In need of a good DYI project or want to brush up on you crochet knowledge, well my dears, you have come to the right place.
An Interesting and Industrial Beginning
Crochet's origins and development are documented by CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) member Ruthie Marks in her article, History of Crochet.
Ms. Marks originally provided this history of crochet in Chain Link issues starting in September 1997. Her complete history is posted with her permission.
This article is a quick highlight on how crochet was started. If you'd like to read more about this versatile handiwork you can click on Ruthie Marks link above "History of Crochet".
No one is quite sure when and where crochet got its start. The word comes from croc, or croche, the Middle French word for hook, and the Old Norse word for hook is krokr.
According to American crochet expert and world traveler Annie Potter, "The modem art of true crochet as we know it today was developed during the 16th century. It became known as 'crochet lace' in France and 'chain lace' in England, but the bottom line is that there is no convincing evidence as to how old the art of crochet might be or where it came from. It was impossible to find evidence of crochet in Europe before 1800.
There are several theories from researchers like writer/researcher Lis Paludan of Denmark. She has three main theories about the start of crochet: One: Crochet originated in Arabia, spread eastward to Tibet and westward to Spain, from where it followed the Arab trade routes to other Mediterranean countries. Two: Earliest evidence of crochet came from South America, where a primitive tribe was said to have used crochet adornments in rites of puberty. Three: In China, early examples were known of three-dimensional dolls worked in crochet.
And for some countries, crocheting was a literal life saver for them. For the people of Ireland, it pulled them out of their potato famine, and threw them into abject poverty. They crocheted between farm chores and outdoors to take advantage of sunlight, and after dark, they moved indoors to work by the light of a candle, a slow-burning peat fire or an oil lamp. Ironically, buyers abroad were unaware that their delicate collars and cuffs were made in primitive dwellings under poverty-stricken conditions.
However, this handiwork did not just belong to the women, but the men also joined in. They were organized into crochet cooperatives. Schools were formed to teach the skill and teachers were trained and sent all over Ireland, where the workers were soon creating new patterns of their own. Families relied on their earnings from crochet, which gave them the chance to save up enough to emigrate and start a new life abroad, taking their crochet skills with them.
When these industrial emigrants arrived in the Americas, the women who were already busy with their spinning, weaving, knitting and quilting, could not help but be influenced to include in their handiwork the crochet skills of their new neighbors.
Even though there are still some unanswered questions on how and when crochet really began, just knowing the small amount of history we already have, makes this beautiful, and wonderful craft, a skill worth learning!