The competition is so exciting, why are some people knitting sweaters?

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Generally speaking, the live broadcast footage of the Olympic diving competition is nothing more than switching back and forth between athletes who are calm but indeed nervous during the competition, coaches who are emotional and have their own joys and sorrows, teammates who seem to have no emotions but seem to be full of emotions when clapping, and the audience seats that are hastily glanced over by the camera.

Wait! There's someone in the audience knitting!

Daley concentrates on knitting sweaters. Source: CCTV Video

He is Tom Daley, the British diver who won the gold medal a few days ago.

Daley became a unique focus in the Olympic arena because of his knitting. In the men's 10-meter diving preliminaries, Daley sat in the backcourt and knitted a sweater seriously, even though the competitors around him came and went and the results of the competition fluctuated. Later, when people mentioned Daley, the first thing they thought of was not the Olympic champion, but knitting sweaters.

Daley seemed to see himself being discovered. Source/CCTV

Surprisingly, knitting, a seemingly ancient activity, has remained popular to this day. In 2006, writer and knitting blogger Stephanie Pearl McPhee challenged knitting enthusiasts around the world to start knitting at the opening ceremony of the Turin Winter Olympics and complete their work when the Olympic flame went out 16 days later. That year, more than 4,000 people participated in the event. Some knitted their first sweater, some knitted various dolls for charity sales, and some failed the challenge but enjoyed it.

Moreover, it is not uncommon to see men knitting sweaters with a calm look on their faces in Britain and the United States. For example, Sherlock Holmes is one of the characters in the British TV series "Sherlock".

Benedict Cumberbatch is also knitting a sweater. Source: Screenshot from the British TV series Sherlock

Daley said that knitting sweaters is partly to raise money for brain tumor charities, and partly to help him relieve the tension of the game.

Daly is not the only one who practices the concept of decompression and health preservation. A famous orator in history, former British Prime Minister Churchill, was also a fan of knitting sweaters.

Churchill knits calmly

As the saying goes, the person riding a white horse may not be a prince, but may be Gandalf; the person knitting a sweater may not be Daly, but may be Churchill.

Soon after the start of World War II, Nazi Germany set its sights on the British Isles. In order to conquer Britain as quickly as possible, Hitler personally drafted the "Sea Lion Plan" after defeating France, and Britain was subsequently subjected to continuous and crazy bombing.

At that time, Churchill, the British Prime Minister, could only rest for 3 or 4 hours a day in the face of such a tense war process. Outside the window, the artillery fire was raging, and everyone's nerves were highly tense. One day, the generals came to Churchill's basement to report, but they saw the Prime Minister sitting there knitting a sweater seriously, and everyone couldn't help laughing.

Churchill in movies and TV series. Source: Screenshot from the movie Darkest Hour

Churchill held two long knitting needles, his thick fingers wrapped around the yarn, and his wrists twisted flexibly. He knitted the sweater slowly, listened to the report, and made new instructions. He looked calm and composed, not like a leader in the midst of war.

One day, the subordinates could not help but ask Churchill out of curiosity why he had to start knitting at such an urgent moment. Wouldn't it delay things? Churchill expected the soldiers' doubts. He said: "It is at the moment of tension that my brain needs to stay calm and clear at all times. Knitting can relax me, get rid of unnecessary tension and avoid making wrong orders."

At noon on September 15, 1940, 200 German bombers crossed the English Channel under the cover of 600 fighters, preparing to launch a final attack on Britain. Facing the situation of "the enemy is strong and we are weak", more than 300 British fighter planes took off in 6 waves to intercept and suddenly launched an attack. The German army was caught off guard by this, and the huge fleet quickly became a mess. After 20 minutes, 183 fighter planes were lost. Seeing that the fighter planes were gone and the chance of victory was slim, the German army had to retreat. Two days later, Hitler announced the postponement of the "Sea Lion Plan".

Churchill. Source/Internet

For Churchill, knitting sweaters was undoubtedly the best way to relieve stress; and for the British people, the prime minister who knitted sweaters led them to victory in the anti-fascist war. After the end of World War II, Churchill had been committed to writing memoirs about the world war. At this time, he was getting older, but he would still pick up knitting needles in his spare time to relax his nerves and plan his layout while shuttling back and forth.

There is a question: There are many ways to relax, why did Churchill choose knitting? This shows that knitting was at least a very common and daily thing at that time.

Why did knitting become a common everyday activity during World War II?

The turning point of the sweater's fate

When it comes to the origins of knitting, most of the history is that it originated somewhere in the Middle East. Later, these skills were gradually spread to Europe with the development of Mediterranean trade, and then brought to America by European colonists.

"Madonna Knitting" by the painter Bertram, 1400-1410. Source/Wikipedia

Archaeological discoveries have proven that knitted goods began to be used as daily necessities in London, Newcastle, Amsterdam and other places at least in the 14th century. Knitted wool socks were very popular in medieval Europe, and hand-knitting was also a popular industry in Britain and Spain. In the 17th and 18th centuries, people living in the Scottish islands devoted themselves to making sweaters because fishermen needed woolen clothing to protect themselves from the bad weather when they went out fishing. Therefore, sweaters were once associated with specific professions.

