Ladybugs & Stinkbugs

Do you know why most crocheters in times past held the crochet hook in their hand like a pencil? In the 1800s it was thought that it gave the lines to the hand a more feminine and graceful look. Now, many crocheters hold their hook in the palm of their hand, in what is often called the "knife hold," to reduce carpal tunnel.

Here are a few more bits of crochet history you may find interesting:

• It is believed that crochet began as a cottage industry in Ireland as a supplemental income during the Irish Potato Famine. You can read more about it here.


• It is believed that the earliest forms of crochet were created using a bent finger instead of a hook.


• The word crochet is derived from the Middle French word croc or croche, meaning hook.


• The earliest written reference to crochet didn't appear until 1812, and it didn't become the highly popular craft that we know it as today until the 1840s.

• In the 19th century, before printed crochet patterns were widely available, crochet samplers were a valuable teaching tool and source of creative inspiration. These decorative pieces were handed down through the generations to become not only treasured family heirlooms but important sources of crochet instruction. They were often added to by other family members or joined together into impressive collages or simply preserved in family albums.


• The first national crochet contest in the United States was held in 1937. Representing 32 states, 214 people entered the contest.


• Ann Orr, one of America's most popular and prolific crochet designers of the early 20th century, became the principal editor and designer for Coats & Clark's needlework publications while still only a teenager.


• Crochet patterns have an underlying mathematical structure and have been used to illustrate shapes in hyperbolic geometry that are difficult to reproduce using other media or are difficult to understand when viewed two-dimensionally.