🧶 Knitting during wars: a thread of solidarity, survival and history

During the great world conflicts, knitting needles were much more than tools of leisure. They became silent weapons of support, comfort, resistance, and survival. Knitting during wars is a profoundly human story, often a feminine one, where each stitch tells the story of an act of courage or tenderness.

At Knit-sis, we love digging into the history of knits—the ones our grandmother and aunt knitted while recounting their childhood memories during the Occupation. Today, we're taking you on a journey to discover how knitting made its mark on history during wartime, and how you can use it as inspiration for your own projects ❤️

🧵 Why did people knit during wars?

During wars, knitting was used to make clothes for soldiers, to occupy civilians while they waited, to express solidarity, or to convey coded messages of resistance. It was an act that was at once practical, patriotic, and profoundly human.

➡️ In short : Knitting has been a tool for survival, care, solidarity... and sometimes, silent resistance.

🧤 Knitting for Soldiers: Between Necessity and Comfort (WWI & WWII)

During World War I and World War II, women (and sometimes children) were called upon to knit to support the troops:

▪️ Warm socks (often with heel reinforcements)

▪️ Fingerless mittens

▪️ Face masks, hats, scarves

▪️ Raw wool undershirts

The goal? To protect soldiers from the cold in the trenches, while sending them a little human warmth.

📜 Models were even distributed by the Red Cross to standardize production. Some pieces contained secret messages or prayers...

🧶 Knitting and resistance: needles as silent weapons

Behind the scenes, some women used knitting to conceal messages. Stitch combinations could correspond to codes or alerts. It's one of the most subtle forms of female resistance, too often forgotten in history books.

🧠 A notable example : Gertrude Bell, a British spy during WWI, knitted socks containing coded information for Allied troops. 🙌

👩🏽🧓🏾 Women, Thread and War: A Silent Power

Knitting was also a way for women to feel useful, to resist despair, and to transmit life despite absence. Around a knitting circle, we cried, we laughed, we hoped... and we taught the stitches to the next generation.

🧶 Knitting as a heritage : Many of us learned the basics of knitting with antique needles and war stories. This is the case for us at Knit-sis. This link between knitting and family memory is at the heart of our story. ❤️

💡 How can you draw inspiration from this era in your knitting projects?

History inspires needles: what if your next projects were a nod to these women who knitted in the shadows?

Here are some creative ideas:

▪️ 🧤 Knit thick trench-style socks with rustic yarns

▪️ 🧣 Create a long scarf in shades of gray inspired by period uniforms

▪️ 🧵 Incorporate a “morse” stitch (alternating knit/purl stitches) into a sweater to simulate a secret message

🎯 Knit-sis patterns that are perfect for this:

▪️ Chou Vest : a comforting basic in post-war knit style

▪️ Noddy Baguette Sweater : perfect for writing an intarsia message

▪️ Vintage Fall Vest : a retro cut, warm textures ✨

🛍️ Want a model inspired by history? Take a look at our vintage collection

📚 War knitting in museums and archives

Some museums and archives devote entire exhibitions to knitting during conflicts:

▪️ 🏛️ The Great War Museum (Meaux)

▪️ 📕 The Red Cross archives on distributed patterns

▪️ 📸 Online collections on Pinterest or Ravelry with reconstructions

Feel free to explore these resources to enrich your projects with meaning and history.

🧶 A legacy that continues… with you ❤️

Knitting is more than just making stitches. It's extending an ancestral gesture, performing an act of love, perpetuating a memory. Knitting during wars reminds us of the power of this simple gesture, yet one that carries so much hope.

💌 Do you also want to connect with this past while creating with your hands? Start today with one of our iconic patterns 👇

➡️ Download the Coquelicot Top for free — a simple, poetic pattern that’s perfect for (re)starting knitting 💐

➡️ Discover our selection of timeless vests inspired by the elegance of yesteryear.

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