Wool, War, and Motherhood

“Wool, War, and Motherhood” uncovers a little told story of World War I: the working‑class British women who knitted not only for soldiers at the front but for the survival of their own babies. Drawing on the vibrant world of penny women’s magazines—My Weekly, Woman’s Weekly, and Woman’s Own—the article reveals how knitting patterns, mothercraft advice, and expert guidance empowered mothers to protect infant health during a time of national crisis. Far from a quaint domestic pastime, knitting becomes a lens into patriotism, women’s labor, and the emotional resilience of mothers navigating wartime scarcity. This is a fresh, intimate look at how wool, skill, and community shaped Britain’s home front—and its future generations.

About: Dr. Ellie Reed is a Lecturer in English at Brunel University of London and an expert in early-to-mid twentieth-century popular women's magazines within wider literary culture. Published by Liverpool University Press in 2023, her book, Woman's Weekly and Lower Middle-Class Domestic Culture in Britain, 1918–1958, was described as "a major contribution" to its field. A keen knitter, her current research explores how women's magazines popularized knitting and knitwear in Britain before 1960.

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