Historic

Knit Your Socks and Sew Your Masks: Hand Knitting in the World Wars Compared with Home Sewing Masks for COVID-19

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Abstract

Similarities and differences between home knitting socks for the Red Cross during the World Wars and home sewing masks for hospitals during the Spring 2020 COVID-19 crisis were examined. Common themes among World War I knitting, World War II knitting, and sewing masks for the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic included using crafting as a coping mechanism, social factors including public recognition and pressure to contribute, confusion over the “right” way to do things, and the way the work was gendered. Similarities and differences are discussed in the context of the crafting, expectations of crafters, and the crafters’ responses. This study found few significant changes in the expectations and responses of crafters between WWI, WWII, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The most notable changes occurred in the context of changes in technology, with the COVID-19 pandemic coordination being carried out online and in virtual social groups rather than physical ones.

Keywords: volunteerism, Red Cross, World War II, World War I, WWII, WWI, masks, home sewing, COVID-19

How to Cite:

Armstead, C. C., Martindale, A. K. & McKinney, E. C., (2020) “Knit Your Socks and Sew Your Masks: Hand Knitting in the World Wars Compared with Home Sewing Masks for COVID-19”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 77(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.12047