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The Culture of Knitting
From booties and scarves to art and fashion, The Culture of Knitting addresses knitting as art, craft, design, fashion and performance, and as an aspect of the everyday. 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 previously negated the academic study of knitting. The book also 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 also 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, the book offers new ways of seeing and 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.
The Culture of Knitting investigates not merely why knitting is so popular now but also 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, the book offers new ways of seeing and 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.
- GenresKnittingNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 9, 2016
I love the thematic non-chronological construction of the chapters in this book, which necessitates a certain degree of repetition but without tedium. The Culture of Knitting is decidedly encompassing in its study of the economic, social, and political implications of knitting (and craft in general) over centuries, of its oscillating place between the homely and the unhomely, as well as the thrifty and the leisurely, of its emergent power as a means for identity building that is contextualized within industrialization, consequent romanticism, and postmodernism, and lastly, by virtue of this power, its psychoanalytic potential. The book is encompassing also because it doesn't stay inside the framing of knitting as craft, but approaches it from the perspectives of design history, fashion history, object theory, and is embedded with examples of artworks that use knitting as medium.
I have two favorite moments, the first is the chapter on postmodern knitting: never have I expected to learn postmodernism in its most lucid, jargon-free form in a book about knitting! It is delineated as the death of grand narratives and ultimate truths, enabling the simultaneous free-floating of potentially exclusive truths. Meaning as such, becomes fluid and negotiable, and it is up to the individual to pick, choose and layer to construct their own truths. Life becomes fragmentary. Which brings me to my second favorite moment: the correlation of constructing a knitted surface to Jacques Lacan's notion of Lack. I have always been drawn to the implications of the processes and physical movements in the formation of a textile surface: the twist in spinning, the puncture of the needle in embroidery, the duality of piercing and mending in sewing, the looping of thread in knitting, and the interlacing to form a grid in weaving. Joanne Turney points out that in knitting there is a deliberate hole made with each stitch: 'an imperfection that contributes to the creation of a potential whole'. According to Lacan, an individual's realization of their separate entity in childhood marks a rupture, it establishes a sense of loss (lack), which from then on they constantly attempt to restore albeit futilely. They seek to join, conceal or cover fragments of experience. This bridge between fracture and completion is linked to the duality of stitch and hole.
I have two favorite moments, the first is the chapter on postmodern knitting: never have I expected to learn postmodernism in its most lucid, jargon-free form in a book about knitting! It is delineated as the death of grand narratives and ultimate truths, enabling the simultaneous free-floating of potentially exclusive truths. Meaning as such, becomes fluid and negotiable, and it is up to the individual to pick, choose and layer to construct their own truths. Life becomes fragmentary. Which brings me to my second favorite moment: the correlation of constructing a knitted surface to Jacques Lacan's notion of Lack. I have always been drawn to the implications of the processes and physical movements in the formation of a textile surface: the twist in spinning, the puncture of the needle in embroidery, the duality of piercing and mending in sewing, the looping of thread in knitting, and the interlacing to form a grid in weaving. Joanne Turney points out that in knitting there is a deliberate hole made with each stitch: 'an imperfection that contributes to the creation of a potential whole'. According to Lacan, an individual's realization of their separate entity in childhood marks a rupture, it establishes a sense of loss (lack), which from then on they constantly attempt to restore albeit futilely. They seek to join, conceal or cover fragments of experience. This bridge between fracture and completion is linked to the duality of stitch and hole.
December 18, 2025
So I started this back in May (!!!!), reading it on my breaks on night shifts. I found the opening introduction really dry and overly academic so I set it aside. After having temporarily misplaced the book (d'oh!), I picked it up again last week and have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
Turney looks at all aspects of knitting from the historical to the social to the psychological. The book is rich in referencing and anecdotal accounts, so much so I'm excited to trawl the bibliography section for good finds.
It's funny how outdated references are now from this 2009 study though. Who'd have thought the odd knitting blog and MySpace page would erupt into millions of Insta influencers, The Game Of Wool and YouTube videos teaching practically every single aspect of knitting imaginable (incidentally how I learned to knit). And no one could have foreseen the Pandemic effect on knitting uptake.
The book is all encompassing, exploring every aspect of knitting which is enjoyable to read. At times yes, the writing feels a little overly academic and suffers from Thesaurus Syndrome but it is still a highly entertaining and interesting read.
4.5 stars
I took half a star off for :-
a) the photographs, many referring to vibrant colourful works of bright pink or rich indigo for example were all printed in black and white which made it difficult to conjure up the works effectively
b) Turney was obsessed with these three words: retrogressive, praxis and imbrued (which seemed to be used instead of imbued despite their differing meanings). They were used so many times it was distracting to my obsessive brain and I kept thinking if you were playing drink along with these three words, you'd be pissed as a fart!
Turney looks at all aspects of knitting from the historical to the social to the psychological. The book is rich in referencing and anecdotal accounts, so much so I'm excited to trawl the bibliography section for good finds.
It's funny how outdated references are now from this 2009 study though. Who'd have thought the odd knitting blog and MySpace page would erupt into millions of Insta influencers, The Game Of Wool and YouTube videos teaching practically every single aspect of knitting imaginable (incidentally how I learned to knit). And no one could have foreseen the Pandemic effect on knitting uptake.
The book is all encompassing, exploring every aspect of knitting which is enjoyable to read. At times yes, the writing feels a little overly academic and suffers from Thesaurus Syndrome but it is still a highly entertaining and interesting read.
4.5 stars
I took half a star off for :-
a) the photographs, many referring to vibrant colourful works of bright pink or rich indigo for example were all printed in black and white which made it difficult to conjure up the works effectively
b) Turney was obsessed with these three words: retrogressive, praxis and imbrued (which seemed to be used instead of imbued despite their differing meanings). They were used so many times it was distracting to my obsessive brain and I kept thinking if you were playing drink along with these three words, you'd be pissed as a fart!
August 12, 2013
Fantastic to see knitting taken seriously.
January 27, 2021
Про искусство а не повседневность!!!!
April 19, 2023
Не очень понятно, конечно, почему автор постоянно сбивается на рассказы про марксизм и фрейдизм вне контекста тему книги. Краткий экскурс в историю капюшона как пугающего элемента одежды - это, конечно, интересно, но опять же как это относится к вязанию на спицах, а худи с капюшонами, которым автор уделяет внимание, обычно изготовлены из трикотажного полотна, а это совершенно другой технологический процесс, отличный от вязания на спицах.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews