The Power of Knitting: History, Healing, and Resilience in Loretta Napoleoni's Book

The Photo Detective

Loretta Napoleoni’s The Power of Knitting explores the universal significance of knitting through history, culture, and personal memoir. An economist by profession, Napoleoni combines research with heartfelt reflections, revealing knitting’s historical roles in revolutions, spycraft, and resilience. She highlights its meditative, brain-stimulating effects, debunks its dismissal as a mere domestic craft, and celebrates its community-building power. Her engaging book resonates with seasoned knitters, historians, and curious readers alike, redefining the craft’s place in our lives.

• Explores knitting’s roles from ancient Egypt to modern revolutions, including its political and cultural impact.
• Highlights the therapeutic and cognitive benefits of knitting, akin to yoga for the brain.
• Shares compelling stories of knitting’s use in espionage and personal healing during crises.
• Examines knitting as a proletariat craft and its evolution in social perception.
• Combines memoir, history, and science to showcase knitting’s role in survival and creativity.

Related Episodes:
Episode 241: Threads of Life: Unraveling the Rich Tapestry of Sewing with Author Clare Hunter

Episode 240: The Hidden Stories of Tattooing: Dr. Matt Lodder on Tattoos in Photography and Society

Links:

• Loretta Napoleoni
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About My Guest:
Loretta Napoleoni is the bestselling author of Maonomics, Rogue Economics, Terror Incorporated and Insurgent Iraq. She is an expert on terrorist financing and money laundering, and advises several governments and international organizations on counter-terrorism and money laundering. As Chairman of the countering terrorism financing group for the Club de Madrid, Napoleoni brought heads of state from around the world together to create a new strategy for combating the financing of terror networks. Napoleoni is a regular media commentator for CNN, Sky and the BBC.

About Maureen Taylor:
Maureen Taylor, The Photo DetectiveÒhelps clients with photo-related genealogical problems. Her pioneering work in historic photo research has earned her the title “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective” by The Wall Street Journal and appearances on The View, The Today Show, Pawn Stars, and others. Learn more at

I'm thrilled to be offering something new. Photo investigations. These collaborative one-on-one sessions. Look at your family photos then you and I meet to discuss your mystery images. And find out how each clue and hint might contribute to your family history. Find out more by going to maureentaylor.com and clicking on family photo investigations.

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