Showing results for "knitting"

• present participle of knit.

knitting

American  

[nit-ing] / ˈnɪt ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that knits.

2. the act of forming a fabric by looping a continuous yarn.

3. knitted work.

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idioms

1. stick / tend to one's knitting,

   1. to mind one's own business.

      Don't worry about my work—just tend to your knitting.

   2. to devote oneself to one's assignments or responsibilities.

      Years of sticking to his knitting finally paid off.

knitting British  

/ ˈnɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. knitted work or the process of producing it

   2. ( as modifier )

      a knitting machine

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Etymology

Origin of knitting

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at knit, -ing ¹

Explanation

The craft of using long needles to interweave yarn is called knitting. If you work on your knitting skills, you might be able to make your sister a sweater for her birthday. Commercial knitting is done on machines — that's how they make most mass-produced sweaters you see in stores. The knitting you might do at home happens more slowly, using knitting needles and skeins of yarn. You can use the word for your project, too: "Where did I put my knitting? I was almost finished with that infinity scarf!" The noun knitting comes from the verb knit and its Old English root meaning "a knot."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

knitting

The shift toward “advanced packaging” in the chip world—a term referring to a variety of strategies for knitting together pieces of silicon into one big chip—has long been building.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

This was an article about knitting, and this mismatch was immediately called out.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026

"I come from Japan many times to Shetland for wool week because I love the sheep and the local people. I love Shetland lace knitting and spinning," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

It is crucial to the city’s long-term plan of knitting together 300 miles of bikeways by 2040 to bring bicycle culture to Long Beach, as well as create safer streets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Balthilda was knitting what looked like a shawl, creating a fluid and intricate pattern with Hadel’s rich threads.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff