counter craft

War Knitting

“During World War II, everyone in Owosso, Michigan was involved on the home front, even grade-school kids like me who were asked to knit afghans for wounded soldiers.

All of us had relatives in the service and realized we were part of the war effort. I was 10 years old in 1943 and really enjoyed the knitting. I think I did it for a while before I drifter onto other things.

This photograph appeared in the Owosso Argus Press along with an article about our efforts at Emerson Elementary School in my hometown, west of Flint.”
- Richard Mathewson, Norman, Oklahoma. Full Article Here

Also there’s a great read from ‘Meditations of a Knitter’ where she addresses WWI & WWII homefront efforts. “In any war there’s going to be propaganda. Looking back at some of the homefront propaganda from WWI and WWII you have to see dignity in it.” This is something I’ve thought a lot about. As much as I am against war, when I’ve watched documentaries about the American homefront I’ve always felt a sense of pride followed by sadness that people have generally lost their willingness to make any sacrifices for the good of others.

It’s undeniable that we live in a very ME centered world. We take so much for granted (myself included) on a daily basis. How bad does it have to get before we finally work together again? When we return to civility? Yes, our past is tainted with racism, sexism and homophobia. We’ve come so far (and still have so far to go). But why does it feel like in other ways we’ve completely regressed? How can we bridge our dying sense of community with our modern ideas of equality? Can craft play a role?