Page 333 - J. C. Turner "History and Science of Knots"

324 History and Science of Knots

thread, and hooks ran short, and stores were rationed as to the amount of ma-
terials that they could buy [8]. The work of the early 1970s clearly reflects both
the counterculture orientation of crochet during this period and its influence
from the Art Fabric movement: colors were bold, non-traditional materials
such as jute and wire were used, and sculptural effects were produced with
newly developed techniques.
Where popular crochet of the 1970s concentrated on clothing, jewellery,
children's toys, and sculpture, by the early 1980s interest had revived in crochet
lace. Victorian and early twentieth century patterns were unearthed and re-
published, and a spate of magazines arose that specialize in new lace patterns.
While many of these new patterns are simply variations on old themes, others
introduce exciting new styles. At both the `fine art' and the popular levels,
crochet is thriving.

Commercial importance of crochet

Crochet lacemaking has been, and continues to be, an important cottage in-
dustry in many parts of the world. In Ireland, for example, it was introduced
by French nuns in the late 1700s. It remained a genteel hobby until the Irish
potato famine of the 1840s, when large numbers of people supported them-
selves and their families by producing crochet lace articles for sale in England
and abroad. At one point, 12 000 women and children in Cork alone were
employed as crocheters!
The most popular form of lace produced during the famine was an im-
itation of Venetian Guipure, a type of bobbin (pillow) lace. This imitation
guipure has since become a well-known style of lace itself, under the name
`Irish Crochet'. As the famine receded, it lost popularity and the lace industry
in Ireland collapsed. The craft experienced a revival during smaller famines,
however, and an extended popularity during the 1890s with the new fashion
for heavy laces. It is still commercially produced in Ireland, and is a popu-
lar craft elsewhere throughout the world. The excellent works by Mrs. Bury
Pallister (1902) and Elizabeth Boyle (1971) provide a detailed history of the
development of Irish Crochet as an hobby and as an industry [14], [1].
Irish Crochet was particularly well-suited for large-scale production be-
cause it is constructed piecemeal: large numbers of a limited range of motifs
are produced, laid out in an attractive pattern, and crocheted together with a
lacy background pattern. A production line system developed whereby indi-
vidual workers concentrated on manufacturing large quantities of one or two
motifs, and sold their work to an agent. The agent then hired another person
to piece the motifs together, and kept the lion's share of the profits from the
lace. While some men and boys plied to hooks, in most cases women were
contracted to produce lace for male agents. In the push for higher and higher