While I was in the office pondering a new project to work up, the thought came to me that I wanted to try a vintage crochet pattern or even a historical pattern. This led my office mates down a rabbit hole of wondering what the history of crochet really was. When was the first crocheted piece made? Who invented crochet? Of course, this sent me on a wild chase to find the answers. Learning the history of crochet was so much fun!
The short answer to these questions is: Nobody knows for sure when or where crochet got it start. We did discover that the word itself comes from croche, and old French word for hook. It’s also possible that it is derived from krokr, the Norse word for hook. In addition, according to American crochet expert Annie Potter, “The modem art of true crochet as we know it today was developed during the 16th century. It became known as ‘crochet lace’ in France and ‘chain lace’ in England.”
No matter where crochet derived from, we love to celebrate it. From the learning process, to the cheers of joy when we finish a big project, and a whole month dedicated to the craft.
In honor of National Crochet Month, I asked our readers why they love crochet so much. The response was more than overwhelming, and we had some really great responses that I thought would be fun to share with you.
- It’s a fabulous excuse to ignore people! ~Josephine C.
- It is relaxing and I have several chronic pain issues so it can distract my mind. Also because I have an amazing talent (as we all do) that allows me to make special gifts for others. ~Janna D.
- I taught myself to crochet to help me lose weight. Sounds crazy right? But I was a person who snacked all the time when I was bored or watching television. So i learned to crochet and now when I am bored or watching television–I crochet and my hands and mind are happy and I don’t eat. With crochet and PiYo exercise I have lost 75 pounds in 9 months. ~Rene H.
- I can’t play an instrument, I can’t paint a piece of art, I can’t sculpt in clay or stone. But when I crochet, I’m making my own masterpiece! I’ve brought people to tears with my work, I’ve moved them to consider the everyday beauty around them! I crochet because it allows me to be creative! ~Sarah A.
- Simply it keeps me sane. I started crocheting 49 yrs ago when my Aunt taught me using the steel hooks and tiny thread she saved from flour and feed sacks. I love giving my projects away and have given over 100 bed size afghans away and numerous baby blankets, saques, caps and booties. I love making something new and unique. ~Sharon N.
- I needed a reason to collect tons of pretty yarn ~Amanda H.
- Makes me feel closer to my Grandmother who taught me the craft years ago. She’s no longer with me but her memory lives on in the beautiful things I create. ~Karen M.
Let us know: why do you love crochet so much?
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I love to crochet. it helps keep my hands busy, so i don’t eat to much. And I love giving the things I make away..it’s relaxing
I love to crochet because it keeps me distracted and out of mischief and it allows me to make some really neat things and feeds into my blanket obsession 🙂
I taught myself. My grandma always wanted to teach me but I never wanted to. Now she’s gone and I wish I let her show me. I do it to relax and because my grandma loved to do it.
I started crocheting in earnest when I was ill and stuck in bed for a year. Instead of thinking about how much I couldn’t do, I concentrated on what I could do! Sharing gifts that I’ve made still brings me that same joy.
I’m not very good at things like drawing or painting but found my crafting niche with crocheting and I love making things 🙂
I love to crochet because it makes me happy to create beautiful things. I have bipolar and crocheting can calm me when I am manic or depressed. It is meditative and takes me to my calm place 🙂
I love to crochet because it reminds me of time spent with Mommy while she was teaching me. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I finish a project that is all mine and has my flair to set it apart. And I love to crochet because I watch the faces of the people that I give it to and see how happy they are that I spent time making them something special and personal and something that will likely be handed down through generations. Crochet is about my family, past, present and future… I love that.
i love to crochet for many reasons from it relieves stress, makes great gifts, earn a little extra money, but mostly carrying on a tradition that my grandma Webster taught me (she is gone now but is always with me) that i have passed on to my daughter & grandson…crochet on & be blessed!!!
Therapy Im the primary caregiver to my chronically ill husband and he likes me to be around him so for me crocheting is my therapy…..
I love to crochet because I know I can make others happy. I’ve made at least two hats for women going through chemo and I plan to donate a few more.
I love crochet because I lose myself in it. Time stops around me, everything stills except my hands with hook and yarn.
My grandma taught me when I was little and it relieves stress. I love to watch a simple ball of yarn turn into something beautiful.
I love to make things for my family. It gives my hands something to do while watching tv. It helps get my mind off of other things. It also helped me quit smoking.
I like to crochet because there is something magical about taking a hook and piece of string and turning it into a work of art.
I love crochet because off all the beautiful and unique things I can make with it! It’s extremely satisfying to create a finished piece. I’m currently learning how to spin yarn too, so I can take it a step further. Eventually, I’d love to make my own roving as well.
Hello, could you tell me what ‘roving’ is please? ph
Roving is thick wool that isn’t twisted into traditional yarn yet
I love crocheting because it helps me unwind. It’s some me time, when I can concentrate on just one thing
It puts my mind to ease- no stress . I seem closer to my Aunt whom I learned from and my daughter whom I taught. It makes me smile trying to compete against my daughter in entering in the county fairs.
I love to crochet because it helps me relax after a stressful day. But I also love that every time I pick up my needle I think of my Grandma Docia because she was the one that taught me how.
I crochet to relax and be able to share something I made for specially just for the person I am gifting an item to.
I crochet to express myself. I am able to create something that brings ‘life’ to others. Crocheting is a positive, happy entertainment I can do for hours ❤️
Crochet, for me, is art, meditation and therapy rolled into one. Though I make a lot of things for others, crocheting is nevertheless, a way to make time and space for those things for myself.
I love crochet, for me it’s a combination of meditation and prayer. It helps me overcome my pain issues, but I also pray for others while I crochet, especially the person I am crocheting for, and when I am finished I have a gift to share with that person. It’s an amazing feeling watching the yarn become something useful or lovely to give those I care for.
I love crochet because it is relaxing when I need it, but it can also be challenging depending on the project I choose to work on.
It’s almost like a meditation to me and it’s a creative outlet. 🙂
I love to crochet. It’s a great way to make things for others, as well as relaxing!
Crochet lets me tap into my more creative side 🙂
Crocheting is relaxing, helps one to unwind while still being productive. I love to make and give crochet gifts and donate to neo-natal & cancer hospital. Always have several WIP!!! And recently made my first cardi for Me!!! Excited!! 🙂
I love to crochet because I find it to be relaxing and can’t sit and have nothing to do. And it also keeps me away from my pantry.
I love to crochet because it is relaxing and I have a great talent to make beautiful afghans and other projects.
I dont
Crochet is very relaxing to me and FUN!
I learned to crochet when I was a high school sophomore, but not as part of any curriculum. One day we had a substitute teacher who gave us a reading assignment for the entire class period. As we read, she was crocheting a brown vest, something very popular during that generation, the late 1960s-early ’70s. But she was having some difficulties with the pattern, and during the last few minutes of class she gave up and began ripping out that particular section. In her frustration she said, “Anyone who wants to learn to crochet, be at my house at 7:00 Thursday night.” She expected to have no takers to this insincere invitation, but instead, eight of us appeared at her door that night. (We weren’t stalking her; we did let her know in advance we planned to take her up on the offer, and obtained her address directly from her.) In any case, she lived up to the promise and spent two hours a week from October through around February or March teaching us the basic stitches, increasing, decreasing, reading patterns and then some of the more difficult stitches. By spring, she felt we would be able to read, interpret and follow any pattern; and to prove it, our first ‘real’ project beyond the sample swatches we made while learning the craft was the same vest which had inspired the tutoring in the first place — a pattern which included the sentence, “This pattern is not for beginners,” in bold italics directly under the name. She informed us that if we were able to successfully complete that vest, there would be virtually no crochet project we couldn’t do. Of the eight of us who originally began the lessons, I think at least six of us did finish it. We began crocheting in any free time we could find — (as well as occasionally during some of our less intense classes). My vest was a variegated pastel item featuring mint green, yellow, pink and white — it greatly resembled baby yarn but in a worsted weight. My friend, Kathy’s, was red. I also made a new friend during those sessions, the younger sister of one of the girls who had been in the class in which we were first challenged to learn to crochet. Throughout the years since that time, I’ve made many different things, but my favorite go-to pieces are afghans and small holiday-themed items to give away to family, friends and coworkers or to donate to organizations sponsoring craft sales a fundraising events. I continue to crochet because it has become a part of who I am, and because it connects me to relatives who have also crocheted over the years. It is more than a hobby to me, and I hope I never have to give it up.
I absolutely enjoyed your story. Very touching.
My Mom taught me the basics when I was a teenager and now I crochet as a stress reducer. Both my parents and my husband have spent a lot of time being hospitalized and crocheting has helped me pass the time while sitting with them or waiting for a procedure to be finished. I always carry a small project with me and use the time waiting to complete these little projects. I have given away more slippers, scarves and hats to other people sitting in waiting rooms just because they looked like they needed a smile or a hug.
Like others, my grandmother taught me to crochet rag rugs, which I have been doing for years. When I do, I think of her and the nice things she did for us as kids . She was not the lovey-dovey type, but we KNEW she loved us! I have crocheted other items – valances, doilies, HATS, etc., but the rugs are my favourites.
A grand daughter is visiting and wants to learn. We’ll be having a tutorial later today.
So glad she wants to learn
Jean
I taught myself how to crochet when I was 23. I was recovering from Cancer and unable to do much, but I could still move my arms and hands so I had my husband buy me a book and I read it and learned. Today I make blankets of all sizes and donate them to Project Linus where they are given to children with Cancer ages newborn to 18. I will continue to crochet and donate the blankets to them for the rest of my life. I love knowing that what I make will help a sick child in any manner.
