Craft Patterns Plus

The origins of crochet are not known, however, it is known that nuns in European convents throughout the sixteenth century were doing fine crochet work.

Three hundred years later in the nineteenth century the Irish began adapting this art which developed into the famous Irish Crochet. The handicraft then spread from Ireland to Victorian England where it had limited popularity as a form of decorative edging. Crochet became popular in England at the beginning of the Victorian era when it, along with embroidery and knitting, was an accomplishment of leisure class ladies.

Crochet appears to have originated in France. The name we use today comes from the old French word “croches” which means hook. This describes ‘the process of creating fabric from a length of cord, yarn, or thread with a hooked tool’. Some theories are that crochet evolved in Arabia, South America, or China where both knitted and knotted textiles survive from very early periods.

In the 1800’s in Europe, crochet began to be used as a cheap substitute for other forms of lace, only the finest threads were used for a delicate lacy effect, as seen today in Irish crochet. For the most part crochet was worked in round or filet crochet for doilies and other decorative work, or in rows of 'open' or 'closed' mesh to create patterns requiring minimal equipment and supplies, all easily accessible to persons of all social classes.

Those who could afford lace made by older and more expensive methods regarded crochet as a cheap copy. However, because of it’s popularity with Queen Victoria, who conspicuously purchased Irish-made crochet lace and even learned to crochet herself, crochet become more acceptable as an alternative to the more expensive laces. With the introduction, in the early twentieth century, of magazines exclusively dedicated to patterns and technique on how to crochet, English crochet continued to increase in popularity offering patterns for handkerchief edging, linens and undergarments collars, ruffles, doilies, and gloves.

From 1800 to 1950, the craft remained primarily a homemaker's art and until the late 1960s crochet was done almost exclusively in thread. With the mass production of steel hooks around the 1900’s it became easier to work the thread and control tension, size and texture of the work produced, although thread crocheting remained more popular until the early 1970’s.

With the fashion trends changing in the late 1960’s, crochet in yarns and wools becoming more popular with the younger generation who used the brightly colors yarns in granny squares. These designs began to appear in fashion clothing, handbags, scarves, hats, shawls and became indicative of the era.

Today, yarn is more popular than fine threads for crocheters; however, both have been successfully incorporated into designs with cottons, mohair and other interesting combinations to produce unique high quality garments. Afghans, blankets, and sweaters are made with all weights of yarn, but worsted is the most popular. Crocheted fabric has its own unique texture which distinguishes it from other methods of fabric-making as it is composed entirely of loops and is only secured when the free end of the strand is pulled through the final loop.

Crochet is one of the most popular needle-arts today because of its versatility and adaptability. As a technique, crochet is used for many applications from clothing, footwear, decorative items to children’s toys, with its flexibility in producing round, square, rectangular and free-form items which are relatively easy to accomplish. It is easy to understand and master makes a challenging hobby for all ages.