I used to be able to do it an awful lot quicker.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23It's nice, knitting when you've got a nice colour.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24It makes a difference.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Penny Gabb remembers knitting during the war at home,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31with her mother and sisters.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37We used to knit in the dining room,
0:21:37 > 0:21:41all crouched around the electric fire to keep us warm,
0:21:41 > 0:21:45and we used to have, maybe, the wireless on at the same time,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and a round table,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52and we just knitted.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And giggled and knitted and giggled some more, and...
0:21:56 > 0:22:00We all sat as close to the heater, to the fire as we could,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03so the front of our legs was always bright red and burnt,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06but the backs were so cold.
0:22:06 > 0:22:07It was very cold in the war.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Very, very cold.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13I think knitting was vitally important during the Second World War.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16It was a really sort of important recreation,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19so if you were spending hours on end at night in an air raid shelter,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22or in your home with a blackout - not a great deal to do,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24you couldn't really go out as such,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27so I think it was a very important thing to do,
0:22:27 > 0:22:28to keep yourself occupied, really.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It was a sort of social activity, as well.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Knitting was vital for the troops.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41They needed lots of warm woollen clothes,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45and hard-pressed factories couldn't keep up with demand.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52So women and children knitted them so-called "woollen comforts" of every kind.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Oh, Lord, yes.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I can remember Mum teaching me to do socks.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00We'd sit and do socks.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03And that was quite fun.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Oh, no, we did knit masses of socks.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14Balaclava helmets, gloves... Gloves, socks galore.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Masses of them. And scarves!
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I nearly forgot the scarves.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Terribly monotonous.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24Soul destroying.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Knitting for the troops got so huge
0:23:32 > 0:23:34that people from every walk of life joined in.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'Twice a week the Queen joins the ladies
0:23:42 > 0:23:44'in the blue drawing room of Buckingham Palace
0:23:44 > 0:23:47'to work for the Red Cross or do knitting for the troops.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56'There's a complete absence of formality.
0:23:56 > 0:23:57'It's just a job to be done.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59'An example to us all,
0:23:59 > 0:24:01'of the way to win a war!'
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Everybody wanted to feel they were doing their bit,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11and really helping the war effort.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13And knitters were a big part of that
0:24:13 > 0:24:17because knitting, whether for the troops and knitting comforts,
0:24:17 > 0:24:18or knitting for your own family,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21you're still doing your bit, and really helping Britain.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Soldiers too were taught how to knit.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35And it came in especially handy when they were captured by the Germans.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42An extraordinary collection of jumpers
0:24:42 > 0:24:45still survives in the Imperial War Museum.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49Hand knitted by British prisoners of war.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59This jumper was made by a prisoner of war called Ronald Eastman,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02and one of the things we know about him was he was a handicraft teacher
0:25:02 > 0:25:05before the war, so probably knitting was something
0:25:05 > 0:25:07that he was already skilled at.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09It does look like it's been very well made.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11It's got different stitching around the collar.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14It does look like a very nice jumper to wear.
0:25:14 > 0:25:15The other thing we know about him
0:25:15 > 0:25:18is that because he was skilled in all sorts of craft activities,
0:25:18 > 0:25:23he was actually used for forging German documents in the camp
0:25:23 > 0:25:24which were used in escape attempts.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26So, obviously, a very skilled individual.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31This jumper again looks like its been made out of scraps
0:25:31 > 0:25:33of different wool because the colour varies,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36the sleeves have these different coloured bits at the shoulders
0:25:36 > 0:25:38and down the arms.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42It's also possibly been made by a prisoner whose knitting skills
0:25:42 > 0:25:44weren't up to the level of some of the others,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46because it's a little bit uneven
0:25:46 > 0:25:49in that one of the arms is a little bit longer than the other.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55This jumper was made by a prisoner of war called James Graham.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00And we know that this jumper was actually made by using a pair of homemade needles.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02He made them out of a Red Cross box.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05But obviously he's still managed to make a very skilful job of it
0:26:05 > 0:26:08despite using improvised materials and equipment.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11All the jumpers look like they'd be really nice to wear.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13They look like they'd be very warm.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And I'm amazed by the level of detail that's gone into them -
0:26:16 > 0:26:18like the stripes on this one,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20the cable knit on the one over there.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I'm always impressed by anything made by a prisoner of war,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25they showed such ingenuity and skill,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27and often in very difficult conditions
0:26:27 > 0:26:29with only improvised equipment.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38As the war dragged on,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41the wool supply in Britain virtually dried up.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46So the Government introduced the Make Do And Mend campaign,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49to ensure clothes had a longer life.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54The greatest enemy in this particular battle
0:26:54 > 0:26:56wasn't the Nazi bomber...
