Vintage Crochet
Crochet has been enjoying a revival of sorts. From fashion catwalks to hobby stores, fans of crochet are searching for and buying anything connected to crochet they can find.
Vintage crochet is any crochet item or pattern that dates from the mid-1800s to the 1940s. Stitch names and techniques were different during this period.
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History
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Vintage crochet can date back about 200 years. The history of crochet shows it is a much "younger" craft than knitting. According to Debbie Stoller, author of "Stitch 'n Bitch Crochet," crochet first became known in the 19th century with a printed crochet pattern in a Dutch newspaper. A look at several websites, such as CrochetHub and Crochet Treasures, shows patterns and items typical of the period. The patterns were printed in books and magazines such as "J & P Coats," published in 1916.
Features
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Instructions and illustrations for vintage crochet were different from those we use today. Glance through instructions published before 1930 and you will read about stitches like "long treble," "double treble cross stitch" and "lacet."
"The New England Fireside" book, 1888, indicates that crochet used to be called "shepherd's knitting."
Even the term for a crochet hook was different--they used to be called needles.
While afghans were also crocheted back then, the emphasis seemed to be much more on doilies and baby items. -
Function
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Families in the 19th and 20th centuries had to rely much more on their own resources, which often meant making their own clothing and home decor items. As early as the 1800s, crochet became a substitute for buying expensive lace. In the 1840s, the first published patterns became available.
Even so, the rich, who could afford to buy lace, didn't want just anyone having access to to fancy lace patterns, so they put crochet down as something only the commoners would wear.
Considerations
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Crochet, including vintage crochet, has a growing fan base. TNNA--The National NeedleArt Association--says that millions of people are taking up needle arts. This includes men, women, children, business people and students. They are crocheting at work--during lunch--in fitness centers, dorms, cars, planes and buses.
Even as more modern crochet patterns are widely available, in stores and online, some seem to prefer reproducing the patterns and items from an earlier age.
Potential
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As crochet fans try to find ways to relax and escape from a world that has become too fast, the attraction of a past age seems to beckon.
Crochet's popularity seems to go up and down through the years. Crochet is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, and the attraction of vintage crochet seems to be a natural outgrowth of that popularity.
The Crochet Guild of America, founded in 1994, claims 2,500 members with 40 chapters nationwide.
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