Join us for Fiber Nation Knit Night: Weird Knitted Sh*t Throughout History!
The Fiber Nation podcast goes live via Zoom! Bring your knitting and a favorite beverage, and settle in as host Allison Korleski interviews Fiber Nation guest, Liz Kristan. Liz is a librarian and knitting historian and was featured in the Fiber Nation episode “The Socks that Won WWI.”
This Fiber Nation Knit Night occurred live over Zoom on 2/4/2021, but you can still watch the recording below. Have fun laughing and knitting along!
Fiber Nation is all about “Tales of Textiles, Craft, and Culture.” But sometimes, the story is forgotten, leaving behind random knitted items whose use we can only guess at. Other times, we know exactly what the knitted item is, but are left wondering, “Why?”
Liz and Allison attempt to parse a lot of weird knitted sh*t from the past few centuries. They’ll try to figure out if the knitted “whip and reins for children” was used as a toy or tool (and either way it’s disturbing).
They will share several “ladies’ toilet tidies,” including one shaped like an ear of corn. You’ll be directed to patterns for cholera belts, coffee strainers, and even a knitted cover for a ball of twine. Because why not?
We’re making this more fun by offering every attendee a chance to win a special prize, and we solemnly swear that it will not be any of the weird knitted items we discuss. Update: We have selected our winner.
I enjoyed the video podcast on “Weird Knitted Sh**,” but I did not appreciate the ridicule given so many of the objects. Yes, knitted bandages (for example) are not sterile, waterproof anti-bacterial items; however, they could make the difference between life and death at a time when penicillin did not exist, one could not just go buy bandages at the grocery, and when the alternative was no covering whatsoever. It is also important to remember that soap, sunshine and fresh air can do wonders to sanitize textiles. I would like to learn more about the history of knitting and knitted or crocheted items, but I would like to see more appreciation for the ingenuity of our predecessors.