0:26:57 > 0:26:58..but the moth!
0:27:02 > 0:27:05MAN'S VOICE: The eggs have hatched and they've started chewing their way
0:27:05 > 0:27:08through tweed and twill, worsted and wool.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10But stop - you can still win!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Get busy at once, let the air in, let the light in,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16brush your clothes, shake 'em,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18beat 'em, hang 'em out in the sun.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24People were also told to recycle their old wool.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28When a knitted item wore out,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30you just pulled the whole thing apart.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32You used to sit, pulling it apart,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35and wind it into a skein.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Wash it, and wrap it round a ball while it was absolutely wet.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45And sort of hung it till it drip-dried.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Then we had to knit it all up again.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We had to recycle it.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I can remember sitting with Mum like this.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01All the bits that were all right, we used again.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02I'd forgotten that!
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Lots and lots of bits and pieces were reused,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16so two-colour knitting came back big style.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Things like Fair Isle were very popular
0:28:18 > 0:28:23because it only involved small amounts of different coloured wool.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Sweaters got shorter and tighter,
0:28:25 > 0:28:28because, of course, you were re-knitting a lot,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30so you didn't have quite the same amount of yarn
0:28:30 > 0:28:31as you might have done.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49When the war finally came to an end in May, 1945,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53relief and joy were universal.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57The country was in a mood for change.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04The newly elected Labour government promised comfortable new homes
0:29:04 > 0:29:06and free healthcare for everyone.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16Women now put war work behind them, and focused on the home.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22The post-war years brought a baby boom.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25And who better to knit for than your little one?
0:29:30 > 0:29:33There was a real move towards domesticity
0:29:33 > 0:29:35and a focus on the family.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39And knitting, of course, is very much about love,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and nurturing and protecting.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45So, ultimately, knitting became something that demonstrated
0:29:45 > 0:29:48firstly, housewifery skills,
0:29:48 > 0:29:53but it also demonstrated how good a mother you were going to be.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00In a time of austerity and rationing,
0:30:00 > 0:30:05the art of making baby clothes would reach new, exalted heights.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21This is a small collection of matinee jackets and cardigans.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25They're very beautifully made, these cardigans, they're very fine.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29They require special skill to do the fancy patterns,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31and the edgings and so on.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35So, they're really, um, a labour of love, I suppose.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38This one is particularly fine,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42because it has the little bits of embroidery here,
0:30:42 > 0:30:49and the little lace motifs, and a little smocking detail here, which is rather nice
0:30:49 > 0:30:52and gives it its fullness.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54And knitted in very fine yarn -
0:30:54 > 0:30:57it would take a long time to knit something like this,
0:30:57 > 0:30:59on very fine needles.
0:31:02 > 0:31:07And this little group is some toys from the 1950s.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11And this is what women would have done with leftover scraps of yarn,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13odd ounces, and so on.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16And it was a way of both using up that wool,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20and providing children with play things, of course.
0:31:21 > 0:31:26This little doll has the most gorgeous knitted outfit,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29which is beautifully, beautifully made,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31with the little dress
0:31:31 > 0:31:33and little coat,
0:31:33 > 0:31:35two little tiny booties,
0:31:35 > 0:31:39and then even a little knitted pants and vest.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52There was no end to women's ingenuity with odd scraps of wool,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56especially when it came to making presents for family and friends.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04Women could buy patterns to knit fancy cosies
0:32:04 > 0:32:07for the teapot...
0:32:07 > 0:32:09in every design imaginable...
0:32:11 > 0:32:13..to adorn bathroom items...
