Crochet

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Crochet (IPA: krəʊ'ʃeɪ) is one of several processes of creating fabric from cord, yarn, thread or wire. Crocheting, like knitting, consists of pulling loops through other loops with a crochet hook. The word crochet is derived from the Middle French word croc or croche, meaning hook.

Crocheted fabric is begun by placing a slip-knot loop on the hook, pulling another loop through the first loop, and repeating this process to create a chain of a suitable length. The chain is either turned and worked in rows, or joined end-to-end and worked in rounds. Rounds can also be created by working many stitches into a single loop. Stitches are made by pulling one or more loops through each loop of the chain. At any one time at the end of a stitch, there is only one loop left on the hook. During the completion of a stitch there may be multiple loops on the hook. This method distinguishes crochet from other methods of fabric-making such as knitting, as it is composed entirely of loops made with a single hook and is only secured when the free end of the strand is pulled through the final loop.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Early history 3 Modern practice 4 Differences from knitting 5 Materials 6 International crochet terms and notations 7 References 8 External links 8.1 Crochet tutorials and basic information 8.2 Free crochet patterns 8.3 Crochet Magazines

[edit] Origins

Some theorize that crochet evolved from traditional practices in Arabia, South America, or China, but there is no decisive evidence of the craft being performed before its popularity in Europe during the 1800s. It is known that the first printed crochet pattern appeared in a Dutch magazine in the early 1800s.^{[citation needed]} Many find it likely that crochet was in fact used by early cultures but that a bent forefinger was used in place of a fashioned hook; therefore, there were no artifacts left behind to attest to the practice. These writers point to the "simplicity" of the technique and claim that it "must" have been early.

Other writers point out that woven, knit and knotted textiles survive from very early periods, but that there are no surviving samples of crocheted fabric in any ethnological collection, or archeological source prior to 1800. These writers point to the tambour hooks used in tambour embroidery in France in the eighteenth century, and contend that the hooking of loops through fine fabric in tambour work evolved into "crochet in the air." Most samples of early work claimed to be crochet turn out to actually be samples of nålebinding.

Beginning in the 1800s in Britain, America and France, crochet began to be used as a less costly substitute for other forms of lace. The price of manufactured cotton thread was dropping, and even though crocheted laces took up more thread than woven bobbin laces, the crocheted laces were faster to make and easier to teach. Also, the horrible conditions of foreign lace makers become known so more and more people began taking up crocheting lace instead of buying it premade. There was evidence from a book published at the time that a lace manufacturer was making his workers sell sexual favors to make up for him not paying them a living wage.^{[citation needed]} So, manufactured lace began to be seen as tainted.

During the Irish potato famine of 1846 to 1850, Ursuline nuns taught local women and children to thread crochet. It was shipped all across Europe and America and purchased for its beauty and also for the charitable help it provided for the Irish population.^{[citation needed]}

Hooks ranged from primitive bent needles in a cork handle, used by poor Irish lace workers, to expensively crafted silver, brass, steel, ivory and bone hooks set into a variety of handles, some of which were better designed to show off a lady's hands than they were to work with thread. By the early 1840s, instructions for crochet were being published in England, particularly by Eleanor Riego de la Branchardiere and Frances Lambert. These early patterns called for cotton and linen thread for lace, and wool yarn for clothing, often in vivid color combinations.

[edit] Early history

Around the world, crochet became a thriving cottage industry, particularly in Ireland and northern France, supporting communities whose traditional livelihoods had been damaged by wars, changes in farming and land use, and crop failures. Women and sometimes even children would stay at home and create things such as clothes and blankets to make money. The finished items were purchased mainly by the emerging middle class. The introduction of crochet as an imitation of a status symbol, rather than a unique craft in its own right, had stigmatized the practice as common. Those who could afford lace made by older and more expensive methods disdained crochet as a cheap copy. This impression was partially mitigated by Queen Victoria, who conspicuously purchased Irish-made crochet lace and even learned to crochet herself. Irish crochet lace was further promoted by Mlle. Riego de la Branchardiere around 1842 who published patterns and instructions for reproducing bobbin lace and needle lace via crochet, along with many publications for making crocheted clothing from wool yarns. The patterns available as early as the 1840s are astonishing in their variety and complexity.

[edit] Modern practice

Fashions in crochet changed with the end of the Victorian era in the 1890s. Crocheted laces in the new Edwardian era, peaking between 1910 and 1920, became even more elaborate in texture and complicated stitching. The strong Victorian colors disappeared, though, and new publications called for white or pale threads, except for fancy purses, which were often crocheted of brightly colored silk and elaborately beaded. After World War I, far fewer crochet patterns were published, and most of them were simplified versions of the early 20th century patterns. After World War II, from the late 40's until the early 60's, there was a resurgence in interest in home crafts, particularly in the United States, with many new and imaginative crochet designs published for colorful doilies, potholders, and other home items, along with updates of earlier publications. These patterns called for thicker threads and yarns than in earlier patterns and included wonderful variegated colors. The craft remained primarily a homemaker's art until the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the new generation picked up on crochet and popularized granny squares, a motif worked in the round and incorporating bright colors. Although crochet underwent a subsequent decline in popularity, the early 21st century has seen a revival of interest in handcrafts and DIY, as well as great strides in improvement of the quality and varieties of yarn. There are many more new pattern books with modern patterns being printed, and most yarn stores now offer crochet lessons in addition to the traditional knitting lessons. Filet crochet, Tunisian crochet, broomstick lace, hairpin lace, cro-hooking, and Irish crochet are all variants of the basic crochet method.

Because of the underlying mathematical pattern structure of crochet, it has been used to illustrate shapes in hyperbolic geometry that are difficult to reproduce using other media or are difficult to understand when viewed two-dimesionally.^[1]

[edit] Differences from knitting

One of the more obvious differences is that crochet uses one hook while knitting uses two needles. Crocheting can also be done using a cylindrical form, which contains a series of equidistant hooks.^{[citation needed]} In terms of purpose and usage, crochet tends to be better in creating lace - which is why it is often associated with doilies - while knitting is more often used for creating structured pieces.^{[citation needed]} Knit fabric can be made by machine while many crochet stitches can only be crafted by hand.

[edit] Materials

Crochet hooks come in many sizes. Steel crochet hooks range from 3.5 to 0.75 millimeters in the size of the hook, or from 00 to 14 in American sizing. These hooks are used for fine crochet work. Aluminum or plastic crochet hooks are available from 2.5 to 19 millimeters in hook size, or from B to S in American sizing. Some of the more popular crochet hooks come from Boye and Susan Bates. Crochet hooks used for Tunisian crochet are elongated and have a stopper at the end of the handle, while double-ended crochet hooks have a hook on both ends of the handle. There is also a double hooked apparatus called a Cro-hook that has become more popular.

[edit] International crochet terms and notations

In the English-speaking crochet world, the basic stitches have different names. The differences are usually referred to as UK/US or British/American. Examples of these differences and their usual abbreviations are:

• UK: double crochet (DC) = US: single crochet (SC)
• UK: treble crochet (TR) = US: double crochet (DC)

and so on.

To help counter confusion when reading patterns, a diagramming system using a standard international notation has come into use (illustration, right). A more complete list can be found here, as well as in many pattern books.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Crochet tutorials and basic information

• Stitch Diva Studios Crochet tutorial

[edit] Free crochet patterns

• Martha's Crochet & Craft links Extensive directory of patterns
• The Antique Pattern Library
• Crochet Pattern Central

[edit] Crochet Magazines

• Crochet Me Online Crochet Magazine
• For the Love of Yarn
• Crochet Insider