But it was not until the First World War that sweaters really became a must-have clothing for everyone.

"Our troops marched into the battlefield, brightly colored flags fluttered in the wind, and the soldiers were wearing sweaters knitted by women in their hometowns." This was written by a war correspondent in the magazine "Ladies' World" in October 1914. On the battlefield, the soldiers had a strong desire for warm clothing, and sweaters became an excellent equipment. "They wore long-sleeved pullovers, wool sweaters, warm knee pads, and warm vests all at once."

Sleeveless sweater style during World War I. Source/Internet

Due to the shortage of supplies during the war, cheap wool sweaters were very popular. People from all walks of life, such as couriers, workers, and train drivers, wore sweaters as daily clothing. At that time, magazines often published sweater knitting tutorials. So, who was knitting sweaters?

In September 1914, facing the shortage of supplies in the rear, Queen Mary, the wife of King George V of the United Kingdom, called on the whole nation to knit sweaters for the soldiers on the front line, planning to knit 300,000 pairs of wool socks and 300,000 wool belts in two months. The British government also took the opportunity to launch the "Knit for Victory" campaign, which aroused a warm response. Even school class activities were holding competitions such as "Who can knit the fastest" and "Whose knitting needles can knit the loudest".

The American Red Cross on the other side of the ocean is also mobilizing people to knit sweaters. Source/Internet

So, at that time, British men, women, young and old were all knitting sweaters. The kind-hearted people wanted to contribute to the victory of the war in this way, and knitting sweaters was given patriotic meaning. At that time, people knitted sweaters at home, on steam trains and buses; people knitted sweaters during meetings, and the whole room was filled with the sound of knitting sweaters, drowning out the voices of the speakers. The symphony orchestra preparing for the performance even posted a notice prohibiting citizens from knitting sweaters during the concert.

This vigorous national knitting movement made Britain known as the "Knitting Kingdom" after World War I. It was also during this period that a woman who loved knitting set up the first women's knitwear store and placed an advertisement in the newly published Vogue magazine. This woman later became a famous fashion designer, and the women's clothing revolution she led has continued to influence us today. She is Coco Chanel.

World War II sparked a new craze for knitting sweaters

After all, knitting sweaters is time-consuming and laborious. After the Industrial Revolution, machine knitting gradually replaced manual labor. However, the reality of wartime material shortages and the patriotic enthusiasm of the masses once again set off a wave of hand-knitting sweaters in many countries.

During World War II, the "Mending for Life" movement evolved into a national knitting activity. People reprocessed old sweaters, some knitted new yarns to make them more durable, and some used skilled embroidery techniques to cover the holes in the sweaters. Other old sweaters that could no longer be worn were transformed into pot handles, creative carpets, and dishcloths.

Two men wearing sweaters from the book Knitting for Defense, 1941. Source/Internet

Clinton Zhuobridge, who was in boarding school at the time, recalled: "Almost everyone was knitting, including the principal, teachers, and the entire football team." Not only girls knitted, but boys also knitted like crazy, and even became addicted. Some people knitted in the dark during the lights-out time set by the school, and some even couldn't help picking up knitting needles during church services. Later, the principal had to restrict knitting activities.

Various styles of sweaters in "Wool Sweaters for the Air Force, Navy and Army" in a book about World War II. Source/Internet

However, the knitting industry in the rear was often destroyed by the Nazi German army. A woman living in Hull, England, wanted to knit a beautiful pink sweater, so she went to Hammond's Department Store in the city center to buy pink wool. She went home that night and began to knit the sweater seriously. Late at night, she found that the wool was not enough, so she went to Hammond's Department Store again the next morning. When she arrived at her destination, she was sad to find that it had been bombed into ruins by the German army.

In the end, the bright pink sweater that the woman imagined unfortunately turned into an overly fashionable knitted short-sleeve.

During World War I, it was rumored that people would use the distance between the knots in their sweaters to compare with the alphabet to generate codes, and thus weave intelligence into secret messages in their sweaters. During World War II, rumors reappeared that girls living near railways would code train schedules and operation conditions, knit them into their socks, and then pass them on to intelligence units.

The magical effect of knitting sweaters

After the two world wars, knitting became popular, and it was during this trend that people discovered the many uses of knitting.

During World War I, hundreds of European travelers were stranded on Ellis Island near New York. To help them through the difficult times, the American Red Cross organized some interesting creative activities, including knitting. Those wanderers who were originally lost and had nothing to do found happiness in knitting.

During the World War, soldiers knitted sweaters as a way to relax. Source/Internet

As for prisoners, knitting provided a good way to effectively manage them. In a report published in the British Daily Mail, a British soldier captured by the German army said: "My idle hands can only be occupied by picking up a knitting needle... Many people think that being skilled in knitting is a sign of femininity, but if they (the prisoners) see that their clothes are torn, they will immediately pick up the needle and thread to mend them happily." Knitting can indeed keep the soldiers in the prisoner-of-war camp honestly.

