hello all i been reading a great book i found at the library (I love to read and I love History)
I wanted to share some great stuff about history and facts on crochet hope you all enjoy and learn some great things like i did .
Did you know-
The word crochet is derived from the Middle French word croc or croche, meaning hook.
It is believed that the earliest forms of crochet were created using a bent finger instead of a hook.
Do you know why most crocheters in earlier years held the crochet hook in their hand like a pencil? In the 1800s, this hand positioning was thought to be more feminine and graceful. Many crocheters now hold their hooks in the palms of their hands (often called the “knife hold”) to reduce carpal tunnel syndrome.The first published crochet pattern appeared in 1824 in a Dutch magazine called “Penelope”
The granny square originally published in 1897 by the Weldon Company (London) is one of the longest crochet patterns in print
Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901) crocheted and contributed to the craft’s early popularity
A double crochet stitch is 4 times the height of a knit stitch Crochet lace saved many families during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1849) by providing a steady income for impoverished Irish workers who sold their handiwork to rich English Aristocrats The earliest written reference to crochet didn’t appear until 1812. Crochet didn’t become the widely popular craft we know today until the 1840s.
Crochet patterns have an underlying mathematical structure and have been used to illustrate shapes in geometry that are difficult to reproduce using other media or are difficult to understand when viewed.
One of the U.S. Presidents used to crochet? James Buchanan, president from 1857 to 1861 liked to crochet on his free time. Who would have thought that?
The first crochet hooks were carved from wood, then bones and at last, steel, brass and silver.
The History of Victorian Crochet
The exact origin and date of crochet is in great doubt. Some believe it goes back to before the time of Christ, but there is no record of this form of needle art before the 1800's and it was not until the 1840's that written instructions began to be published. Crochet has been handed down from generation to generation through family and friends and from what I understand in the early years, without written patterns. It was very common to work directly from a picture of the finished work or from a sample of crochet. Have you ever tried to crochet a pattern from the 1800 or 1900's and found that most of the directions seem to be missing? Needlework was taught to the young women in school from the early 1800's through the early 1900's. The women of that time knew what the publishers meant because they were all too familiar with crochet instructions from their needlework classes. Thus, publishers didn't think they needed to put all that extraneous stuff in the written instructions. Have you ever wondered why most crocheters hold their hook like a pencil? At that time it was thought that it gave the lines of the hand a more feminine and graceful look. Now they are discovering that if you hold your hook in the palm of the hand it cuts down on carpal tunnel problems.
Did you know that if the piece being crocheted was not worked in the round in other words worked from row to row, that at the end of each row the thread was broken and retied to the beginning of the row? The backs of the stitches were never meant to be seen and were viewed as crude. In some of the old Victorian patterns you might find directions that tell you to work one pattern using loose crochet and another pattern using tight crochet. Now days all patterns come with a specific tension requirement and are largely dependent upon the crochet hook if done properly. Stitches in that time were generally crocheted into the back loop of the stitch. It was a method that was taken for granted during that time period. Now it is the accepted practice to crochet a stitch using the front and the back loop of each stitch.
Crochet began as a cottage industry in Ireland with a lace called Irish crochet or guipure lace. In the mid 1800's it became a large industry because of the need of the people to supplement their income due to the great potato famine of that time. It has been suggested that four Irish nuns who were trained in a French convent introduced crochet to Ireland. It was a common practice in that time for each person to become skilled in making one thing and one thing only, such as a leaf or a flower. Another person would then crochet the different motifs together using a background stitch. If you have ever tried to crochet an Irish crochet pattern you can understand why it becomes such a difficult and tedious a project. The people who crocheted the Irish laces were truly masters of their craft. They didn't have radio, television, or even access to very many books during this time in history. This contributed to their ability and desire to focus on such an intricate and elaborate art and create such finely detailed work.
It is still a cottage industry in some countries such as India, Greece, Italy, and some Asian countries.
For a more detailed history please read "Crochet History & Technique" by Lis Paludan.
Hope you all enjoyed reading and learned some new things,
Alisa:)
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