0:32:13 > 0:32:16the husband's golf clubs,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19not to mention the family dog.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27There was even an elaborate knit for your favourite tipple.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37Ah, the knitted poodle cover is one of the icons of the 1950s.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41It's a very beautiful and delicate object,
0:32:41 > 0:32:45which is intended to go over a bottle of alcohol.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50And it ties in with the idea of exotic holidays,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53predominantly American culture,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57and, you know, those Elvis Presley movies and the Hawaiian shirts,
0:32:57 > 0:33:03and all of that kind of exoticism that one wouldn't normally see in the UK.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23If you weren't sufficiently skilled to knit a baby bonnet or a tea cosy, help was at hand...
0:33:27 > 0:33:32..for this was the golden age of the women's magazine.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39I think the magazines were important to women of the time because
0:33:39 > 0:33:44they reflected this sense that being a housewife was a proper job.
0:33:44 > 0:33:49It wasn't something that they did just as a leisure activity.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51It showed them how to clean properly,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53how to look after the family,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56lots of articles about what to do
0:33:56 > 0:33:59if you're worried about your children, and recipes,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03and things that made them feel part of a club.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10All the magazines had a sewing page and they had a knitting page.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14And judging from the number of magazines that I've found
0:34:14 > 0:34:16that had the knitting pages torn out of them,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19it appears that knitting was very important.
0:34:21 > 0:34:27This is Woman's Own from Thursday, September 15th, 1955,
0:34:27 > 0:34:32and if we turn to the knitting pattern, that's about halfway through,
0:34:32 > 0:34:37through past some fictional stories, some romance,
0:34:37 > 0:34:40we get to "plain and patterned."
0:34:40 > 0:34:46And this is a picture of a very complicated-looking pink jumper.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Apparently, it's easy to knit.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52It has an open work medallion pattern,
0:34:52 > 0:34:56which is worked on the front of the jumper only, and the back is
0:34:56 > 0:35:00worked in an unusual rib design, so it's really quite complicated.
0:35:00 > 0:35:05The insert picture shows a girl wearing it, having made it,
0:35:05 > 0:35:10and there's a man on a telephone, who is ogling the young lady.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15But certainly the jumper seems to have struck the mark somewhere.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19In terms of knitting for your man,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22there are the classic sort of chunky knits,
0:35:22 > 0:35:27but also some waistcoats which look absolutely horrendous, I have to say.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31And socks, which had very complicated patterns,
0:35:31 > 0:35:36so again, it really shows the skill these women were expected to have.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46New automatic home knitting machines promised a new age of convenience.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49But it wasn't always that simple.
0:35:50 > 0:35:55It looks easy, but, actually, it's very technically difficult.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58The yarn has to be hooked onto each piece,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00and also, it's very labour intensive.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Because it's like doing vicious ironing.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05So it's like this, and its very wearing,
0:36:05 > 0:36:10and although people said you could make a dress in 85 minutes,
0:36:10 > 0:36:15I think anybody would be hard-pressed to do that.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17I think a lot of knitting machines were
0:36:17 > 0:36:19given as gifts from husbands to wives.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24And I imagine most of them weren't opened and remained in their boxes.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33Even without the aid of a new fangled machine,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37women were reaching ever higher levels of sophistication in their knitting.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46A small book from the time gives a tantalising glimpse
0:36:46 > 0:36:50into the skill of the '50s housewife at her craft.
0:36:54 > 0:37:00This is really an amazing book of stitches, stitch patterns.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04And there's a huge range of them, and they're absolutely fantastic.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08This page has got three samples on.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11The first one is cloud souffle stitch,
0:37:11 > 0:37:13which I think is rather a nice name.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16And this is called candlelight stitch.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21So this is quite an intricate stitch, which actually you can see
0:37:21 > 0:37:25there's a lot of decreasings and increasings within the pattern
0:37:25 > 0:37:28to make sort of leafy shapes and... I suppose it's like candle flames.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31But then the other half of the swatch shows that
0:37:31 > 0:37:34it's also been beaded, and that would mean beads were threaded in
0:37:34 > 0:37:37because they would always knit the beads in -
0:37:37 > 0:37:40they don't sew them on top - so they have to be threaded onto the yarn
0:37:40 > 0:37:42and then pulled up at the right place.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46All of these would have been complicated and also time-consuming
0:37:46 > 0:37:50to achieve, so they were working at the highest level.
