A Bluestocking Knits

I've been watching the magnificent "The Roosevelts" series on PBS this week — was tempted just now to say "the magnificent Eleanor Roosevelt".  She was well-known as a knitter, though perhaps characteristically, she knitted not fancy things but useful ones, such as socks or scarves or pullovers for her family, as well as wartime knitting for servicemen, and knitting to her was something one did to fill otherwise idle time.

Mrs. Roosevelt knitting in the Memory Room of the Governor’s Mansion in New York, 1932, from the Hudson Valley Almanac Weekly.

"First Lady of the Land, First Lady of the Air", an advertising poster promoting the safety of airplane travel, from the Smithsonian (with a blog post about the poster here).

I must say that I especially like the family snaps of Eleanor knitting, such as here on the beach somewhere.

An image from the FDR Presidential Library, of Eleanor knitting, ca.1914.

The famous photo of Mrs. Roosevelt knitting on the plane during a tour of the United States in 1937, in a photo by Thomas D. Mcavoy of LIFE Magazine.

Eleanor Roosevelt knitting at the Associated Country Women Of The World's exhibit at their triennial convention, Washington, D.C. June 2, 1936, from the Underwood Archives.

Here is a link to the Knitty article from Franklin Habit, containing an interview with Mary Ann Colopy, seasonal park ranger at the Roosevelt/Vanderbilt National Historic Site in Hyde Park, as well as a pattern for mittens written down by Mrs. Roosevelt.