For many, crochet is a form of business, and for others, it’s a form of relaxation. Crochet dates to as early as the 11th century, but it began rising in popularity in the 60s, becoming a huge deal because of the color and fun texture. In 1829, Mademoiselle Riego de la Branchardiere wrote the first pattern at 18, making her the mother of crochet.
According to crafts research sponsored by AFCI, more people are getting into the activity, and while only less than 1% of the world crochet nowadays, “28.8 million Americans participated in knitting and/or crochet in 2016.” For many, crochets is said to be easy to get into.
“I think yes it’s easy to get into. Everything is skill, but I think it’s easier than knitting,” Spanish teacher Sarah Gardella said.
To get into crochet, junior Riley Spears recommends learning amigurumi and granny square; these are mostly single crochet, so they’re the easiest form of crochet.
There are many things that crochet is useful for. In this day, crochet can be made to just about anything. There are toys, prom dresses, household tools etc. It is also a way to pass heirlooms to family members.
For Gardella, she’s had many things passed onto her from family members: “I had a dress that was crocheted by my grandma. I also had a set of placemats from my mom,” Gardella commented.
Many crocheters have expressed common misconceptions about crochet. The most common is when people passing ask “What are you knitting?” Although this is a harmless comment, it’s still cringe for many crocheters.
Crocheting is also a way to bond with other people. Gardella said every woman in her family crochets.
“She taught me- my grandma- and my dad’s family, they all crochet, all the women crochet, and I used to help her, so my sister and I crochet[ed] since were teenagers.”
A lot of people conclude that in the future, there could possibly be machines and gadgets that replace human crocheting, but for now, the intricacy of a crochet stitch is impossible to be replicated by a machine.
“I hope it’s not an option; hopefully people keep learning, so we don’t lose the art of crocheting” Gardella said.