Hello, and welcome to Dispatches from the Curiosity Shop, the Bones & Bobbins Patreon-only mini-episode!
Dispatches from the Curiosity Shop episodes are available to Patreon patrons at the $5.00 per month level and above!
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Patreon Dispatches from the Curiosity Shop 08: Knit Your Bit: Knitting and the War Effort
To say that there was a lot of knitting during the World Wars would be a massive understatement. Hop across the pond with Haley to meet Earl Kitchener, who maybe did (but probably didn’t) invent the Kitchener stitch, a grafting technique that would save many a soldier from disabling blisters and other foot problems. (You probably don’t want to look up ‘trench foot.’) Then get patriotic back in the USA, where the Red Cross organized the effort and made people at home feel like they could truly make a difference in the war effort. (They also turned out some really impressive propaganda posters!) Plus, if you’ve ever wondered why on earth anyone would ever wear those 1950s argyle sweater monstrosities, we have your answer.
Curiosity Shop Show Notes:
Here are links to the sources and resources we used while researching this episode:
Links to research materials:
British
- The Earl Kitchener and his Stitch: The Earl Kitchener and his Stitch: https://intherounds.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/the-earl-kitchener-and-his-stitch/
- The Secret History of Knitting: https://fogknits.com/2016/06/05/the-secret-history-of-knitting/
American
- Knitting for Victory: https://www.historylink.org/File/5722
- International Museum of American History Museum article: https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/showing-support-great-war-knitting-needles
- Knit Your Bit: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/programs/knit-your-bit
Further Patreon Reading:
- US Wartime Knitting Patterns (free)
https://knitbyahenshop.com/2012/11/11/knitting-for-victory-free-knitting-patterns-included/ - Knitting Propeganda https://centerforknitandcrochet.org/u-s-knitting-propaganda-wwii/
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