0:37:57 > 0:38:02But the gentle domesticity of the 1950s was about to be shattered.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Now, knitwear would get sex appeal.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25# Well shake it up baby now Shake it up baby
0:38:25 > 0:38:28# Twist and shout Twist and shout. #
0:38:28 > 0:38:32This is one of the Beatles first TV appearances for Granada Television.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36It's 1963 and they've recorded their debut album
0:38:36 > 0:38:39and they are a band on the way up.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42They are wowing audiences all over England.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47And this is one of the first times that Britain as a country
0:38:47 > 0:38:50has sat down and seen this group
0:38:50 > 0:38:52they'd started to hear quite a lot about.
0:38:52 > 0:38:57And the fact that for this very important show,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01they are wearing black roll neck sweaters, means that thousands
0:39:01 > 0:39:06and thousands of young people will yearn to look like John, Paul, George and Ringo,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10and to do so, they will go out and buy roll neck sweaters.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Beatle fans picked up on the roll neck very quickly,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20and you can see the popularity of this and how clever they were,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24because they started a fan club called Beatles Monthly,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27which was growing at an incredible pace.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30And the first thing they offer to their fans to buy
0:39:30 > 0:39:34is a roll neck sweater with a little inscription with the Beatles on.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38It was in one size so that all girls could wear it,
0:39:38 > 0:39:40and boys could as well.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44So it's just very significant that that is the very first thing
0:39:44 > 0:39:48they're offering their fans, you know, a roll neck sweater.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Just as the Beatle boot was associated with the band,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54the Beatle haircut, so the roll neck sweater.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57And sales would have soared, absolutely soared - if you were
0:39:57 > 0:40:01manufacturing roll neck sweaters in 1963, you had a very good Christmas.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05And it wasn't just the Beatles.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14The characters who tended to wear the roll neck sweater
0:40:14 > 0:40:20were kind of antiheroes, such as Steve McQueen in Bullitt.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24Um...they were cool, as in Steve McQueen in Bullitt.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27And he was somebody who was using the roll neck sweater
0:40:27 > 0:40:29to disassociate himself from the past,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32from the tie and the shirt and the suits.
0:40:32 > 0:40:33That was gone now.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Now we had a younger, new model.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39Cool, reserved, antihero, intelligent,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42and, of course, devastatingly attractive to women.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49Thank you.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51'He doesn't say a lot in Bullitt.'
0:40:51 > 0:40:54People in roll neck sweaters don't say a lot, you know.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57They let their jumper do the talking.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04And if men had the roll neck, women had the sweater dress.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08A virtual uniform for young girls in the '60s.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11The look was finished off with a pair of long knitted socks
0:41:11 > 0:41:13or patterned tights.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20And queen of the '60s mini-dress was designer Mary Quant.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26She was very aware of the possibilities of jersey and knit,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29and often incorporated knit in her designs.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34For example, we have this fantastic dress in the V&A collection,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37which is a mixture of a woven fabric,
0:41:37 > 0:41:40but also, it has wonderful hand-knitted sleeves
0:41:40 > 0:41:42and a patterned neckline.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49The '60s was a time of liberation,
0:41:49 > 0:41:54with people embracing exciting new fabrics and man-made synthetics.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58And that went for knitwear, too.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06The introduction of synthetic knits and textiles in the 1960s
0:42:06 > 0:42:09are incredibly important.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15I think one of the big challenges with knits
0:42:15 > 0:42:19that we all might be familiar with is they're very difficult to wash,
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and that they take ages to dry.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25With synthetic knits, of course, you can now buy
0:42:25 > 0:42:30cheap, washable, durable knitted garments
0:42:30 > 0:42:32that last much longer.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35And it allows, for example, Lurex or elastic
0:42:35 > 0:42:38to be knitted into the fabric
0:42:38 > 0:42:42and to produce a much more figure-hugging, shiny,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45patterned, brightly-coloured sense of knit
0:42:45 > 0:42:48that's far sexier, far more clinging
0:42:48 > 0:42:50and far more visually startling.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58This, of course, is the era when new forms of dance
0:42:58 > 0:43:00and the introduction of the disco
0:43:00 > 0:43:03allow knitwear to take on a new role, to take on a new image.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Creativity knew no bounds.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29And now, knitwear would become art.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37These are art sweaters by Ritva.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41And Ritva was a label that was established in 1966
0:43:41 > 0:43:44by Ritva Ross and her husband Mike Ross.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48And subsequently, they produced this line of art sweaters.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Each of the sweaters are made by different artists.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52This one is by Elisabeth Frink.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56And as you can see, on the label, it says 100% acrylic.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Which today, um...is obviously not a covetable material as such,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03but at the time, acrylic was a great new fabric
0:44:03 > 0:44:05and people were really interested
0:44:05 > 0:44:08in the fact that it had a washable property.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11This sweater here is by David Hockney.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15Of course, at the time, he was known for his paintings of California.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17These wonderful blue skies
0:44:17 > 0:44:20and a lovely palm tree in the centre.
