Stop in soon and tour our new temporary winter exhibit-"Norwegian Knitting". It is speculated that knitting came to Norway from Denmark. Knitted fragments found in Norwegian graves have been dated to around 1500. According to customs records, Bergen (on the west coast of Norway) was an import harbor for luxury items, such as embroidered and knitted silk garments. Some historical accounts noted that knitting was an activity associated mainly with thieves and the poor?the lowest of the socioeconomic levels. But, eventually, knitting gained popularity as a way to create income and by the end of the 1600s, knitting was taught in orphan houses and homes for the homeless.