The Culture of Knitting

From booties and scarves to art and fashion, The Culture of Knitting addresses knitting since 1970. Investigating knitting as art, craft, design, fashion, performance and as an aspect of the everyday, the text uncovers the cultural significance of knitting. Drawing on a variety of sources, including interviews with knitters from different disciplines as well as amateurs, the text breaks down hierarchical boundaries and stereotypical assumptions that have hitherto negated the academic study of knitting, and it highlights the diversity and complexity of knitting in all its guises.

 

The Culture of Knitting investigates not merely why knitting is so popular now, but the reasons why knitting has such longevity. By assessing the literature of knitting, manuals, patterns, social and regional histories, alongside testimonial discussions with artists, designers, craftspeople and amateurs, it offers new ways of seeing, new methods of critiquing knitting, without the constraints of disciplinary boundaries in the hope of creating an environment in which knitting can be valued, recognized and discussed.