Knitting Through It : Inspiring Stories For Times Of Trouble

Stories from contemporary writers and from the WPA’s Federal Writer’s Project tell of knitting through adversity of all kinds. The poignant, often lyrical tales convey the hope found in handiwork.

Most knitters know: Getting through a difficult time often means knitting through it. Its this home truth--and all the homespun wisdom behind it--that comes through clearly in the writings gathered in this book.

These pieces--some by contemporary writers like Donna Druchunas and Sherri Wood, others excerpted from the WPAs Federal Writers Project--tell stories of knitting through adversity as widespread as war or the Great Depression, as personal as political anxiety, as unyielding as a prison term, and as tenacious as the hardships endured by the Native American community over centuries.

Men and women, young and old, rural and urban, white and black--their knitting narratives are poignant, often lyrical, rich with personal and cultural history and vivid imagery. They conjure hardscrabble lives and immigrant experience, the work of anxious hands kept busy creating warmth and beauty or earning desperately needed money. Along with the stories from the WPA project, the book features black and white photographs from the Library of Congress archives, as well as a sampling of patterns to help knitters through their own difficult times.

Table of Contents

 

Acknowledgements

 

Introduction

 

Knitting Through…

 

…Charity

 

            “Weaving the Past into the Future” by Christy Breedlove

 

            Excerpts from an interview with Miss Emma Willis

 

            Photo of Knitting Class, Henry Street Settlement

 

…Illness

           

“Sofia’s Hands” by Alexandra Halpin

 

Photo of Woman Knitting, Washington, D.C.

 

            Excerpt from “Knitting Sale Socks”

 

…Smoke

 

            Photo of Hélène Magnússon wearing her Hammer Rose Pattern Vest

 

“Three Stitches per Second” by Hélène Magnússon

 

Photo of soft Icelandic shoes with knitted insoles

Pattern: Hammer Rose Vest

 

 

…Grief

 

            “Knitting Life, Knitting Love” by Margaret Blank

 

            Photo of Russian knitting bag and glass candle sticks

 

…Work

 

Photo of a girl at the London (Loudon) Hosiery Mills

 

Excerpts from an interview with Alice Candle

 

            Photo of Sylvain Dornon, last of the Tchangkats

 

…Unemployment

 

            “The Rising Tide” by Amy Holman

 

Excerpts from an interview at Abyssinia Baptist Church

 

Photo of Sojourner Truth

 

…Politics

 

            “Knitting Through Red States vs. Blue States” by Erica Pearson

 

            Pattern: Beginner’s Scarf (a.k.a. Election Night Scarf Redux)

 

            Four letters from the Abraham Lincoln Papers

 

            Photo of Grace Coolidge knitting

 

…Prison

 

            Excerpts from an interview with Mrs. I.E. Doane

 

            Photo of “1,200 Hats”

 

            “1,200 Hats: Art and Healing in the Making” by Sherri Wood

 

            Pattern: Crocheted Hat

 

            Photo of Sing Sing convicts knitting

 

…War

 

            “All New York in Big Knitting Bee,” 1918

 

Excerpt from “No News for Me” by John Ross Dix

           

            “Knitting In Times of War and Peace” by Vera Vivante

 

            Two Photos:

Uintah Red Cross

                        Berlin

 

…Poverty

 

            Photo of Eliza blocking lace in the Oomingmak shop

 

“Knitting Softens the Impact as Worlds Collide” by Donna Druchunas

 

Pattern: Butterfly lace pattern

 

            Photo of a Snohomish couple in temporary summer house

 

            Excerpts from an interview with Mrs. Elizabeth E. Miller

 

…Industrial Development

 

            “Knitting: My Urban Escape” by Barbara DeMarco Barrett

 

            Excerpt from “An Unfinished Stocking, New England, 1837”

 

…Families in Motion

 

            Excerpts from “A Greek Mother”

 

