Joanne's mention of the Red Cross sock pattern triggered a search on wartime efforts, both world wars, when women at home, and school kids, too, were knitting for the troops.
With occasional forays into frivolity using up scraps of yarn for the vital tea cosy
The Red Cross sock instructions were very very firm! No seams or bumpy bits to irritate soldier feet and cause blisters, no toe seams, no seams under the foot -- I'd never heard of some of these, probably an earlier era of sock design. And knitters were allowed three weeks max per pair or they had to surrender the yarn to a faster knitter. The usual expectation was a pair a week.
But I have been keeping in mind the comfort needs of the people I'm knitting for, homeless, probably in poor health to start with, cheap acrylic bought socks not helpful. So these are in natural absorbent fibers, cotton and wool, and knitted in designs that feel good. The toe-up, no ridges anywhere on the toe, works fine for my tricky toes, so I think it's good to give, too. Heels likewise, short rowing being as smooth a finish as you can get.
Meanwhile I got out my postwar knitting book, 1946, with exciting Colored Pictures, amazing at that time.
The parts I like best are the baby outfits, modeled by infants with expressions ranging from wtf? to I'll get you for this, to I demand to see the manager!
Meanwhile I've been noticing on Textiles and Tea how very white the guest list is. I just signed up for the April series, and there it is again. I think I've seen one Asian and maybe one African American in all the episodes I've seen.
So I asked the Handweavers Guild who presents them if they'll put more emphasis on people of color. They're very open and said yes they're searching, did I have any ideas? So I did two minutes research and suggested these sources.
The second is a collection of interviews and profiles of people of color in the textile arts. It's possible they already contacted some of the weavers, and I did say that, but anyway we'll see. A lot of African American textile artists are quilters, not the focus of a weavers series, but there are weavers and braiders.
So I did a little bit to open the door. I'm sure the HGA would be hospitable, they just need to find and promote POC.
So that's us. And Ukraine is pushing back the Russian forces from more cities since yesterday. Good going, sunflower friends.
That fourth baby is more concerned about his haircut than his outfit, I think.
ReplyDeleteI can't even quite imagine how someone makes a sock without a toe seam, but then, I'm not a knitter!
Quite a merging of past and present.
ReplyDeleteI remember when knitted/crocheted baby outfits ("layettes") were pretty standard ways to welcome a new baby! Good for you for recommending more POC textile artists! Funny how your quick search turned up so many and yet their list was so white.
ReplyDeleteSteve, there are knitters who also can't grasp the toe up concept. I really wonder what those babies look like now! A couple of them could be MPs..
ReplyDeleteDebra, to be fair, hga might have approached weavers of color but been unable to get on their schedule. They may be in high demand. I'm giving the guild the benefit of the doubt for now.
And my son was given a beautiful layette set by his great aunt. It went to another baby when outgrown, after the Newark riots around MLKs murder, when he was about s year old.. Great homelessness including many women with young babies, so I figured some beautiful African American baby would look terrific in the set, and maybe the Mom would like it, too.
You are such a good, good person. Excellent idea to push for more POC textile artists! Knitting may have had a heyday back in the forties but baby photography certainly had a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteThe whole modeling for knitting patterns was so stiff and awkward. Very much the way people moved in movies of the time, very self conscious.
ReplyDeleteMy husband’s grandmother unravelled sweaters which belonged to her parents to knit sweaters for her own children. It was common practice!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, the photo editor for the baby pictures had a sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteBravo to you for the effort to diversify!
You are so kind to continue knitting these socks. I'm sure there are many who truly appreciate them. I had an aunt that knitted all the time and she even knitted me a whole collection of Barbie doll clothes!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting as much calm from the knitting as the benefit I'm giving, I think. They're keeping me on a fairly even keel.
ReplyDeleteWarm, cozy socks are so comforting in cold weather.
ReplyDeleteAnd soakers! My 1945 brother still wore them, though my 1948 brother had rubber pants over his diapers.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine socks in anything but wool. I knit summer socks from cotton once, but could feel every purl stitch against my feet, even using 3 strands of embroidery cotton.
It's great that you get benefit too from knitting these socks for others. And those pictures! Photography has come a long way...
ReplyDeleteThe expectation of knitting a pair of socks a week? Did the poor knitter have a life??? I'd have to knit 24-7 to even come close to that output.
ReplyDeleteSeeing those babies made me wonder why they didn't look the least bit happy. Certainly not a good advertisement for the patterns they were touting.