0:44:21 > 0:44:26This is by Allen Jones, an artist who's known for his sculpture
0:44:26 > 0:44:28and furniture featuring figures of women,
0:44:28 > 0:44:31and also his reference to bondage and sadomasochism.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35This features a leather-clad boot,
0:44:35 > 0:44:38which comes out of a spiral central motif.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41Each sweater came as a limited edition
0:44:41 > 0:44:44and had the limited number worked into it,
0:44:44 > 0:44:46and also came presented with a Perspex box
0:44:46 > 0:44:49that they could be placed in and then hung on the wall.
0:44:59 > 0:45:04There was one particular artist who treated knitting like painting -
0:45:04 > 0:45:07as a canvas to experiment with colour.
0:45:08 > 0:45:09Kaffe Fassett.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14An American-born male model and artist,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17Fassett had moved to Britain in the '60s.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22He was first inspired to take up knitting
0:45:22 > 0:45:24by the colours of the Scottish landscape.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31As I was travelling across Scotland for the first time,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34it was such an ancient palette,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37and I thought, here are these beautiful colours.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40So I grabbed 20 colours, jumped on a train,
0:45:40 > 0:45:43asked a woman sitting across from me, "Do you know how to knit?"
0:45:43 > 0:45:44And she said, "Yes."
0:45:44 > 0:45:47And I said, "I have got a sweater I've got to make!"
0:45:47 > 0:45:49And I just started to knit on that train.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00Well, this is the very first garment.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04And it has all the colours of that Scottish landscape, as you can see.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Beautiful colours. I love looking at it again.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Just that little height of pink there.
0:46:10 > 0:46:15And then, of course, my knitting with all the ends hanging out.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18Because I absolutely didn't know how to do those in.
0:46:18 > 0:46:21That sort of tells the story of how amateur I was.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Fassett would hit the big times
0:46:36 > 0:46:39working with top fashion designer, Bill Gibb.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43The look was Bohemian romance for the hippy age,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46with knitwear in complex colour patterns.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56Probably the average that I'd put into a design of knitting
0:46:56 > 0:47:00would be about 25 to 35 colours.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02But I have gone up to 200 colours.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08The shape of the garment never interested me that much.
0:47:08 > 0:47:09You know, I was painting a painting.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13I was doing a fantastic poem of colour. A tapestry.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23One of the things people often say about me is
0:47:23 > 0:47:28I'm not interested in fancy stitches, which I am totally not.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31I let all the fanciness happen with the colour changes.
0:47:31 > 0:47:36The back, I think, shows the design a little better.
0:47:38 > 0:47:44So you get these great big sleeves and this very highly-patterned yoke.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51You know, it's often asked to me,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54"Why is colour important to you?"
0:47:55 > 0:47:58As if it's kind of some strange, freaky thing.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02And it just astounds me! It's kind of like saying,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05"Why is breath so important to you? Why do you have to breathe?"
0:48:07 > 0:48:10To me, it's air. It's the air of my soul.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Now, it didn't matter how you knitted or what you knitted.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28As long as it was colourful and expressive, anything went.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37Knitted outfits that covered the wearer head to toe
0:48:37 > 0:48:39in ethnic-style patterned fabric
0:48:39 > 0:48:42became the height of glamorous fashion.
0:48:43 > 0:48:48The catwalk was awash with draped knits in bold patterns,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51flaunted by top models like Jerry Hall.
