Bluestockings Symposium

The latest paid-for knitting club by Kate Davies Designs is the Bluestocking Club, named after the informal English literary, social and educational movement, originally founded by elite intellectual women of the mid-eighteenth century. The modern sock patterns are accordingly inspired by different eighteenth-century women writers. Possibly of more interest to KHF members is the accompanying online event. Subscribers to the KDD club will be able to attend an online symposium on Monday 24th May at 4.00PM hosted by Prof Nicole Pohl of Oxford Brookes University. The symposium will cover the history and cultural context of the bluestockings and also eighteenth-century sock and stocking knitting. Susan North will speak on eighteenth-century knitting, Lis Gernerd will speak on men’s stockings and Isabella Whitworth will speak on eighteenth-century methods of wool dyeing and worsted processing. Places on the online symposium are limited and though a recording may be made available afterwards, both the live event and the recording will only be available to members of the KDD Bluestocking Club. More information is available at the KDD&Co website.