A Little about Crochet

Hi everyone, it's me Lee! well this is going to be my first blog post for anyone who's reading, so before we start i want to say  WELCOME to Hook'ed. I named my blog Hook'ed for the simple reason that the more you learn about Crochet, the more you'll want to do it and want to make things. Well, today I am going to give a little history on crochet so everyone knows what it is. 


History

The word Crochet is derived from the middle freanch word croc or croche, meaning hook. Crocheting, similar to knitting consists of pulling loops of yarn through other loops. Crochet differs from knitting in that only one loop is active at one time (the sole exception being Tunisian crochet), and that a crochet hook is used instead of knitting needles.

Know one really knows where crochet came from. But we do know when it became popular in the 1800's we started seeing more of it. In fact the first crochet pattern was published in a Dutch magazine 1824. Sometimes graphs were used and sometimes words or symbols were used to let the crafter know what to do with the hook. Hooks ranged from ugly bent needles in a cork handle, used by poor Irish workers, to expensively crafted silver, brass, steel, ivory and bone hooks set into a variety of handles. Even today we do this. Some hooks you buy at the local store, others, you can have a person make them for you by using bamboo or something more comfortable or even stylish.

In any case,  crochet  came to America and was popular in the 60's and 70's. But in the 80's dropped and disappeared when knitting took over the machine market.  While knitting is beautiful, there are differences:
 

1. Knitting uses two needles, not one hook
2. Knitting can be done with a machine, while most stitches in crochet must be done by a skilled crafter.
3. Knitting is done with many lives stitches and uses the support of both bottom and top rows to keep from unraveling, while crochet does not unravel if a stitch is dropped unless the yarn is pulled out.
4. Knitting uses simple and basic stitches (beautiful ones) while Crochet has so many, a Crochet Bible was written to help that of the modern day Crocheter.
5. Knitting can be shaped and sometimes simulated with crochet, but crochet can't be simulated by knitting as crochet has unique shapes such as the All American Granny; also known as the Granny Square.
 
And though both may have their ups and downs Crochet and Knitting can be combined to create a beautiful garment or project.