Reclaiming The Craft - International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day 2026 falls on Sunday 8th of March and as a brand created by women, rooted in traditional domestic craft, we are reflecting on how women have changed the meaning of ‘craft’ as a practice throughout history.
Your own parents and grandparents probably recall being separated by gender throughout their education, with boys taught the real ways of the world; history, maths, english, sport, sciences, whilst girls fell into the domestic routines, home economics, feeding infants, darning socks, and crafting to pass the time. Often, throughout history, we look at art created by men and women as separate practices. When someone asks you of the greatest and most notable artists throughout history, you perhaps think of Da Vinci, Picasso, Michelangelo, Van Gogh. We speak of these male artists as revolutionists, changing the course of history. However, art as a vast practice has always been a women’s practice, a pastime favoured by wealthier women in the privacy of their homes as their male counterparts assume their roles as real people in a real working world. This concept is interesting; when we speak of the great male painters, we acknowledge art, when a woman embroiders a tapestry, weaves, sews and knits, we dismiss it as ‘craft’.
Knitted slogan vest by Kendall Ross
This idea of domestic crafting as a woman’s default role is spoken of by who many call the first feminist; Mary Wollstoncraft. In her feminist manifesto ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’ (1792) Mary speaks of women’s education and how liberation could only be achieved through the possession of knowledge, however, she argued that the possession of a strong and healthy body was imperative for this liberation. At this time, a woman’s physical strength was disregarded, instead, her ‘uselessness’ was an indicator of her class and societal rank, most wealthy women were focused on their leisure activities, meaning their decorative embroidery, knitting etc. These same women rejected the idea of physical strength, as at this time, young girls and women were encouraged to live a life of leisure, ‘weakening the muscles and relaxing the nerves’. These domestic crafts were therefore disregarded as a women’s leisurely practice, of which required little skill and strength, but enough attention to make the time pass.
Woman Knitting by Andre Buoys
Postcard of dutch girls knitting, published by Utig F. B. Den Boer, Middelburg, Holland, 1909
However, this idea that crafting as a practice is inherently ‘weak’ in nature has been debunked countless times throughout history, by women reclaiming what is seen as ‘their’ practice. During WW1, the term ‘Knitspionage’ was coined by female spies who utilised crafting tools such as knitting needles and balls of yarn, encoding messages and information using patterns or dropped stitches to indicate morse code or to disclose enemy movements. They moved undetected, posing as innocent women foregoing domestic crafts, with the knowledge it would garner less suspicion.
Girls knitting socks, B. F. Day Elementary School, Seattle, 1918
During WW2, Phyllis Latour Doyle, an agent for British forces spying for the Special Operations Executive, spent her years in service smuggling information. In 1944, she parachuted into occupied Normandy, under the guise of being helpful and friendly, she posed as an innocent French teenager and casually chatted with German soldiers. She then translated useful information using morse code onto silk yarn, wrapping this around a knitting needle and concealing it by inserting the needle into flat shoelace. Similarly, during the American Revolutionary War, older women were employed as spies, using the stereotype of older women taking up knitting to their advantage. Molly Rinker, a spy for George Washington, sat on a hill pretending to knit, posing as an unassuming elderly woman, whilst simultaneously spying on British soldiers, she then hid scrap bits of paper containing classified information on enemy movements in her balls of yarn, throwing these down the hill to hidden American soldiers that lay beneath.
Phyllis Latour Doyle
Perhaps the most well-known modern example of ‘craftivism’ would be the Pussyhat Project. Founded in 2016 by Jayna Zweiman and Krista Suh, this project, born from a desire to demonstrate their stances on women’s rights and the rejection of the rhetoric used against women at that year's federal elections, became a global movement overnight. The idea that these women had was to create a ‘sea of pink hats’ at the biggest women’s marches around the country, in order to make a bold visual statement on female solidarity. The pattern for the Pussyhat was created, with all knitting levels considered, a simple design that anyone could follow. The name Pussyhat, being a direct reference to the vulgar language that Donald Trump had used and in turn, to rid the word itself of all vulgar meaning and association. The Pussyhat is now immortalised in various museums around the world, as a global symbol of ‘craftivism’ and an ever important piece of feminist history.
Another modern case that shows a similar implementation is the Liberty Crochet Project. In 2022, Roe v. Wade – the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the constitution of the United States protected the right of pregnant women to choose to have an abortion before the point of fetal viability – was overturned. This meant that individual states could ban the procedure of abortion based on majority votes. The country was in shock, people were outraged and textile artist Jen LaMastra organised a national community protest, this became the Liberty Crochet Mural. Immediately, participants flocked to service, either learning to crochet with no prior knowledge or activating their existing textile skills in order to join the cause. The mural itself is made up of 40 individual squares, assembled into a yarn mural spanning 17ft x 11ft, the words ‘Freedom to Choose’ central to the piece and featuring Lady Liberty brandishing a uterus supported by the American Medical Association symbol, framed by 3 stars, representing the 3 court justices who objected, and highlighted by the pink triangle, honouring all people with uteruses and reproductive healthcare. This project and the sheer size of the mural is in itself, representative of the solidarity and connection felt by all of those who took part, showing that it takes many hands to make a statement.
At the Queen of Pentacles, we feel it’s right that on International Women’s Day, we are able to reflect on and give gratitude to the countless incredible women that paved the way for us to reclaim the meaning of ‘craft’, transforming it beyond a traditional and domestic practice and giving it meaning. ‘Craftivism’ is a timeless practice, with every stitch, we acknowledge those who came before us so that we can appreciate the craft we practice today.
Thank you for being here and Happy International Woman’s Day!
