Knitboy! The unseen history of Knitting and Female Exploitation.
“For centuries, knitting was an unpaid, female-dominated domestic task with knowledge passed down in silence. While men* profited from the commercialization of the craft, recognition remained absent. "Knitboy" sheds light on the often invisible history of knitting and the exploitation of women* associated with it. The work consists of 12 hand-knitted and embroidered pieces, sewn together into larger artwork. It questions the social and personal value of knitting and highlights how the craft is now used as an artistic and political means of expression. Knitting moves beyond the domestic sphere, becoming a symbol of emancipation—breaking gender roles and connecting people. A call to see handicrafts as more than just an undervalued hobby. We have invested over 200 hours of work in this project, which—based on minimum wage—amounts to a minimum value of €2,770. This is therefore also the symbolic price of our cover for a Playboy Knitting Magazine.”
Hannah Marie Luise Uhlmann, Christina Kampmann, Eva-Maria Weikert, Nora von Zahn
KNITBOY, 2025
86 x 120 cm
Hand-knitted, wool, metal pipes
In your own words, what is knit boy?
Ini:
Knitboy is a piece of protest for me. We knitted Knitboy to draw attention to the injustices in the history of knitting and the still prevalent image of women in society. We knitted to make a statement—not for a household, not for a man, and not because society expects it from us.
Hannah:
Knitboy is not just a feminist tapestry. It is an urgent demand for recognition— recognition of the work women* have done for centuries, unnoticed and unacknowledged. Handcraft here truly means working with the hands: mending, repairing, ensuring that everyone had something warm to wear. But for me, it also symbolizes all other forms of care work that women* perform daily—unpaid and taken for granted. Caring for children, cooking meals, managing the household.
In the past, women* were mostly at home, their labor invisible. And today? The so-called “emancipated” woman* is supposedly free from housework, yet we are still expected to silently keep everything running. We care—but not without appreciation, and not without fair compensation. Knitboy also confronts the double standard in how craftsmanship is perceived: when men create, it is valued as art; when women* do, it is dismissed as routine.
For me, Knitboy is a bright orange outcry: We matter! What we do has value! Hard work is often overlooked—seen from a distance, this piece might resemble a simple poster. But step closer, and you see us holding the threads, holding everything together. It is time for recognition and gratitude.
How did you all meet, and what role did you each play in the creation of Knit boy?
Ini:
We met in a university context, in a textile course. Each of us brought different skills to the table: Nora is great at graphic design—she studies visual communication. Hanna has already created a textile work as her final project—she studies media art. Eva is highly experienced and skilled in knitting, and I actually learned to knit for the first time as part of this project. I was so so motivated to create something big. Eva and I both study art education.
Hannah:
Meeting the others in the textile course was a special moment for me as I was new to the city and didn’t know anyone yet. From the start, I felt a strong connection with the group—despite coming from different fields, we shared similar interests. Spending so much time together was amazing, and I’m grateful to have met such wonderful friends.
We planned everything as a team, dividing the knitting work so we could each contribute individually while still enjoying the process together. It was just as rewarding to work alone as it was to create alongside the group.
Knitboy is about the invisible, often exploitative history of knitting played a big part in the concept of the piece, could you share a little about this history, what is the story and how did you begin to learn about it?
Nora:
For centuries, knitting was a practice associated with manual labor that went largely unrecognized and undervalued. In the industrial revolution, textile and garment industries capitalized on this, with workers often facing poor conditions and low wages, yet the craftsmanship of knitting itself remained invisible.
Ini:
At university, we learned a bit about the history of knitting and the oppression of women associated with it, but we then delved deeper into the topic because it became the focus of Knitboy.
Eva:
Knitting has long been a typical domestic job done by women. Like care work, it was unpaid, barely visible and receives little appreciation. A fact that has not changed satisfactorily to this day.
I love that you’re putting value back into handicrafts like knitting, in a few words why do you think these crafts are valuable and important to keep alive?
Hannah:
Thank you! Knitting—and all forms of craft—carry generations of knowledge, care, and resilience. It’s more than just making things; it’s storytelling, resistance, and connection. These skills have always been essential, yet historically undervalued— especially when done by women*. Keeping them alive means reclaiming their worth, honoring the invisible labor behind them, and proving that what’s often dismissed as “just a hobby” is actually culture, history, and power woven together.
Craft is community, and every stitch is an act of care and defiance. In a world obsessed with speed and mass production, handmade things remind us of the value of slowness, patience, and human touch. They carry personal and collective histories—stories machines could never tell. Keeping these crafts alive means keeping those voices alive, voices that have been ignored for way too long.
Eva:
On the one hand, I'm a huge fan of crafts. I love crafting and making things with my hands. And I think a lot of people feel the same way. Richard Sennett writes about the importance of crafts for our society and every one of us. It's a book that I really recommend reading.
On the other hand in this day and age many steps of work have been outsourced to low-wage countries, so that clothing and home textiles are available anytime and everywhere at cheap prices. I think it's important to make yourself and others visible how hard and laborious this work is. It's an attempt to counter alienation and give back more appreciation. Many steps of work in the textile industry still cannot be done by machines alone and are carried out or guided by people in adverse conditions by hand.
Why did you decide to link knit boy to playboy magazines?
Nora:
Playboy magazine represents the epitome of the male gaze and the objectification of the female body, with women often portrayed as passive subjects for consumption. However, I believe that when we reclaim the act of showing our bodies—whether through art, performance, or choice—it becomes an act of empowerment. It shifts the narrative, allowing us to define how our bodies are perceived.
By linking Knit Boy to Playboy, we wanted to challenge the conventional expectations and power dynamics at play in both worlds. Knitting, when pulled out of its traditional context and used intentionally as a political act, can become a tool of subversion. The act of taking something considered 'low' or 'domestic' and transforming it into a statement of agency and empowerment mirrors the act of reclaiming one's body or image.
How did you personally learn to knit? Was it a skill that was passed down or something you sought out to learn?
Nora:
For me, knitting has always been something deeply connected to the women in my family. Growing up, I saw it as a craft that was passed down through generations, something that linked me to my heritage. When I spent some time abroad, I decided to learn how to knit as a way to stay close to that family bond, especially since I couldn’t be physically present. My mom, despite the distance, would try to teach me over FaceTime, which worked to some extent—though, as you can imagine, the challenges of learning a tactile skill through a screen were real! But whenever I have a question or need advice, I still reach out to her for tips. It’s almost like knitting has become a way for me to bridge that gap, both connecting to my family and carving out my own relationship with the craft.
Eva:
My mum taught me knitting when I was young. I didnt remember the age, but I was not that interested in. At the age of 17 I learned it again and started my own projects. Since that I have been focused on whatever I want to do and not on „the next level of difficulty“. But one thing has not changed: my mom is the best knitting dictionary …
Ini:
My grandmother has always knitted for as long as I can remember. She always wanted to teach me, but as a teenager, I never wanted to learn. Sadly, she has since passed away, and I only learned to knit as part of Knitboy. It was a beautiful experience because it made me think of my grandmother a lot and took me on a journey connected to her. I often thought that she would be proud of me if she saw all the colour changes.
Hannah:
Also my grandmother taught me to knit and crochet when I was little, but I didn’t use it for years. During my exchange year in Spain, a friend got me back into knitting, and with an hour-long bus ride every day, I had plenty of time to practice.
I love the way people react when I knit in public. In both Spain and Germany, older people often approach me, happy to see a young person working with wool instead of staring at a phone. They share stories of what they used to knit, and once, I even exchanged tips with an elderly woman knitting socks next to me. Knitting has also connected me with younger people—once, in another city, I struck up a conversation in a café just because I was knitting, and I’m still friends with one of those people today.
I just love the sense of community it creates. In Weimar, the small city where we study, we regularly meet in bars or for movie nights, knitting and crafting together. It’s such a beautiful way to connect!
Finally - what other projects are coming up next for you?
Ini:
I am very eager to continue working with textiles and can well imagine incorporating textile practice into my final thesis. Later, in my teaching profession, I would love to pass on the knowledge I have acquired to children—both in a practical and theoretical way.
Eva:
I want to focus on the processes before knitting, crocheting or sewing: fibre processing, yarn spinning and textile finishing. I want to do this by taking a sustainable look at our resources and the textile history in my homeland. To what extent this discussion gets a textile expression and eventually becomes a knitting work, I can't say yet. But of course, I remain faithful to knitting in my spare time.
Nora:
This project has really highlighted how essential it is for me to integrate traditional crafts into my creative process. As a visual communication student, most of my work tends to be digital, but stepping away from the screen and working with my hands has brought me so much joy and a deeper sense of connection to my art.
Looking ahead, I’m planning to learn how to spin my own wool, which feels like a natural extension of my journey with knitting. I’m excited about the idea of experiencing the full process, from farming the wool to creating something with my own hands. I think it will give me a new appreciation and understanding of the craft in a way I haven’t fully explored yet. Additionally, I’m working on conquering the knitting machine at our workshop. I want to explore new techniques and push the boundaries of what’s possible, blending traditional handcraft with more contemporary methods.
Hannah:
Textile arts have become a big part of my work, and I want to incorporate them even more into digital and multimedia installations in the future. In the coming semesters, I definitely plan to take more textile courses, and I could even see myself pursuing a second master’s degree in textile art or design.
Hannah Marie Luise Uhlmann (she/her) @hannah_uhlmann
Nora von Zahn (she/her/none) @buechsederpanora
Ini (she/her) @inizzle__
Eva-Maria Weikert (she/her)