Knitting America: A Glorious Heritage from Warm Socks to High Art

by Susan Strawn, Melanie Falick (Foreword by)

Overview

“Susan has placed the history of knitting within the context of American history, so we can clearly see how knitting is intertwined with such subjects as geography, migration, politics, economics, female emancipation, and evolving social mores. She has traced how a melting pot of knitting traditions found their way into American culture via vast waves of immigration, expanded opportunity for travel, and technology.” —Melanie Falick This is the history that Knitting America celebrates. Beautifully illustrated with vintage pattern booklets, posters, postcards, black-and-white historical photographs, and contemporary color photographs of knitted pieces in private collections and in museums, this book is an exquisite view of America through the handiwork of its knitters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610602495
Publisher:	Voyageur Press
Publication date:	05/13/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Knitter, writer, and illustrator Susan Strawn has a Ph.D. in Textiles and Clothing from Iowa State University. A regular contributor to Piecework, Interweave Knits, Spin-Off, and other textile magazines and journals, she presented a paper entitled \u201cBack to the Knitting Needle: Manufacturers, retailers, and the image of handknitting in America, 1935-1955\u201d to the Costume Society of America. Strawn teaches textile-related classes at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, and researches hand-produced traditional textiles. She lives in Oak Park, IL, a suburb of Chicago.

Knitter, writer, and illustrator Susan Strawn has a Ph.D. in Textiles and Clothing from Iowa State University. A regular contributor to Piecework, Interweave Knits, Spin-Off, and other textile magazines and journals, she presented a paper entitled "Back to the Knitting Needle: Manufacturers, retailers, and the image of handknitting in America, 1935-1955" to the Costume Society of America. Strawn teaches textile-related classes at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, and researches hand-produced traditional textiles. She lives in Oak Park, IL, a suburb of Chicago.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction      Knitting America

Chapter 1         The First American Knitters

Chapter 2         Victorians Knit in a New Culture of Domesticity

Chapter 3         Knitting for the Civil War

Chapter 4         Traveling Stitches

Chapter 5         Knitting for an Age of Optimism

Chapter 6         The Knitting War

Chapter 7         The Knitting Doldrums of the 1920s

Chapter 8         Back to the Knitting Needles in the 1930s

Chapter 9         An Army of Knitters

Chapter 10       The Family that Knits Together . . .

Chapter 11       Worldly Knitting

Chapter 12       Knitting Redefined

Endnotes

References

Index

About the Author

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Spin-Off,  Winter 2007

“Susan has successfully balanced both broad picture and details … Her comprehensive overview assembles a vast collection of ideas for enjoyment now and for deeper exploration in the future.”

“This meticulously researched look at knitting America, from Colonial times to the present, earns an honored place on the bookshelf next to A History of Hand Knitting and No Idle hands.  Thing is, it’s so visually interesting, you’re going to want to leave it out on the coffee table instead. The illustrations tell the story as vividly as the text…..It’s a must-have for fiber historians.”
—Yarn Market News

Creative Knitting, March 2008
"Part picture book, part social history, part entertainment and all fun, Knitting America places the ordinary task of knitting into the larger context of American history. Beginning with the first American knitters and working her way through the decades to the present, historian and avid knitter Susan Strawn shares a wealth of information about how knitters have supported our troops during wartime, clothed their families, founded businesses and expressed their creativity...There are images of beautiful knitted items, and examples of printed patterns and knitting posters.  The text is fascinating and well-researched; if you are looking for a topic for your next master's thesis, you'll find one here.  Whether you read it for the history, or look at it for the delightful illustrations, you'll find yourself engrossed in this captivating book".

 

Bookwormsez syndicated column, December 2007

“This comprehensive book includes some fascinating pictures of knitter past and includes 20 patterns to try.  Hint: knitting isn’t just for Moms!  Dads and brothers love it, too.”

Editorial Reviews

Bookwormsez syndicated column, December 2007

“This comprehensive book includes some fascinating pictures of knitter past and includes 20 patterns to try.Hint: knitting isn’t just for Moms!Dads and brothers love it, too.”

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Spin-Off,Winter 2007

“Susan has successfully balanced both broad picture and details … Her comprehensive overview assembles a vast collection of ideas for enjoyment now and for deeper exploration in the future.”

“This meticulously researched look at knitting America, from Colonial times to the present, earns an honored place on the bookshelf next to A History of Hand Knitting and No Idle hands. Thing is, it’s so visually interesting, you’re going to want to leave it out on the coffee table instead. The illustrations tell the story as vividly as the text…..It’s a must-have for fiber historians.”
—Yarn Market News

Creative Knitting, March 2008
"Part picture book, part social history, part entertainment and all fun, Knitting America places the ordinary task of knitting into the larger context of American history. Beginning with the first American knitters and working her way through the decades to the present, historian and avid knitter Susan Strawn shares a wealth of information about how knitters have supported our troops during wartime, clothed their families, founded businesses and expressed their creativity...There are images of beautiful knitted items, and examples of printed patterns and knitting posters. The text is fascinating and well-researched; if you are looking for a topic for your next master's thesis, you'll find one here. Whether you read it for the history, or look at it for the delightful illustrations, you'll find yourself engrossed in this captivating book".

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From the Publisher