Similarly, prison management can also promote the benefits of knitting. Thomas Mott Osborne, a famous American prison reformer, once piloted knitting courses in two prisons in the United States during World War I. Prisoners who had nothing to do on weekdays were organized to sit at the table, listen to music, and learn to knit sweaters. This was also a skill that could keep them from freezing.

In addition to soothing emotions and stimulating fun, knitting sweaters seems to stimulate brain potential. At the suggestion of surgeons at Camp Dix in New Jersey, the U.S. military began training soldiers to knit sweaters. During post-war rehabilitation treatment, wounded soldiers also knitted sweaters while lying in their hospital beds, because some experts believe that knitting sweaters can not only soothe the soul with warm works, but also help to highly concentrate during the knitting process, thereby helping to relieve pain, and is a good rehabilitation treatment method.

In the 1960s, British soldiers knitted sweaters after work. Source/Internet

In addition, knitting sweaters has also become a tool for expressing ideas. In the 1970s, with the continued advancement of industrialization, the craze for hand-knitted sweaters had a brief revival, and the styles and colors of sweaters also became brighter and more individual in a certain fashion trend. At that time, punk fans liked to wear their own knitted sweaters to show their resistance to tradition and homogeneity. They would add holes, rips and unfinished threads to the sweaters to convey their attitudes and ideas.

The past warmed by sweaters

Machines free the hands of knitters, but they cannot cover the feelings and fun of knitting between sweater needles. Although knitting sweaters has many functions, as a piece of clothing to keep warm, the biggest function of sweaters is of course to provide warmth.

Every child born before the millennium should have grown up wearing sweaters knitted by their mother. Before the arrival of winter every year, mothers would buy all kinds of wool long in advance, thicker ones for the coldest December, and thinner ones for the babies' new clothes for the Spring Festival. The warmth and comfort that sweaters bring to the soul can be equated with the warmth of family.

When pushed to a certain extent, even dad has to knit a sweater. This shows how important sweaters are. Source: A clip from the movie "The Piano in a Factory"

British writer Lucy Adlington wrote about two touching stories in her work "The Stitch of History". In 1943, Nella, a housewife in Barlow, northern England, received an old sweater from a courier. It belonged to her son. The sweater was embroidered with many commemorative marks and words made by her son when he was traveling abroad, but he was no longer in this world. Nella wrote in her diary: "I held the sweater in my arms and felt that it was the incarnation of Cliff. In every stitch and thread, I could feel Cliff's dreams, regrets and sadness. This sweater is alive."

Another woman named Madeline, who is nearly 60 years old, recalled the sweaters she had worn. She said: "My grandmother used to knit many sweaters for me. My favorite one is a light yellow angora sweater. I often raise my arms and rub the sleeves of this sweater with my lips. This sweater gives me a great sense of security."

In the 1970s and 1980s, when the streets were full of literary youth, our knitting craze also wrote many stories. At that time, mothers knitted sweaters for their children, sisters knitted sweaters for their younger sisters, girls knitted sweaters for their future boyfriends, and good friends knitted sweaters for each other. Later in 2010, a song called "Knitting a Sweater" became popular. Its vulgar and elegant lyrics were the folk tunes of the 1980s.

The reason why knitting sweaters became an instant hit on the Internet is probably because it forms a sharp contrast with the intensity and excitement of the competition.

The world is constantly moving forward in a state of tension and relaxation. Humans are smart and can always find their own healing “magic weapon” no matter what the environment is.

In ancient times, people picked chrysanthemums under the eastern fence. Today, people knit sweaters in the arena. If you can't find a paradise on earth, just find a little thing you like and find a support for your tired soul.

Yin Tianchou, who escaped death, wears a wool scarf knitted by Liu Piaopiao. Source: A clip from the movie "The King of Comedy"

References:

[1] Lucy Adlington, The Stitches of History: The Story of Our Clothes, translated by Xiong Jiashu. Chongqing: Chongqing University Press, 2018.

[2] Peng Xunhou, ed. Secret Records of World War II [M]. Nanjing: Jiangsu People's Publishing House. 2015.

[3] Life Monthly. Treasures: Stories of 100 Chinese Literary Figures[M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 2017.

[4] Li Yang. Why do men in the United Kingdom and the United States knit sweaters? https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1381551

[5]Wikipedia.history ofknitting.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_knitting

[6]HANDMADE WWI AND WWIIREPRODUCTION KNITS.https://www.worldwarknits.com/

[7]OFF DUTY BRITISHSOLDIER KNITTING - from our story 'The Joy Of People Knitting In The 20thCentury'.https://flashbak.com/the-joy-of-people-knitting-in-the-20th-century-365789/various-43/

[8]SHERRY VANARSDALL.Elkhart County inmates crochet items for theneedy.https://elkhartcountyjailministry.org/

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Author: Beichen

Editor | Zhan Xihui

Proofreading | Wang Yongxin

Typesetting | Xue Mengyuan

*This article is an exclusive article of “National Humanities and History”.