            Photo of a Greek peasant woman spinning yarn by hand

 

           

Excerpts from an interview with J.L. Tarter

 

            Excerpts from an interview with Mrs. Mary E. Burleson

 

            Excerpt from “The Banks of the Ohio,” 1876

 

            Photo of a family on ranch in Cherry County, Nebraska

 

…Relationships

 

            Him and Her

 

                        Excerpts from an interview with Carrie Sain

 

                        Photo of A typical Irish home

 

                        “Frogging my Engagement” by Dania Rajendra

 

                        Photo of “End of the Day”

 

                        “Believing in Socks” by Lela Nargi

 

            Mothers, Daughters & Granddaughters

                       

“The Castle of Our Dreams” by Katie Benedict

 

Stereocard of two women

 

                        “Patches” by Janet Engle

 

           

Notes on the Contributors

Lela Nargi is a knitter, author, and former journalist who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her book Knitting Lessons: Tales from the Knitting Path documented her own adventures in learning to knit, and also featured dozens of interviews with knitters around the country, as a means to understanding what it is about the practice of knitting that draws people in and keeps them returning, sometimes obsessively, to their yarn. A recent essay about knitting, “Knitting Is Work and the Widows of Sant’Arsenio” is included in Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales. Lela is also the editor of Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life, published by Voyageur Press.

Most knitters know: Getting through a difficult time often means knitting through it. It’s this home truth that comes through clearly in the writings gathered in this book. These pieces—some by contemporary writers and others from the WPA’s Federal Writer’s Project—tell stories of knitting through adversity of all kinds, from war and poverty to imprisonment and political anxiety. Poignant, often lyrical, the narratives conjure hardscrabble lives and immigrant experience, the work of anxious hands kept busy creating warmth and beauty, or earning desperately need money. Also featured are black and white photographs from the Library of Congress archives, as well as a sampling of patterns to help knitters through their own difficult times.

Most knitters know: Getting through a difficult time often means knitting through it. It’s this home truth that comes through clearly in the writings gathered in this book.

 

These pieces—some from contemporary writers and others from the WPA’s Federal Writer’s Project—tell stories of knitting through adversity of all kinds, from war and poverty to imprisonment and political anxiety. Poignant, often lyrical, the narratives conjure hardscrabble lives and immigrant experience, the work of anxious hands kept busy creating warmth and beauty or earning desperately need money.

 

Also featured are black and white photographs from the Library of Congress archives, as well as a sampling of patterns to help knitters through their own difficult times.

 

Most knitters know: Getting through a difficult time often means knitting through it. It’s this home truth—and all the homespun wisdom behind it—that comes through clearly in the writings Lela Nargi has gathered in this book. These pieces—some by contemporary writers like Donna Druchunas and Sherri Wood, others excerpted from the WPA’s Federal Writer’s Project—tell stories of knitting through adversity as widespread as war or the Great Depression, as personal as political anxiety, as unyielding as a prison term, and as tenacious as the hardships endured by the Native American community over centuries. Men and women, young and old, rural and urban, white and black—their knitting narratives are poignant, often lyrical, rich with personal and cultural history and vivid imagery. The stories conjure hardscrabble lives and immigrant experience, the work of anxious hands kept busy creating warmth and beauty or earning desperately needed money. Along with the excerpts from the WPA project, the book features black and white photographs from the Library of Congress archives, as well as a sampling of patterns to help knitters through their own difficult times.

Lela Nargi is the author of Around the Table: Women on Food, Cooking, Nourishment, Love . . . and the Mothers Who Dished It Up for Them and Knitting Lessons: Tales from the Knitting Path. She is also the editor of The Farmer\u2019s Wife Baking Cookbook, published by Voyageur Press. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. www.lelanargi.com

Publisher: MBI Publishing Company
Distributor: MBI Publishing Company
Publication Date: 03-15-2008
Pages: 224
Measurements: 7.25in X 5.00in X 0.75lb