Today you can walk into any craft store and buy a device that lets you knit on a circle of plastic pegs. It looks like quite a remarkable innovation - such an improvement over the old Victorian method of knitting needles! Mechanical knitting as a hobby... who'd have thought... Except, the Victorians had this exact same device! (See the article below on rack-frame knitting.) It would seem that the only real change to the field of knitting since Victorian days is that knitting needles (and rack-frames) are now available in plastic...

Knit & Crochet Patterns (Peterson's, 1856)

Knitting Patterns (Peterson's, 1856)

Round [Knitted] Jacket for a Lady, by Esther Copley (Peterson's, 1856)

Our Dictionary of Needlework: Knitting, by Mrs. Jane Weaver (Peterson's, 1858)

Hints on Knitting (Peterson's Magazine, 1865)

Shetland [Knit] Cravat, by Mrs. Jane Weaver (Peterson's Magazine, 1865)

Knitting for Winter (Peterson's, 1866)

How to Knit a Sock (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1878)

Double Knitting (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

Patterns for Knitting (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

Rack-Frame Knitting (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

You can still get this type of knitting device in craft stores today -- billed as a "new" invention!

Sock and Stocking Knitting (Girl's Own Paper, 1881)

Knitted Designs, by Marie Karger (Girl's Own Paper, 1882)

Some interesting stitches and patterns.

More Occupations for Invalids, by Dora de Blaquière (Girl's Own Paper, 1882)

Knitting, Quilting, Macrame, and how to make a "stamp snake."

How to Knit a Stocking, by Phyllis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1888)

Knitting Competition: Mission to the "Deep Sea Fishermen" (Girl's Own Paper, 1888)

A competition for knitting, featuring patterns for stockings, mittens, guernseys and caps for fishermen.

Knitting-Work Holder (Ingalls' Home Magazine, 1888)

Knitting and Crocheting (Ladies' Home Journal, 1892)

Designs for a variety of knit and crochet projects.

• Find more knitting patterns in the Mixed Crafts Columns section.