Good morning everyone. So today we're going to look at an important creative activity and that's hand knitting.

大家早上好。今天我们要了解一个重要的创意活动，那就是手工编织。

Ancient knitted garments have been found in many different countries, showing that knitting is a global activity with a long history.

许多国家都发现古代针织服装的存在，这说明针织是一项历史悠久的全球性活动。

When someone says the word 'knitting' we might well picture an elderly person – a grandmother perhaps – sitting by the fire knitting garments for themselves or other members of the family.

当有人说“针织”这个词时，我们很可能会想起一个老人，也许是祖母，坐在火炉旁为自己或其他家庭成员织衣服的情景。

It's homely image, but one that may lead you to feel that knitting is an activity of the past – and, indeed, during the previous decade, it was one of the skills that was predicted to vanish from everyday life.

这是一幅带有家庭氛围的景象，但它可能会让你觉得针织是一种过时的活动。的确，在过去的十年里，有人预测针织是将从日常生活中消失的技能之一。

For although humans have sewn and knitted their own clothing for a very long time, many of these craft-based skills went into decline when industrial machines took over – mainly because they were no longer passed down from one generation to another.

究其原因，尽管人类在很长一段时间中缝制和编织自己的衣服，但当工业机器广泛使用后，许多以手工艺为基础的技能开始衰退，这主要是因为它们不再代代相传。

However, that's all changing and interest in knitting classes in many countries is actually rising, as more and more people are seeking formal instruction in the skill.

然而，这一切都在改变，许多国家对针织课的兴趣也在不断上升，越来越多的人在寻求正规的技能指导。

With that trend, we're also seeing an increase in the sales figures for knitting equipment.

在这种趋势下，针织设备的销售数量也在增长。

So why do people want to be taught to knit at a time when a machine can readily do the job for them?

那么，在一台机器可以随时为人们完成工作的时候，为什么还有人希望的时候学会针织呢？

The answer is that knitting, as a handicraft, has numerous benefits for those doing it.

答案是，针织作为一种手工艺，为从事这项工作的人提供许多益处。

Let's consider what some of these might be.

让我们考虑一下这些好处可能是什么。

While many people knitted garments in the past because they couldn't afford to buy clothes, it's still true today that knitting can be helpful if you're experiencing economic hardship.

过去很多人都是因为买不起衣服才织衣服的，但今天仍然是这样，如果你正经历经济困难，织衣服能够改善收入。

If you have several children who all need warm winter clothes, knitting may save you a lot of money.

如果你有几个孩子都需要保暖的冬衣，编织可以帮你省很多钱。

And the results of knitting your own clothes can be very rewarding, even though the skills you need to get going are really quite basic and the financial outlay is minimal.

另外，虽然针织所需的是十分基础的技术，费用也很低，但是自己织成的衣服却让人很有成就感。

But the more significant benefits in today's world are to do with well-being.

但在当今世界，更大的好处是针织使人幸福。

In a world where it's estimated that we spend up to nine hours a day online, doing something with our hands that is craft-based makes us feel good.

据估计，现如今我们每天要花9个小时上网，动手做一些手艺活会让我们更开心。

It releases us from the stress of a technological, fast-paced life.

它使我们摆脱了来自科技和快节奏生活的压力。

Now, let's look back a bit to early knitting activities.

现在，让我们回顾一下早期的针织。

In fact, no one really knows when knitting first began, but archaeological remains have disclosed plenty of information for us to think about.

事实上，没有人真正知道针织最初是什么时候开始的，但考古遗迹已经披露了大量信息供我们思考。

One of the interesting things about knitting is that the earliest pieces of clothing that have been found suggest that most of the items produced were round rather than flat.

关于针织的一个有趣的事情是，从目前发现的最早衣服来看，大多数针织品是圆形的，而不是扁平的。

Discoveries from the 3rd and 4th centuries in Egypt show that things like socks and gloves, that were needed to keep hands and feet warm, were knitted in one piece using four or five needles.

从目前发现的3、4世纪埃及的针织品来看，袜子和手套等用来保暖手脚的东西是用四五根针编织成一件的。

That's very different from most knitting patterns today, which only require two.

这和现在大多数的针织模式很不一样，后者只需要两根针。

What's more, the very first needles people used were hand carved out of wood and other natural materials, like bone, whereas today's needles are largely made of steel or plastic and make that characteristic clicking sound when someone's using them.

更重要的是，人们最早使用的针头是用木头和其他天然材料如骨头手工雕刻而成的，而今天的针头主要由钢或塑料制成，当人们使用它们时，会发出那种特有的咔哒声。

Ancient people knitted using yarns made from linen, hemp, cotton and wool, and these were often very rough on the skin.

古人用亚麻、大麻、棉花和羊毛制成的纱线编织，这些纱线在皮肤感觉起来通常非常粗糙。

The spinning wheel, which allowed people to make finer yarns and produce much greater quantities of them, led to the dominance of wool in the knitting industry – often favoured for its warmth.

人们用纺纱机能够制造出更细的、更多的纱线。因此羊毛在针织行业占据了主导地位，而其保暖性备受青睐。

Another interesting fact about knitting is that because it was practised in so many parts of the world for so many purposes, regional differences in style developed.

关于针织的另一个有趣的事实是，由于在世界很多地方，针织的用途不同，导致不同地区针织品在风格上存在差异。

This visual identity has allowed researchers to match bits of knitted clothing that have been unearthed over time to the region from which the wearer came or the job that he or she did.

这种视觉识别使研究人员能够将一段时间以来出土的针织服装碎片与穿着者来自的地区或从事的工作进行匹配。

As I've mentioned, knitting offered people from poor communities a way of making extra money while doing other tasks.

正如我所提到的，贫困社区的人们在完成其他工作的时候可以通过编织获得额外收入。

For many centuries, it seems, men, women and children took every opportunity to knit, for example, while watching over sheep, Q40 walking to market or riding in boats.

看起来，许多世纪以来，男人、女人还有儿童抓住一切机会进行编织。比如放羊的途中，去市场的路上还有乘船的时候都在编织。

So, let's move on to take a …

所以，让我们继续看… …