Originally written in Spanish.
Tomorrow, September 12, is International Crochet Day, and KnitLeaks is joining the celebration by providing interesting facts about the craft.
The origin of crochet is very diverse, depending on where you look it up. References have been found in Arab, South American, and Chinese cultures.
The origin of the crochet needle is attributed to the need for a tool to help make knots on threads.
The most internationally known name of the technique comes from the Old French word croche, which means hook.
The first time a crochet pattern was published was in a magazine called Penelope in 1824.
In 1846, Mademoiselle Riego de la Brachardière published a book called Knitting, Crochet, and Netting, which contains clear instructions and illustrations to perform the technique.
At that time, crochet garments that imitated lace made with bobbins were considered cheap copies.
Queen Victoria of England was a huge craft enthusiast who loved to crochet. She made scarves with her insignia for soldiers, which brought people's attention to the technique and gave it prestige.
In the 1960s, the hippie era, crochet became fashionable, and granny squares were a colorful trend.
No machines can crochet, so all items are hand-crafted.
With four basic stitches, you can make a multitude of stitch variations.
There are patterns for all kinds of garments and accessories made with different crochet techniques, such as intarsia, tapestry, mosaic, colorwork… crochet has no limits!
There are increasingly more publications about crochet, such as Moorit, Crochet Now, Inside Crochet, and others. Pom Pom Magazine has recently released a book comprising some of the crochet designs they have published before. In addition, wool brands such as Lana Grossa publish their exclusive crochet edition every summer.
If you want to crochet something to celebrate this day, here are a few ideas. Show us what you've made on Instagram and tag us so we can see it. Happy International Crochet Day!
