Page 331 - J. C. Turner "History and Science of Knots"

322 History and Science of Knots

by the wealthy, and for the poor-when they didn't sell their products-to
imitate the middle class. Indeed, a common derogatory nickname for crochet
work was "poor man's lace" [16, p. 14].
A number of interesting variations on crochet were developed, or at least
achieved widespread recognition, in the mid to late 19th century. Hairpin lace,
or krotchee, was first described by Mrs Cornelia Mee in her Manual of Needle-
work (1856) [16, p. 15]. This technique provided a more accurate imitation
of lace produced with a netting shuttle, by first winding the thread around
a metal frame shaped like a large hairpin and then crocheting the loops to-
gether. Similarly, broomstick or Peacock's eye lace is created by crocheting
over a large wooden dowel, which gives an exaggerated lacy, loopy effect to sin-
gle crochet stitches . Ring or moulded crochet involved working single stitches
over metal, wood, or celluloid ring shapes, and these rings were then joined by
more crochet work. The stitch-covered rings added texture and dimensionality
to heavy laces and edgings, and were also practical for use in hot plate holders
[10, p. 32].
The most enduringly popular alternate crochet technique is Tunisian
Crochet, also known at times as Shepherd's, Tricot, Afghan, railway, fool's,
idiot's, Scotch, or German crochet. This technique is worked on a crochet
hook with a very long handle; an entire row of stitches are `picked up' from
the preceding row and held on the handle, then cast off one by one until only
a single stitch remains. The fabric produced is very warm and solid, and
can be cut and seamed without unravelling. Obviously this type of crochet
shares characteristics with knitting , and it is tempting to think of it as the
`missing link' between the two-or perhaps even a precursor to both. Unfor-
tunately, little concrete is known about the origins of Tunisian crochet. There
are undocumented speculations that it is indeed an ancient craft of Northern
African origins; however, it was first reliably described in the 19th century, and
it appears likely that the name `Tunisian' was intended merely as an exotic
descriptor, rather than as an indication of the technique 's true origins.
During the mid-to-late 1800s the techniques of crochet work were exported
worldwide, mainly through missionaries . As will be discussed below, in a
number of places crochet has become entrenched as a cottage industry, and
continues to be an economic mainstay primarily for poor women . In other
countries, crochet remains a popular hobby, and has been adapted to these
other cultures. Japan, for example, invented the graphic patterns that are
in common use worldwide. In Europe , crochet patterns had originally been
written out stitch by stitch, in text. Alternatively, individuals sometimes
developed crochet pattern books containing small, physical samples of a variety
of patterns and motifs (whose construction could then be guessed and followed
by other workers); however, these books could not be used to describe very
complex or large pieces of work [15, p. 78]. The Japanese couldn't read