| Abstrakt: |
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 theCo-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 theCo-knitting Project, founded by Bilge Merve Aktaş in 2014 at Koç University, Istanbul which facilitates collaboration and skills-sharing in order to produce socks and sustain local practices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
