INSIDE Crochet | History of CroCHet
books were mass-produced and crochet was used to decorate clothes and household items. The Royal Society Crochet Book Number 17 is an example, and includes a Knot Stitch Sweater that’s not dissimilar to the Mesh Tank Dress in Inside Crochet issue 9 (see page 65 for back issues).
Rationed to revamped
In the 1930s, fashion was more simple. Crochet was confined to children’s and babies’ garments, christening gowns, gloves and blankets. It suffered another set back during World War II when yarn was rationed. Since crochet uses more yarn than knitting, it wasn't a practical art and attention was turned to producing socks, gloves and other items for the troops. It seemed that crochet had entered the final decline. Luckily, it was picked up by a new generation in the 1960s, using bright colours and granny squares, which has (unfairly, perhaps) given crochet a garish image to this day. However, the Weldon Company in London first produced the humble granny square as a printed pattern for using up leftover yarn in 1897. The pattern has been in print since, making it 113 years old and it’s certainly stood the test of time, with contemporarily grannies all over the catwalks (see our feature in Inside Crochet issue 9, page 78). The image of crochet was enhanced when patterns were modelled by Twiggy (below), who epitomised the 60s. The crochet mini-dress now appears to have come full circle and is being stocked by high-street names once more! It continued to grow in popularity well into the 1970s, when the poncho
Left: Model Twiggy helped to revive crochet in the 1960s. rigHt: Granny squares have stood the test of time – this modern cowl was in IC9 (see p65 for back issues).
became the must- have accessory gracing every self-respecting fashionista but, by the 1980s, crochet
was falling out of favour. The economy was on the up, ‘shop- bought’ was the new black and more women were working and had less time for handicrafts. Everything was automated, cheaper, required the latest gadgets and less time. Imports flooded the market, making it less cost-effective to hand- make items. Crochet and knitting were no longer taught in schools and once again, it was in danger of extinction!
Here to stay
However, crochet is determined to survive. Since the mid- 1990s, it has once again experienced a period of growth. Crochet may be seen as a hobby, but those of us in the know
top:
Crocheted slippers from the 1930s.
Above: A 1945 bag pattern from Jack
Frost books.
Influenced by the monarch, crochet grew in popularity.
consider it to be an art. We are seeing fashions revived, crochet teachers in demand and yarn shops catering for what was (not that long ago) thought of as knitting’s poor relation. Crochet may have a short history but it has packed a lot into it. It has been shunned, frowned upon, saved lives, created items of great beauty, mirrored the social, political and economic situation of the time and it’s been the art of paupers and queens – quite a lot for one simple stick and a piece of string. Long may it reign!
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