Crocheting is a way to decompress after a hard day. Crocheting things for people (no matter their age) is a way to say I care about you! It gives a forever hug…
I learned how to crochet just last year when I moved in the US with my husband. I was so homesick that time and I am always left alone at home. To ease my loneliness/boredom I had to find ways to make myself busy. I started crocheting by watching Youtube Tutorials. I am so fortunate to have a husband who is very supportive of the things I wanna do. So from then on I just can’t stop crocheting. I even created a Facebook Page. It is Strings and Cuddles. I just love crocheting!
I self taught – one whole stitch, lol, (sc) in Jan 2005 and for nearly ten years that one stitch became dishcloths, scarves, soap saver bags. For some reason, though, I could never learn to crochet in the round, and other stitches eluded me as well.
Last year (autumn 2014) I found a barrel of bin ends – all autumn colours – in a Devon, England needlework shop and decided to use my mad sc skilz to make a crochet block ‘quilt’. In the process of making that (yeah, it took me from late Sept ’14 through early March 2015, and it’s GORGEOUS:) quilt I decided to really learn crochet – I was on a mission and the more I learned, the more I loved crochet for so many reasons! And then I made my first hat that really is a hat and actually gets compliments, and once I made that hat I realised a whole new crafting world had just opened up for me – the sense of empowerment is completely amazing to this 58yo woman.
Why do I love crochet? I love crochet for the Zen! It’s the colours, it’s the respect in my husband’s eyes every time he uses his ripple lapghan in the study or slides under the autumn quilt, it’s the joy of being able to make my granddaughter Disney character ‘dressing-up’ hats, it’s my friend in Portland, OR and daughter in ID saying ‘Wow! Can you make me one of those?’…Zen, it’s the Zen!
I finally understand those tee-shirts and bags – ‘So many yarns/so little time!’
I love to crochet because of all the intricate stitches that can be made, crocheting works up quickly (unlike knitting that takes FOREVER to get an inch), and the things that can be made are endless, with anything from thread to bulky yarn.
I love to crochet! Not only is it a creative outlet, but it is relaxing and helps distract my mind from chronic pain of fibromyalgia. Plus I create beautiful items that I give away to friends and family.
I love to crochet, as it is a skill which nurture my mind, and spirit. In addition, it enables me to create beautiful projects; to teach a sustainable skill; and to fellowship with other crafters.
My aunt taught to crochet when I was about 10 years old. I for got all about it until 1976 when I had to have two major surgeries. I couldn’t do much at the time so I pick a crochet hook and some yarn and started working on an afghan. I have been doing it ever since. Now I do it to relax and to make beautiful patterns for all my family and friends. Thank God for crochet. It keeps me sane in this crazy world. Crochet and my pet Chihuahuas.
I’ve been crocheting since I was 7 years old.Now I am 73 and believe each crochet item has love woven into it.Many babies and nursing home patients have my work and my love keeps them feeling special.Home made items come from the heart and are the best because no two are alike.
I love crocheting because of how it relaxes me. Also it helps me feel closer to my grandma, she passed away before my brother was born, and she would make beautiful lace for the dresses she would sew. Over the years we have lost a lot of the things she made for the family and this is one way I keep her close
I love to crochet. I taught myself while in collage when a friend was having a baby. I made a hat, sweater and blanket for her. She loved it & I was hooked. Now that I’m retired, it keeps me busy & I give it away.
I love learning new stitches and techniques.
I love to crochet because it takes me to a pain free world where I can let my imagination go and create wonderful gifts for family and friends. We are currently building our new home, so I am making all the floor rugs, kitchen and bathroom needs as well as extra to sell at the driveway stall I have for selling my home grown produce and my partner’s wooden toys. Crochet is also a great ice breaker.
When my first child was born nearly 44 years ago I knitted the whole layette as I was bored staying at home. Shortly after her birth I realised that she was also left handed.
I have always liked crochet work and saw a simple square in a magazine showing how to crochet a simple square.. It took me an hour but I did it. I was able to teach my daughter to knot and crochet left handed. I will soon teach one of my granddaughters to crochet as she is also left handed.
My love for crochet began when I was 10 years old, my grandmother taught me how to do some basic stitches. I crocheted off and on for the next 20 years. Afghans in particular. Now I make sweater, blankies, slippers, hats, fingerless gloves and amigurumi now too. All because that seed was planted within me. I take pride in my work and it keeps my mind and fingers busy.
I love to crochet, and handcraft anything, because I am not very social but when people say, “OMG you made that!” it gives me a conversation opener.
I taught myself when my partner was suffering with depression and I wasn’t coping either and was on medication myself, its so calming and relaxing and you get something amazing out of it 🙂
I learned to crochet from my Aunt. I still learn stiches on my own. I love crochet because I can make things any time.
I only learned to crochet 6 months ago, I had a car accident 12yrs ago and am still having operations to put me back on my feet, crocheting gives me something to do while watching tv or waiting for the next operation. Hopefully this time next year I will be able to walk again. ph