Week 11, Ban The Bomb

Hello my lovely knitters!

This week’s panel is Ban the Bomb.

The Ban the Bomb symbol has been around since 1958, created for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. It’s one of the most recognisable protest symbols in the world — simple, clear and impossible to mistake.

Knitting it gave me time to think about that.

People often say knitting isn’t political. And for many it might not be. It’s yarn, patience, and the steady building of something stitch by stitch. A very human act of making in a complicated world.

But sometimes knitting does step into politics.

Throughout history, people have picked up needles when they wanted to show solidarity, bear witness, or say something that needed saying.

Right now in the United States, knitters are revisiting the red resistance hat — a symbol first worn in Nazi-occupied Norway — using it again in protest against immigration enforcement.

Knitting isn’t political.

Unless it is.

Moments when knitting and yarncraft have carried a political or social message:

• Tricoteuses — 1789–1794

  Women knitted while attending debates, trials and executions during the French Revolution.

  
  

• Knitting for Soldiers — 1914–1918

  Civilians knitted garments to support troops during the First World War.

  
  

• Knitting as Watch — 1939–1945

  During WWII, civilians sometimes knitted while observing troop and transport movements.

  
  

• Norwegian Resistance Hats — 1940–1945

  Red knitted caps became a symbol of resistance during Nazi occupation.

  
  

• Revolutionary Knitting Circle — 2000 onwards

  Activists held public knit-ins protesting war and globalisation.

  
  

• Yarn Bombing — early 2000s onwards

  Knitting appeared in public spaces as colourful, subversive street art.

  
  

• Nike Blanket Petition — 2003

  Knitters worldwide created a giant blanket protesting sweatshop labour.

  
  

• Wombs on Washington — 2005

  Knitted wombs appeared in demonstrations supporting reproductive rights.

  
  

• Knitted Breasts for Awareness — 2010s onwards

  Knitted breasts have been used in installations and campaigns raising awareness of breast cancer and women’s health.

  
  

• Knit the Bridge — 2013

  Thousands of knitted panels created by communities were installed across a Pittsburgh bridge.

  
  

• Pussyhat Project — 2017

  Pink knitted hats became a global symbol of women’s protest.

  
  

• Tempestry & Temperature Blankets — 2017 onwards

  Knitters and crocheters record daily temperatures in yarn to visualise climate change.

  
  

• Red Resistance Hats Revisited — 2026

  Knitters revive the WWII symbol in modern protests against ICE.