With Her Own Hands

A sweeping investigation of the role of textile work in women's lives....A thoughtful, deeply researched contribution to women's history.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" In seven eloquent and skillfully researched chapters, Nehrig traces women's needle and textile artwork across the world and through the centuries.--Carolyn Mulac ""Booklist"" An in-depth and wide-ranging exploration of women's power to create--a must for anyone interested in craft and social history.--Esther Rutter, author of This Golden Fleece Now that we archaeologists have shown that, for millennia, women were making those 'clothes that make the man, ' a psychologist and avid knitter has gathered lively stories from around the world to show how the long, slow making of these textiles in turn affects and has affected the women themselves, often healing their emotional lives.--Elizabeth Wayland Barber, author of Women's Work This is a book of discovery. Merging researched histories with personal encounters, Nicole Nehrig unravels stories of textile making that are surprising and illuminating, evidencing women's long practiced connection to their physical, spiritual, and emotional worlds.--Clare Hunter, author of Threads of Life With Her Own Hands gives such a sumptuous insight into the profundity of simple threads. Rich with stories from so many cultures, Nehrig shows how the creation and embellishment of textiles not just gave a voice to those who were allowed none--but also power, hope, and fortitude across the ages.--Aarathi Prasad, author of Silk With Her Own Hands tells captivating stories of women from around the world and through the centuries--so different but united in their creation of textiles for economic power, political force, and creative expression. They and their time-consuming, dedicated work are inspiring and unforgettable.--Danielle Dreilinger, author of The Secret History of Home Economics Unraveling commonly held assumptions of knitting as a pedestrian hobby requiring only basic skill and relegated to lowly female drudgery, Nicole Nehrig instead shows how this single act binds humanity, connecting women across generations and between continents. With Her Own Hands is a beautifully wrought anthropologic study, and necessary reading for anyone interested in the nature of creativity.--Julie Satow, author of When Women Ran Fifth Avenue