Crafts in the Modern World

When you hear the words knit or crochet, for many it brings the image of a little old lady in a rocking chair, with a cat lying by her feet, making socks, or baby bootees with a sweet smile on her face. There are many different types of crafts in addition to knitting and crocheting such as sewing, quilting, jewel making and paper cutting, to tatting and cross stitch. Some of the handcrafted pieces made by today’s artisans command high prices for one-of-a-kind pieces In the crafting world, the mainstays that most people are familiar with are crochet and knitting. Today, with people from all walks of life partaking in both crafts, the art of knitting and crocheting today is more hobby than necessity. Many craft enthusiasts believe that crocheting is more user friendly than knitting because you use one hook versus two needles, the projects use less yarn, and it is quicker to complete a project.
Knitting is a timeless craft that has been mentioned even in the Bible, (Romans 14:12 MSG), whereas crochet is relatively new, in comparison, dating from the early 1840’s. Besides using animal furs, weaving cloth, and sewing, hand knits were a necessity passed on from mother to daughter as part of running a household. Crocheting on the other hand was so simple it was considered a poor man’s craft and was used by Irish Nuns during the Irish Potato Famine to help the poor make and sell items to support their families. When Queen Victoria of England was given a piece of Irish crocheted lace, she embraced crocheting herself, elevating its popularity to the upper class along with knitted items. One of the eight scarfs Queen Victoria made and presented to different soldiers is displayed in the Canadian War Museum. (www.warmuseum.ca, South Africa, Canadian War Museum.)

In knitting, the patterns such as intarsia knitting can be so complicated that you have to follow the pattern stitch by stitch. But, making crocheted lace, such as dollies is also