Dear Helen: at least you are not knitting while watching beheadings. I found a site about
channel islands knitting:
So popular, in fact was knitting, that a States (Government) Act was
passed in 1603 ordering local people to cease knitting during the harvesting and
vraicing (the gathering of seaweed for fertiliser) seasons.

Despite this restriction, the industry grew from strength to strength. Wool had to
be imported to supplement the local supply and the export of these garments
began. The "Gansy" as it was called soon became known on both sides of the
Atlantic. Queen Elizabeth the First is reputed to have had her stocking knitted in
Jersey. Over the last four centuries the most popular of all the garments has
been the traditional sweaters of both Jersey and Guernsey.

http://www.jerseywool.com/Articles/history_of_the_jersey.htm

It said there were so many knitting patterns that if a sailor got drowned, the pattern of his
sweater was used to tell not only which island, but which town he came from.