Crochet is a Fiber Arts Craft. Crochet crafting is defined as the art of creating fabric by locking loops of yarn together with a single hooked needle.
My World of Crochet
My crafting world revolves around the fiber art of Crochet.
Personally, most of my own crochet is done using single & double crochet, with the occasional fancy stitch for a border. Therefore, I really admire the crochet artists who create using intricate and beautiful stitches, as you will see in their gorgeous creations sprinkled throughout this page and featured in their Etsy Shops, and Elsewhere..
Crochet in the Past...
The fiber art of crochet became popular as a craft during the 19th Century. Other needlecrafts were known earlier, but there is no real history of crochet much before that time. Crochet basically began in Britain, America and France as a less costly substitute for lace.
What began as a Cottage Industry has grown today to include many styles and forms from clothing created with crocheted fabrics to caps for newborn babies and darling plush animals for children. Every kind of yarn imaginable is used in modern creations, including baby yarn, sport yarn, 3- and 4-ply yarns, specialty, bulky and rug yarns.
Cotton is still used in bedspread thread yarn and has become very popular today for washcloths and dishcloths because it is durable and strong.
Wool yarn continues to be popular, particularly for home decor and winter wear (and many crafters love to 'felt' with wool yarn). Acrylic yarn is used by most crafters for its versatility and washability.
Basic Crochet
Crochet is begun by placing a slip-knot loop on the hook, pulling another loop through the first loop, and repeating this process to create a chain of the length needed for a specific pattern or project. Work the chain in rows, or in rounds. Stitches are made by pulling one or more loops through each loop of the chain, with only one loop left on the hook at any one time.
There are actually just 6 basic stitches --
- chain
- single crochet
- half-double crochet
- double crochet
- triple crochet
- double tripe/treble crochet
Most items use just two stitches, the chain and single crochet. By combining stitches, different patterns can be achieved.
There are many how-to videos for various kinds of crochet stitches available on YouTube and any number of articles with instructions, so individual ones won't be presented here. This is mainly a brief explanation of various crochet stitches ~ with delightful handmade examples showing how a particular stitch looks in a sweater, a scarf, a pair of booties...... etc.
Lacy Crochet Stitches
Filet Crochet is a type of crocheted lace that is 'gridlike' because it uses only two crochet stitches, the chain and double crochet. It forms patterns by filling in parts of a chain stitch mesh. Filet crochet is used for decorative items like window curtains, tablecloths, coasters and placemats. Patterns are worked from a graph and created by combining solid and open meshes.
Hairpin Crochet is created by using a tool that looks like a long 'hairpin' or tuning fork. This strip of lace must be removed from the frame before it may be used. Patterns consist of long strips that are joined together to form the finished article.
Broomstick Lace is a crochet technique that results in a lovely pattern used for clothing and blankets. It is done using both a crochet hook and another long slender item such as a knitting needle. It is sometimes called jiffy lace or peacock eye crochet.
Additional Forms of Creative Crochet
There is Tunisian -- or Afghan -- Crochet, which is a technique that combines both knitting and crochet to form a soft, yet firm fabric. An 'afghan' hook is used for Tunisian Crochet, which is long like a knitting needle, but with a hook on the end. Like knitting, all the 'loops' for the number of stitches required are "cast on", then worked off, for each row. Unlike knitting, the work is never turned.
The Tunisian 'fabric' thus created is less elastic and thicker than normal crochet, making it very suitable for blankets and winter wear.
Cluster Stitch Crochet: a crochet stitch that creates a triangle shape resembling an upside-down shell stitch. It's worked across an equal number of stitches and joined together (clustered) at the top.
The pattern for the 3D Cluster Stitch blanket was created by Margaret of Alabama and is available in her Etsy Shop Sweet Raggedy.
Crochet Puff Stitch: This stitch is so named because it gently 'puffs up' into an oval shape. Puff stitching adds great texture to crocheted fabric. To crochet a puff stitch, you half-close several stitches worked in the same stitch and then join them together to finish the stitch.
Popcorn Stitch: a very versatile crochet stitch similar to the Puff Stitch in that it is oval and stands out from the fabric. It is similar to a shell stitch, involving putting multiple stitches in one base stitch, then the stitches are pulled together at the top. This makes the stitches puff out to make a three dimensional bubble in your pattern.
