What Is Crochet?
Crochet is a craft where you loop yarn around itself to create stitches. It has many different kinds of patterns that you can use to create different items. Some of the different things are Granny squares, plain rows, stuffed animals, and much more.
This craft dates back all the way to the 15th and 17th centuries, and although the place it originated from is unknown, some sources theorize crochet actually started in Arabia. It was originally called “shepherds knitting”, and the term “crochet” started being used in 1823 when a Dutch magazine had specifically used the word to describe the craft.
Currently, there are nearly 30 million people who use crochet in their everyday lives, and there are many different things they use it for. These things include; clothing, accessories, blankets, stuffed animals, bags, koozies, decorations, and more!
Benefits
There are so many different ways that crochet can help you. For starters, it relieves stress and supports the brain. Crochet also can help with Alzheimer’s disease not to mention that you are crocheting things that can be used around your home!
There are tons and tons of patterns that you can use, as long as you don’t sell or share them as your own pattern. In order to sell their patterns, you need their permission first. Same goes for posting pictures on the internet. The only exception is patterns that are considered public domain. This happens twenty years after the artist’s death.
Starting Out
The first step in crochet is getting the right materials, like a crochet hook, good quality yarn, placeholders, and a darning needle. I learned how to crochet from a YouTuber called Simply Daisy. She has very in-depth tutorials for absolute beginners, as well as a few beginner projects.
If you already know the basic stitches, but don’t have much experience with the projects, you should check out the YouTuber All From Jade. She is not necessarily a beginner class, so you have to know the starter stitches, but she does do beginner-level projects. She does tutorials for things all the way from little octopi to a bumble bee, and so much more!
When you start making a project with crochet, I would recommend starting off with a detailed plan of the pattern and the materials needed. It can be really awkward to be halfway done with your project and realize you didn’t use the right hook size, or you need twice as much yarn, or even that you don’t know what the pattern means and you did it wrong. Be thorough!
Recommendations
I would recommend using Bernat yarn for your first project because it is one single strand, so it is easier to get through the loops and see where you are without the yarn weaving out. Bernat yarn also doesn’t warp, or end up looking messy when finished.
Navigating the Yarn Labels
You can find the recommended size hook for the yarn on the packaging label. It is usually located above the brand label, inside a small square. A little lower than the hook size is the type of yarn. If you are a beginner, look for 100% Polyester. Under that is the yardage, which, in the example below, is 492 yds, or 450 m.
Did You Know?
Here are some fun and crazy facts about crochet. Enjoy!
- Crochet is actually the cheapest hobby to get into (unless you’re addicted to buying yarn like us).
- The rarest yarn is vicuna yarn.
- Crochet was a virtual lifesaver during the Irish Potato Famine (people used it to make money by selling their creations).
- During the potato famine, there were schools formed to teach crochet for that same reason.
- Different yarn can either be super easy to crochet or insanely hard to use.
Conclusion
I love crochet because it is something that helps me relax. It is a really fun craft, and you get something great out of it. You can use what you make as a gift, or you can sell it, after making sure it’s not someone else’s pattern. I know a few other people who crochet, and it is a truly incredible experience to be part of the crochet community.
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