Crochet
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Crochet, from the Middle French croc or croche, meaning hook, describes creating fabric from a length of cord, yarn or thread with a hooked tool. Crocheted fabric begins with a loop on the hook; another loop is pulled through it, and so on to create a chain, which is turned and worked in rows or joined and worked in rounds. The fabric is composed entirely of loops and is secured only when the free end is pulled through the final loop.
The word crochet is derived from the Middle French word croc or croche, meaning hook. It describes the process of creating fabric from a length of cord, yarn, or thread with a hooked tool. The origin of the crochet technique is a subject of considerable controversy. The word is not to be confused with "crotchet", otherwise known as a quarter note.
Definition
Crocheted fabric in the modern sense is begun by placing a loop on the hook, pulling another loop through the first loop, and so on to create a chain. The chain is either turned and worked in rows, or joined end-to-end and worked in rounds. Stitches are made by pulling one or more loops through each loop of the chain. This method distinguishes crochet 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
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. 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 ethnologic collection, or archeological source prior to 1800. These writers point to the tambour hooks used in tambour embroidery in France in the seventeenth 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 naalebinding.
Beginning in the 1800s in Europe, crochet began to be used as a less costly substitute for lace. It required minimal equipment and supplies, all easily accessible to all classes. At this time, thread spun from natural fibers was used without dyeing, and worked with handmade hooks of ivory, brass, or hardwood. Those that survive to this day are often ornately carved or inlaid with mother-of-pearl.
Early history
Around the world, crochet became a thriving cottage industry, supporting communities whose traditional livelihoods had been displaced by imperialism. 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 true lace 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 boosted by Mlle. Riego de la Branchardiere around 1845 who published patterns and instructions for reproducing bobbin and needle lace via crochet.
From 1800 to 1950, crochet was done almost exclusively in thread. Crochet in the round or filet crochet, worked in rows of 'open' or 'closed' mesh to create patterns, were most common. Mass-produced steel hooks were used to work the thread beginning in about 1900.
Modern practice
In the 1950s, crocheters began to use thicker yarns to create less delicate clothing and home items, though thread crocheting remained more popular until about 1960. The craft remained primarily a homemaker's art until the late 1960s when the younger generation picked up on crochet. Often using granny squares, a motif worked in the round, and incorporating bright colors, these designs became indicative of the era.
Today, crochet has inevitably declined in popularity as both men and women have less free time and more entertainment options. However, it still maintains a loyal following, who continue to create new stitches and innovative methods.
The following types of crochet are derived
from the basic method:
Links
ChezCrochet.com (http://www.chezcrochet.com/page0002.html) How-to's
Crochet Basics (http://crochetnmore.com/123basics.htm)
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The Single-Loop AdvantageCrochet's one active loop is a small mechanical fact with large consequences. Because each stitch is finished and locked before the next starts, crochet can turn corners, branch, work in spirals and build three-dimensional shapes — motifs, flowers, toys, baskets — without the holding systems knitting needs for the same work. The fabric it makes is correspondingly substantial: a crochet stitch uses more yarn than a knitted stitch of the same coverage, producing a firmer, warmer, less drapey cloth that holds an edge without ribbing. Those traits explain its enduring niches — lace in fine thread, where firmness holds open patterns crisp; blankets and garments in yarn, where the structure is the warmth; and freeform work, where the hook goes wherever the maker points it. From Thread to Yarn: The Modern Practice in BriefFor a century and a half crochet was almost exclusively thread work — filet crochet, in rows of open and closed mesh, was among the most common forms — worked with handmade hooks of ivory, brass or hardwood, then mass-produced steel hooks from about 1900. In the 1950s crocheters took up thicker yarns for less delicate clothing and home items, and the late 1960s brought the granny square, a motif worked in the round in bright colors, as the era's emblem. The derived types map the craft's range: filet and Irish crochet at the lace end, Tunisian crochet — worked with a long hook that holds a row of loops, a genuine crochet-knitting hybrid — and broomstick and hairpin lace at the specialty end, all built from the same chain of loops. Common QuestionsHow does crochet differ from knitting?Knitting holds a whole row of live loops on needles; crochet works with a single active loop on one hook, completing each stitch before the next begins. Crochet fabric is therefore thicker and less elastic stitch for stitch, can be shaped freely in any direction, and unravels only from its working end — a dropped crochet stitch cannot ladder down the fabric. Why are there no crochet samples before 1800?That absence is the core of the origins controversy. Woven, knit and knotted textiles survive from very early periods, but no crocheted fabric survives in any ethnological collection or archaeological source before 1800. One theory holds that early crochet was worked with a bent forefinger instead of a hook, leaving no tools or identifiable remains; another derives it from 17th-century French tambour embroidery hooks. What is Irish crochet?A lace form of crochet developed in Ireland in the 1840s, boosted by Mlle. Riego de la Branchardière's published patterns around 1845 for reproducing bobbin and needle lace designs in crochet. Motifs are worked separately in fine thread and joined on a mesh ground — crochet deliberately imitating luxury lace, and sold as a cottage industry product to the emerging middle class. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Fabric Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
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