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Author to talk on First Ladies and needles
by Joanne Salemink, reporter · News · July 06, 2022
Lou Henry Hoover and 17 other first ladies who, at one point in their lives knitted, crocheted, embroidered, quilted, cross-stitched, or sewed, are the focus of a new book, “Ladies, First: Common Threads,” by Debra Scala Giokas.
Scala Giokas will present a virtual book talk via Zoom, Aug. 18 at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
According to Scala Giokas, Lou Henry Hoover could knit and cross-stitch. She was known for knitting baby blankets with a process called double-knitting, which creates reversible blankets. Present day knitters have emulated her pattern and it appears on popular websites such as ravelry.com, Scala Giokas said.
In addition to biographical information, the chapter on Mrs. Hoover includes a story about her role in the formation of the President’s Mountain School, established near Camp Rapidan in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
Although the book was written for readers age 9-12, Scala Giokas says anyone with an interest in learning more about the first ladies and anyone who enjoys knitting or crocheting or any other needlework will enjoy it.
Other first ladies profiled in the book include Martha Washington, Dolley Madison, Grace Coolidge, Edith Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and Barbara Bush.
Scala Giokas said she hopes that these “inspirational stories will encourage an appreciation of craft and creativity, patience and perseverance, sacrifice and service, and most of all, the role of the first lady in the history of the United States of America.”
Scala Giokas, who is a professional member of the Crochet Guild of America, first got the idea for “Ladies, First” in 2018 when she learned that Ida McKinley made about 4,000 pairs of crocheted slippers. “I thought it would be a fun way to teach children about the first ladies,” she said. “When I was in school, not much attention was paid to them … only the presidents.”
“Ladies, First” is available on Amazon at Barnes and Noble online and through participating booksellers.
For more information visit debrascalagiokas.com.
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