Charles Dickens and the use of Knitting in his fiction

On my recent trip to Montana, I took a copy of David Copperfield along with me to read on the plane .  Much to my surprise, I came across some discussion of my favorite past time.  In this work, David's cruel step aunt (the sister of his abusive step father), is often seen knitting in the parlor.  By contrast, his beloved nurse Peggoty is darning socks or working on needlework.  This reminded me of reading A Tale of Two Cities in high school, where the revolutionary Madame Defarge is shown knitting the names of those to be executed.  This made me curious about the use of knitting in Dicken's fiction.  What was the symbolism? 

Let us begin with the more lethal knitting in A Tale of Two Cities. Chapter 15 is entitled Knitting and Chapter 16 is entitled Still Knitting as the Degarges use Madame's knitted list to hunt down their counter revolutionary targets.  To quote from the source,

Therefore, when Sunday came, the mender of roads was not enchanted (though he said he was) to fine that madame was to accompany monsieur and himself to Versailles.    It was additionally disconcerting to have madame knitting all the way there, in a public conveyance; it was additionally disconcerting yet, to have madame in the crowd in the afternoon, still with her knitting in her hands as the crowd waited to see the carriage of the king and queen.
"You work hard, madame," said a man near her.
"Yes," answered Madame Defarge; "I have a good deal to do."
"What do you make, madame?"
"Many things"
"For instance-"
"For instance," returned Madame Defarge, composedly, "shrouds."

Spark notes states (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/twocities/themes.html) that knitting has two meanings in this piece.  First of all, while Madame Defarge may appear to be harmlessly knitting just at the French peasants appeared to be harmlessly living their poverty stricken lives, she is just as likely to cut royal throats.  Then, they mention that in the Greek mythology knitting or weaving is tied to vengeance, like the fates spinning the thread of your life, weaving it, and finally cutting it off.

Knitting, however, did play an actual role in the French Revolution.  The historian Thomas Carlye discussed this in his work, The French Revolution, where he stated:

In the Jacobin Society, therefore, the decided Patriot complains that here are men who with their private ambitions and animosities, will ruin Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood, all three: they check the spirit of Patriotism, throw stumbling-blocks in its way; and instead of pushing on, all shoulders at the wheel, will stand idle there, spitefully clamouring what foul ruts there are, what rude jolts we give! To which the Jacobin Society answers with angry roar;–with angry shriek, for there are Citoyennes too, thick crowded in the galleries here. Citoyennes who bring their seam with them, or their knitting-needles; and shriek or knit as the case needs; famed Tricoteuses, Patriot Knitters;–Mere Duchesse, or the like Deborah and Mother of the Faubourgs, giving the keynote. It is a changed Jacobin Society; and a still changing. Where Mother Duchess now sits, authentic Duchesses have sat. High-rouged dames went once in jewels and spangles; now, instead of jewels, you may take the knitting-needles and leave the rouge: the rouge will gradually give place to natural brown, clean washed or even unwashed; and Demoiselle Theroigne herself get scandalously fustigated.  (http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/carlyle/tc_fr_3.pdf)

As knitting was the work of  peasants, it was considered patriotic for the women of the revolution to knit for the soldiers, a tradition that can be found in almost every war (including the American Revolution where Martha Washington would knit socks for her husband and other soldiers).  However, Dickens focuses on the more sinister side of knitting in this work.

In David Copperfield, published serially 1849-1850 (ten years before A Tale of Two Cities), has fewer allusions to knitting, however they are also sinister.  Jane Murdstone is shown knitting, and I think the firmness of the needles is supposed to symbolize the firmness of her soul. 

When David visits Mr. Peggoty's home, his widowed sister Mrs. Gummidge is portrayed as knitting and worrying about her brother.  She is knitting and mourning her dead husband.  Again, not a  positive knitting image.

Mrs. Heep, mother of the slimy clerk Uriah, is also seen knitting, and  I quote:

Mrs. Heep, with a prodigious sniff, resumed her knitting. She never left off or left us for a moment.  I had arrived early in the day, and we had still three or four hours before dinner: but she sat there, plying her knitting-needles as monotonously as an hour-glass might have poured out its sand. . . What the knitting was, I don't know, not being learned in that art; but it looked like a net; and she worked away with those Chinese chopsticks of knitting needles, she showed in the firelight like an ill-looking enchantress. . .

That is quite an image.  Let us contrast it with Clara Peggoty.  Apparently, Peggoty is the name for a knitting loom.  Therefore, Peggoty is a positive image associated with knitting, although she is not initially shown knitting during David's halcyon childhood days.

What are we to make of Dicken's and the way he looks at knitting?  Could he be he was confused by a knitting pattern and thought of k2tog, yo, p3 as a sort of mysterious language engaged in by women about which he knew nothing?  Or perhaps his mother knitted, and he had long standing anger with his mother for not helping  to rescue him from child labor.  Whatever his association, Dickens certainly created some of the most lasting literary images of knitting in fiction.