0:48:55 > 0:48:59Knitting now was all about letting your imagination run away.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Even wool had got wild and wacky.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10It was goodbye to bog-standard straight yarn
0:49:10 > 0:49:15and hello to bright colours, fluffy mohair,
0:49:15 > 0:49:18textured yarn with bobbles and super chunky.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26There was even a new tool to knit with.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32Here, we've got what I might call broomsticks.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37And this is the sort of fast and chunky knitting
0:49:37 > 0:49:40that really became popular in the '60s and '70s.
0:49:40 > 0:49:44People really wanted to knit something in an evening,
0:49:44 > 0:49:46and they could do that.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49They would knit not just with thick yarn,
0:49:49 > 0:49:52but they'd actually work with several yarns at once.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54And they had special knitting patterns
0:49:54 > 0:49:56specifically written for this.
0:50:02 > 0:50:07In the mid '70s, knitting would reach its peak of rebellion,
0:50:07 > 0:50:10embraced by a most unlikely section of society.
0:50:14 > 0:50:15The punk.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21# Don't you like the way I move when you see me?
0:50:21 > 0:50:23# Don't you like the things that I say? #
0:50:23 > 0:50:26In the mid 1970s, Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood
0:50:26 > 0:50:29were driving forward a new punk aesthetic
0:50:29 > 0:50:32which was really ripping up all that the '60s had represented.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35# Something's happening and it's happening right now
0:50:35 > 0:50:39# You're too blind to see it. #
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Punk costume and punk outfits were all about deconstruction.
0:50:43 > 0:50:44They were about pulling things apart.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47So suddenly, it was OK to drop a line in your knitting
0:50:47 > 0:50:51and to have jumpers with huge holes in them,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55to look as if you'd been out all night in a fight,
0:50:55 > 0:50:57to shock and to challenge people
0:50:57 > 0:51:00through the fact your clothing was half finished
0:51:00 > 0:51:01or half hanging off the body.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13But a new era beckoned.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25Sharp suits and padded shoulders would take over Britain,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28and deal a fatal blow to knitwear.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34After all, you'd never catch Mrs T in a woolly sweater.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41You know, styles do change, even if you think they don't.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44Shoulders are wider. And they're higher.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50In the 1980s, I think there is something of a decline
0:51:50 > 0:51:52in the role knitwear plays.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58There's a real shift towards a much more structured, tailored body.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02It's all about shoulder pads and tight tailoring.
0:52:05 > 0:52:07And I think that sense of amateur production
0:52:07 > 0:52:11and craft in the decade of design,
0:52:11 > 0:52:16the decade of sharpness, is less prominent.
0:52:21 > 0:52:26But for one last, glorious moment, knitwear would be king.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29And it was all thanks to television.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42It's Breakfast Time. It's 6.30 on Friday, December 9th.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43A very good morning to you.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46The subject of sweaters looms very large in the programme.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Breakfast television was a brand-new format
0:52:48 > 0:52:51that combined news items with informal chat.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Over the UK there, a lot of cloud, you can see.
0:52:54 > 0:53:00And this spawned a whole array of novelty sweaters in funky designs.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07And no-one was better known for wearing loud,
0:53:07 > 0:53:10colourful knitwear on daytime telly...
0:53:11 > 0:53:13..than Gyles Brandreth.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18He boasted a different sweater for every occasion.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Gyles still keeps some of his old favourites down in his basement.
0:53:28 > 0:53:29Well, there you are.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34These two boxes contain all that is left
0:53:34 > 0:53:38of my once completely wonderful collection of knitwear.
0:53:38 > 0:53:43Once upon a time, I had more than a thousand colourful jumpers.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Some of them hand-knitted, some of them machine-knitted,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49some of them knitted by members of the public,
0:53:49 > 0:53:52some of them knitted by a man who only knitted jumpers for me,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Elton John and Diana, Princess of Wales.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58It was a glorious collection of knitwear.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02Much loved by me, much derided by some.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04So I am going to open the box now.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08Up we come, and let's see what we've got.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Oh. Well, I'm not sure about what we're going to start with.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Let's just open them and see.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22It's a pig.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25Why did I keep this one? I'm not sure.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Oh!
0:54:27 > 0:54:30Now you're diddling, now you're diddling!