This beautiful baby blanket was created by a crochet crafter for her Etsy Shop she calls Flower Cardigan House.
Cable Stitch Crochet: Most crafters in the field of fiber art relate a 'cable stitch' to Knitting. Cables can also be created in crochet. Check out patterns and tutorials available on YouTube.
Wave Stitch or Ripple Stitch is created by repeating double crochet stitches interspersed with increases and decreases. It looks particularly interesting on crocheted washcloths, blankets, and afghans. The wave pattern is also called a 'Zig Zag Chevron' pattern.
The above gorgeous afghan was created in the Wave/Ripple stitch by crochet crafter Julie for her Etsy Shop Stitches by Julie.
Crocodile Stitch Crochet. This stitch is the perfect 3D technique to imitate feathers or scales. The stitch is worked into a base of several V-stitches on a base of double crochet and separated by single crochet stitches.
This lovely example of the crocodile stitch can be seen in this digital pattern for a handbag. This one is ready to download from the Etsy Shop KnitcroAddict and was designed by Wan, a girl from Thailand who now lives in Minneapolis.
More Creative Crochet Techniques
Many of the crochet techniques and stitches presented here date back to the 18th and 19th centuries. One style of crochet -- Amigurumi -- is quite recent, having its beginning around 2003. It has no practical use, but is becoming a well-loved creation because of it's overall 'Cuteness'.
Typically, amigurumi animals have an over-sized spherical head on a cylindrical body with undersized extremities.
Sometimes inanimate objects are crocheted and given features, once again creating something 'cute' and a fun toy. These are called Anthropomorphic designs, as you can see in this Cute Review of Anthropomorphism. They are a fun item to create and easy to do as most are made 'in the round' using the single crochet stitch.
Felting is another crochet technique. Felting is the shrinking of the material together using water, heat, and agitation. The fibers will lock together, and what once was a loose crocheted piece of cloth now will look like a solid fabric. Felting is wonderful for knitted or crocheted bags, because it will tighten the fibers into one durable material. The yarn used in a felted project needs to be 100% animal fibers, so wool yarn is usually the felting material of choice.
*Granny Square - Sometimes called an Afghan Square
It tickles me to read the description of a granny square as being a crochet technique that produces square fabric by working in the round. Traditionally, a granny square is made with a series of chains and double-crocheted blocks--a kind of filet crochet in the round, if you will, working from the center outward. Crochet crafters usually create multiple small 'granny squares', called 'motifs', then put them together to form a completed piece.
You can read all about this popular crochet craft in this review of The World of Granny Squares.
*Shell Stitch or Fan Stitch in crochet creates the shape of arcs and semicircles. It's often used as edging for Afghan blankets and sweaters. The crochet shell stitch is a classic, decorative pattern made by working multiple taller stitches (usually double crochets) into a single base stitch. This creates a textured, fan-like scallop shape that looks like a seashell.
Crazy Stitch, Brick Stitch, Zig-Zag Stitch are all variations of the Shell Stitch.
The crazy stitch (or Brick Stitch... or Zig-Zag stitch) in crochet makes a unique pattern by using double or triple crochets in an offset shell pattern. It's sometimes called a brick stitch because the interlocking sections at an alternating left or right slant make the finished work look like a brick wall.
Read a full description of this lovely crochet stitch, with examples, in the craft review The Shell Stitch.
Crochet Crafting Notes:
- For Felting your Crochet - Choose 100% Wool Yarn
- For Cute Stuffed Animals and Toys - Acrylic Yarn is Best
How-To's for Crochet Stitches?
I have not included instructions for all these stitches, because many 'How-To's' are available online.
Summary of Crochet Crafting
Crochet crafting is definitely a creative process that wraps you in warmth, turning soft yarn and quiet moments into cozy handmade treasures.
Crafting in crochet, or learning various crochet stitches and techniques, can be a very enjoyable and relaxing activity. Did you know that Crochet is considered a form of meditation? :-)
Do you like to crochet? - Or would you like to learn?
I'd love to read your comments about the crafty world of crochet.
*The world of crochet review was written by Wednesday Elf in © 2011. It originally appeared on another site no longer in existence.
Image Credits:
- Lacy Crochet Stitches images were found on Wikipedia
- The Intro Image was created from a personal photo by blog author Wednesday Elf. The plump plush penguins in the image are available in her Etsy Shop Coastal Crochet Crafts
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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