Page 329 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

Crochet Work-History and Computer Applications 319

varying the size of the crochet hook and the thickness of the thread,
the same pattern can easily produce either a fine bit of lace or a heavy
floor rug-and both will be equally attractive and well- constructed.
And finally, the `stitch at a time' nature of crochet makes it easy to
build three-dimensional pieces (a much more daunting proposal with
`row at a time' techniques like knitting!).
• The technique is comparatively easy to learn, and crochet items can
be produced relatively quickly. Perhaps because crochet uses only
one needle rather than two, many people report learning to crochet
more easily than learning to knit; and similarly, a crocheted item can
generally be created in less time than a similarly-sized knitted piece.
• Crochet is extremely versatile-it can imitate a variety of other tex-
tile production techniques. A quick glance through a stack of crochet
patterns reveals an amazing array of styles that crochet can copy:
reticella lace, filet, Venetian point, bobbin laces (Cluny, Torchon, Mal-
tese, ... ), Honiton, Brussels, Battenburg, Hedebo, tatting, weaving,
macrame, patchwork quilting, and more. Generally, these copies can
be made in a quarter the time or less than that needed to make the
`real' lace or cloth! [101 And by using crochet, a designer can more eas-
ily mix types and styles, to give more interesting effects than is usually
possible with the original methods. However, the crocheted imitations
are generally much coarser in effect, since in crochet 2-3 thicknesses of
thread are pulled through loops, rather than the single thickness for
true needle laces or knitting.
• Mistakes can be easily corrected or unravelled. Crochet is much more
forgiving than other textile production techniques; `dropped' stitches
don't ladder the fabric, as is the case in knitting, and can often be
inconspicuously added back in the succeeding row.
• Crochet requires minimal, inexpensive equipment: a single hooked nee-
dle and a length of string or yarn. The crochet hook can be easily hand-
made: the crochet workers of impoverished 19th century Ireland, for
example, created their own tools by cutting the side of `eye' away from
an old needle, and embedding it in a cork or stick handle. If thread or
yarn is too expensive, then other materials can be substituted. In the
U.S. South, for example, the poor used to unpick feed sacks and flour
sacks for thread to crochet into fine doilies.
• Crochet requires less attention than other needlecrafts, and is easy to
pick up and put down. Mary Konior reports that Victorian housewives
favored crochet because it could be worked while minding children,
doing housework, overseeing servants, and gossiping; at a lower level