Knitting: Learn How to Knit Beautiful Knitting Patterns Knitting as fashion evolved long time ago when women on the home front in Britain took up knitting to prepare special caps and mittens for soldiers fighting on the forefront during the world war. In 1940, when world war was taking toll over the life of many, women in Britain were busy in knitting balaclava helmet with ear flaps for use in telephone operations or the mittens with a separate forefinger to enable soldiers to fire in the cold.