0:54:32 > 0:54:34Look at this! And the texture here.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37Look at the wool. Mohair.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39It's lovely mohair.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43Oh, look! Here's another mohairy one.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45This, I rather like. A penguin.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48And also, I had little tank tops.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Simply with my signature on.
0:54:51 > 0:54:52Why did the lemon gag not work?
0:54:52 > 0:54:54Because you didn't do it properly.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59The idea with the lemon is you've got to really suck, suck, suck!
0:55:03 > 0:55:07Now, this is a jumper created by a viewer.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10And... Well, this is original,
0:55:10 > 0:55:15it's got applique birds and bees attached to it.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17It's made by Karen Mayers.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Karen Mayers! Congratulations, Karen!
0:55:19 > 0:55:23Excuse me. Excuse me!
0:55:23 > 0:55:27I wore this during my Mick Jagger phase.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29Everyone goes through it.
0:55:29 > 0:55:34And look at this. Talk about Jack Flash!
0:55:34 > 0:55:36Oh! Well, there you are.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38State it like it is.
0:55:38 > 0:55:39What does this say?
0:55:39 > 0:55:45"The amazing, dashingly handsome, elegant, debonair Gyles."
0:55:45 > 0:55:47This certainly wasn't one I designed myself.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49It must have been sent in by an admirer. Hm!
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Oh, look. Christmas is coming.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54I had so many Christmas jumpers,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57but this, I think, was perhaps my favourite
0:55:57 > 0:55:59because it's three-dimensional.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02And as I remember, if you unwrap these parcels,
0:56:02 > 0:56:06inside are little miniature jumpers.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11Hey! A very happy Christmas, if we miss you between now and Sunday.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14We hope you have a terrific time.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16The novelty sweater or cardigan
0:56:16 > 0:56:19is a particular favourite for television presenters
0:56:19 > 0:56:22for a whole variety of reasons.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27It really shows the TV presenter as being, actually, a cuddly person.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29They're not formal or stuffy.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33There's no suit, there's no jacket, there's no tie.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35It is good old...
0:56:35 > 0:56:38It suggests that they're somebody who's fun,
0:56:38 > 0:56:39with a good sense of humour
0:56:39 > 0:56:41that would be great to have round for coffee.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43Perhaps like a next-door neighbour.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45Look! Isn't it absolutely stunning?
0:56:48 > 0:56:50But in a world of power dressing,
0:56:50 > 0:56:54even television presenters couldn't keep the knitwear dream alive.
0:56:57 > 0:56:58By the end of the '80s,
0:56:58 > 0:57:02knitwear had all but disappeared from our wardrobes.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06And the golden days of knitting were over.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21But now, something has happened.
0:57:26 > 0:57:31# Join our group and you will find
0:57:31 > 0:57:33# Harmony and peace of mind... #
0:57:33 > 0:57:36Wool shops have started popping up across Britain.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43# We're here to welcome you. #
0:57:43 > 0:57:45And that can only mean one thing.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49Knitting is back!
0:57:51 > 0:57:55# Make it better, make it better
0:57:55 > 0:57:59# We're here to welcome you... #
0:58:00 > 0:58:06Knitting today has so many different people involved in it.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10We spend lots of time typing and sending things virtually,
0:58:10 > 0:58:12but we don't connect with things.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16So this idea that you can make something from basically nothing
0:58:16 > 0:58:18is quite appealing to people now.
0:58:18 > 0:58:20# How'd you get to be happiness?
0:58:20 > 0:58:23# How'd you get to find love? #
0:58:23 > 0:58:24There'll always be that room
0:58:24 > 0:58:27for a textile that is malleable,
0:58:27 > 0:58:30that is soft, that is comforting,
0:58:30 > 0:58:34but also flows across the body and can be extremely stylish.
0:58:40 > 0:58:43Probably everything that has gone wrong with the world
0:58:43 > 0:58:46came about with the decline of knitting.
0:58:46 > 0:58:48Now knitting's back, maybe everything will be good again.
0:58:48 > 0:58:50Oh, I do hope so.
0:58:50 > 0:58:55# Donate all your money We'll make it better
0:58:55 > 0:58:58# Make it better
0:58:58 > 0:59:01# We're here to welcome you... #
0:59:01 > 0:59:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd