The co-knitting project: a proposal to revive traditional handmade socks in Turkey

Abstract

Traditional handmade socks, as part of folk art, crafts, and cultural heritage in Turkey, have a rooted history with distinguishing motifs, compositions, and narratives. Knitting socks has been in decline since the mid-twentieth century and socks are rarely used in Turkish everyday life. This study frames this craft in historical, social, and material contexts, and investigates how maker culture, and in particular the Co-knitting Project, has attempted to sustain handmade sock production. To begin, the article reviews literature on the history of handmade socks, focusing on how the practice and materials used for the craft have transformed over time. Then, using responses from interviews with sock makers and shop owners, the status of present-day sock making in Turkey is determined. Finally, the article presents the Co-knitting Project, founded by Bilge Merve Aktas in 2014 at Koc University, Istanbul which facilitates collaboration and skills-sharing in order to produce socks and sustain local practices in the future.