The Art and History of Crochet

Crochet, which is a French word meaning hook, is the process of producing fabric from yarn using a crochet hook.

Crochet is an old home art perfected by the house wives to create the beautiful pieces of hand woven home decorations. It involves arranging interlocking thread loops of yarn in a chain with the help of the crochet hook (a slender rod with a hook at one end and made of metal, plastic or wood). In crocheting, the chain of loops is made by catching the yarn after every loop with the help of the crochet hook and then makes it pass from the previous loop this arranging them in the interwoven single chain of loops. The art lies in making different kinds of stitches through which we can create a plethora of textures and patterns. Some commonly used stitches are chain, double; single, treble, ribbed Afghan, popcorn etc.

Crocheting became popular in Europe during the 19th century, when a publication A Winter's Gift provided detailed instruction for performing crochet stitches (though it did presume that the readers understood the basics of Needlecrafts). The older name for crochet is believed to be tambour though the hooks that did survive from those times cannot be used in modern-day crochet work. It has been understood from old records that some old cords have been conceived by using fingers as the crocheting tools thereby creating the chain of loops. With time the art became popular in Europe with women from all strata used to do crocheting as a favorite past time, thus producing beautiful fabrics.

Crochet lace, produced in the Ireland of the 19th century, was a way of making money for the impoverished workers during the famine of 1845-1849. Irish lace was made in quantity until WW1 and was very popular and sought after.

In the new Edwardian era, especially during the decade between 1910 and 1920, crocheted laces became even more elaborate in texture, with complicated stitching. The new rage was for less strong colors of thread in favor of white or other pale shades, except for the brightly colored and elaborately beaded silk purses. After WW1, the few published crochet patterns were early 20th century patterns that had been simplified. However, after WW2 there was renewed interest in homemade crafts, especially in the United States. Colorful doilies, potholders and other useful home items were introduced in the late 40's to the early 60's. Calling for thicker threads and variegated colors of intense hues, the patterns went through yet another major change and made crochet work a homemaker's art until the late 60's and early 70's. Granny squares, which is one of the most basic designs, were a motif worked in the round using bright and colorful yarns and popular with the new generation.

The variety of yarn as well as the quality had taken great strides of improvement in the 21st century with many yarn stores offering classes in crochet. In more modern times it is now possible to purchase or sell crochet patterns or projects via the internet.

This news article is brought to you by TAXES BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.