In 1762, Jean-Jacques Rousseau published Emile, or On Education , in which he states:
"And indeed, almost all little girls learn to read and write with reluctance; but, as for holding a needle, that is something they always learn willingly. They imagine themselves in advance as grown-ups and think with pleasure that these talents will one day be able to help them adorn themselves."
It goes without saying that the author had five children, all placed in orphanages at birth. We could therefore do without his parenting advice. But that's beside the point!
Needlework, those pastimes that occupy young girls, are often associated, in the collective imagination, with mothers or grandmothers knitting within the four walls of their homes. And yet, there are remarkable examples of liberation and resistance , woven between the stitches.
In 2023, I had already published an article on knitting and resistance . This one is therefore not a repetition, but an addition: new stories, each as fascinating as the last.
Knitting as a tool for liberation
The first thing to say is that textiles was one of the first industries to allow women to earn a salary and thus become independent from their husbands.
Our first story takes us to 1920, in Newfoundland, Canada. That year, Lady Constance Harris founded the NONIA ( Newfoundland Outport Nursing and Industrial Association ). And Mrs. Harris was no ordinary person: she was the Governor's wife. During the First World War, she had already organized groups to knit clothing for soldiers.
NONIA was an organization whose goal was to enable families to access healthcare in exchange for knitted items . The objective was for 75% of nurses' salaries to be covered by the sale of the knitted items, with the remainder covered by the government.
According to Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador , a dozen nurses were employed by NONIA in 1926. Between 1921 and 1934, they worked in 29 communities and treated 83,000 cases. The community still exists today as a non-profit organization.
Archive of the NONIA association, 1925
Women and the French Revolution
Different country, different customs. It was during the French Revolution that the myth of the " knitters " was born, a story that could have been written in a Perrault fairy tale. The knitters were those women who inserted themselves into the deliberations of the Convention and the debates of the revolutionary assemblies to listen to what was being said. All while... knitting.
The story veers into myth when they transform into bloodthirsty monsters, armed with needles, soaking their handkerchiefs in the blood of the guillotined (the reason for which remains a mystery). In short, it's easy to picture them, their hair disheveled and their faces contorted by hatred. But let's remember: they are simply women knitting while listening to men discuss politics.
What is often forgotten is that it was women who were at the origin of the popular movement that sparked the French Revolution . It was they who, having run out of flour for bread, initiated the march on Versailles, forcing the royal family to leave their palace. A major feat, often overlooked.
Versailles, October 5, 1789, print, unidentified, BNF Gallica archive
Spies and stitches
It's 1777 in the United States. Molly Rinker , a tavern waitress, is acting as a spy for George Washington . By day, she listens to the conversations of British soldiers, encodes relevant information into balls of yarn, and sends them to the American troops. Casually, she pretends to knit from atop a cliff overlooking the Wissahickon Valley , thus enabling the messages to be retrieved. Pretty clever, right?
Another, highly political example is that of the suffragettes in England , led by Emmeline Pankhurst. They used knitting in prison to send coded messages using the colors purple, white, and green, symbols of their struggle. Regarding the suffragettes (but not the knitting), I recommend listening to Victoire Tuaillon's podcast for Arte Radio,"Et parfois, on gagne" (And Sometimes, We Win ).
One last example, this time of a boycott . We are in what would become the United States, in the mid-18th century, in the British colonies.
It's important to remember that the United States was a colonized land, making Americans a nation of immigrants, with the exception of the First Nations whose territory and culture were destroyed. Pursuing so-called illegal immigration is nonsensical in light of this history. But let's get back to our knitting.
In response to new taxes imposed by the British government through the Stamp Act in 1765, women decided to boycott all textile products from England . The name of these groups? The " spinning bees ." They met to spin wool or linen to create clothing using only locally available materials.
Women played a crucial role in this resistance , as they were responsible for all household purchases. Their economic weight therefore carried significant weight. Furthermore, they possessed the necessary skills (knitting, spinning, weaving) to make their own clothes. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. A form of gentle political resistance for self-sufficiency and economic sovereignty . Interesting, isn't it?
The Red Caps from 1940 to 2026
Originating in Norway, these pointed hats were knitted and worn as a sign of resistance to the Nazi oppressor from 1940 onwards. Knitted with red wool and featuring a pompom on top, their manufacture and use were banned by the Nazis in February 1942. Today, this tradition is resurfacing.
In January 2026, in Minnesota (USA) , Paul S. Neary created the " Melt the ICE " pattern, whose shape and color were directly inspired by the Norwegian beanie. The goal: to denounce the mass arrests and deportations organized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). All profits are donated to organizations that help those affected.
Melt the ice hat, Photo of Paul S. Neary
There are many other projects that combine resistance and knitting; here are a few:
- 2005: Wombs on Washington to support the right to abortion.
- 2004: The Stitch for Senate to ask senators for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
- 2014: The Yarn Mission , organized by CheyOnna Sewell and Taylor Payne, to support black communities after the assassination of Michael Brown.
- 2017: The Pussyhat Project , a movement around which 13,000 pink hats were knitted.
- 2012: During the Maple Spring, the Maille à Part collective organized knitting discussions and activist activities around knitting graffiti.
As you will have gathered, these examples are particularly relevant in the current context. Knitting, and crafts in general, are powerful tools of resistance and resilience . All it takes is appropriating them to give them a new, profoundly revolutionary meaning.
Happy knitting!
References and further reading
The following sources and inspirations were consulted to write this article:
- Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador. Archives on the Newfoundland Outport Nursing and Industrial Association (NONIA) and Lady Constance Harris. Available online for the history of nurses from 1921-1934.
- National Archives of France / National Library of France (BnF). Iconography and documents on the "Knitters" of the French Revolution and the March of the Women on Versailles (October 1789).
- Library of Congress (USA). Historical files on Molly Rinker, the Spinning Bees and the Stamp Act boycott (1765-1766).
- Tuaillon, Victoire. Et parfois, on gagne (episode on the suffragettes), Arte Radio
