Knitting Brigades of World War I

06/07/21 • 34 min

3 Listeners

Between America’s entry into World War I and the end of the war less than two years later, Americans knit 23 million articles of clothing and bandages for soldiers overseas, directed by the American Red Cross. How was this knitting organized? Who did the knitting? And why don’t more people know about this impressive feat? Kelly digs into the story of World War I knitting efforts and interviews Holly Korda, author of The Knitting Brigades of World War I: Volunteers for Victory in America and Abroad to find out more.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. Episode Image: Women knit at the Red Cross Knitting Booth while waiting for their trains at New York’s Grand Central Station, 1918. NATIONAL ARCHIVES/ 20802094.

Sources:

The Knitting Brigades of World War I by Holly Korda.
"The Wool Brigades of World War I, When Knitting was a Patriotic Duty," Atlas Obscura.
"Knitting for Victory — World War I," History Link.
"Showing support for the Great War with knitting needles," Smithsonian.
"'Knit Your Bit': The American Red Cross Knitting Program," Center for Knit and Crochet.
"Wilson's Sheep," The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum.
"Knitted Articles for the American Red Cross," The Delineator, V.91 1917. [Knitting Patterns]

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Sources:

The Knitting Brigades of World War I by Holly Korda.
"The Wool Brigades of World War I, When Knitting was a Patriotic Duty," Atlas Obscura.
"Knitting for Victory — World War I," History Link.
"Showing support for the Great War with knitting needles," Smithsonian.
"'Knit Your Bit': The American Red Cross Knitting Program," Center for Knit and Crochet.
"Wilson's Sheep," The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum.
"Knitted Articles for the American Red Cross," The Delineator, V.91 1917. [Knitting Patterns]

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

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Introducing Unsung History

A podcast about the people and events in American history you may not know much about. Yet. With host Kelly Therese Pollock.

In each episode of Unsung History I’ll start us out with a short narrative answering the Who, What, When, and Where to introduce you to the topic, and then I’ll talk to someone who can help us learn the Why and How: a historian or other academic, a journalist or researcher, or someone who was there when history as history unfolded. Launching June 7, 2021.

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Next Episode

The Jackson State Shootings in May 1970

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Kelly tells the tragic story of the Jackson State shootings and interviews Nancy Bristow, Professor of History at the University of Puget Sound, and author of Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College to find out more.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. Episode image: Alexander Hall, viewed from across Lynch Street, National Archives. Public Domain.

Sources: