author
Bertha Thompson
b. 1882
A pioneer of occupational therapy, this early 20th-century craft writer turned simple knitting tools into practical therapy and creative work. Her book offers a glimpse of how handcraft was used to comfort, occupy, and empower people during recovery.
1 Audiobook
Rake Knitting Patterns
by Bertha Thompson
About the author
Born in 1882, Bertha Thompson is known for Rake Knitting Patterns, a practical guide that grew out of her work in therapeutic crafts. In the book, she is identified as the organizer and director of occupational therapy and as principal of the Summer School of Occupational Therapy in Woodstock, New York.
Her writing is rooted in real clinical and educational experience rather than hobby advice alone. Rake Knitting Patterns presents knitting as something useful for sick and convalescent patients, showing how simple tools and accessible patterns could help people stay engaged, productive, and encouraged.
That mix of care, instruction, and creativity makes her work especially interesting today. Thompson's book is not just a manual of vintage patterns; it also reflects an early moment in the history of occupational therapy, when craft was closely tied to healing and everyday independence.