There is another song to go with Tarry Wool from Dent; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQCdS9yK35A The Terrible Knitters of Dent

https://www.farfieldmill.org/mills-around-sedbergh/ The ‘terrible knitters e Dent’ became famous all over Britain after Robert Southey described them in a story published in 1834. By ‘terrible’ he meant ‘terribly good’. The story, a true one, tells the tale of two young girls, Betty and Sally Yewdale, who were sent to Dent in the 1760s, to learn how to knit. They hated it because they were forced to knit as fast as they could, all day long, Eventually they ran away one snowy night and walked the long miles home to Langdale via Kendal. The knitters of Dent and Sedbergh used thick, greasy yarn called ‘bump’ as well as finer wool for special items like patterned gloves. They made hats and caps; mittens and socks and even waistcoats and jackets, which were called ‘frocks’.

https://awoollyyarn.blogspot.com/2017/08/yorkshire-day-special-terrible-knitters.html The village of Dent made a name for itself for producing high-quality hand-knitted stockings, jerseys, caps and gloves, knitted from local fleece. They used very thin needles for intricate lace and Fair Isle garments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_tan_tethera Counting systems were traditionally used for sheep counting and counting stitches in knitting until the Industrial Revolution, especially in the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. This was the particular one from Wensleydale;

1 Yain 2 Tain 3 Eddero 4 Peddero 5 Pitts 6 Tayter 7 Later 8 Overro 9 Coverro 10 Disc
11 Yain disc 12 Tain disc 13 Edderro disc 14 Peddero disc 15 Bumfitt 16 Bumfitt yain 17 Bumfitt tain 18 Bumfitt edderro 19 Bumfitt peddero 20 Jiggit

After Jiggitt, the shepherd would make a nick on a stick, or put a stone in a pocket.