Hello and happy Monday friends! I hope your week is off to a great start and you are looking forward to the week ahead. Thankfully our week is relatively quiet with the exception of a book club on Friday.
Did you know that March is National Crochet Month? I had no idea until recently and was so excited when I discovered that. I started crocheting in 2024 and it has quickly become my favorite hobby. So for today's post, I thought it would be fun to talk a little bit about the history of Crochet, National Crochet Month and share a few fun beginner videos and patterns that anyone can pick up with a little practice.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL CROCHET MONTH
Historians believe that the craft of crochet originated in Arabia and made it's way east to Tibet and China. Once trade became more common, the art of crochet made its way from Asia to Europe and ultimately landed in the United States in the early 1900's. It is of note that it was not called crochet specifically and each country had their own name for this craft.
While there is evidence of knitting/crochet dating back to 11 AD, the the first known publication referencing crochet was in the Dutch magazine "Penelope" in 1823. This publication provided an exhibit of purses that were crocheted using silk thread.
Almost 80 years after it's arrival in the United States, The Crochet Guild of America (C.G.O.A.) was formed in 1995. Ten years later in 2005, March became recognized as National Crochet Month, with crocheted works being exhibited in magazines and at events and talent shows (source).
CROCHET VERSUS KNITTING
While both knitting and crochet are both fiber arts, they are not exactly the same. The fundamental difference is that knitting uses two knitting needles and crochet uses a single crochet hook (source). The other key difference between knitting and crochet is the type of stitch that each creates. Knitting creates a "v" shape which allows the item to stretch more where as crochet creates more "knots". Both styles can create beautiful items.
LEARNING HOW TO CROCHET
I talked a bit about how I learned to crochet last year over in this post: I Learned How to Crochet. I honestly was most inspired by Elise Myers and wanted to create a sweater like the one she made, but to be honest I never finished that project. I made several squares before moving onto something completely different.
If you're anything like me, then videos are a good way to learn how to crochet. This video is one of the best videos I found that gives a step-by-step guide for absolute beginners.
FUN PATTERNS FOR BEGINNERS
Once you get the hang of starting a project and few of the most commonly used stitches, be sure to check out the below patterns that work up quickly and are so fun to make. I've made all of them myself and plan to make them again in the future (if I haven't already).
Crochet Book Sleever
I made the below book sleeve as gifts for some of my book club friends. It works up super quick and is not super complicated to make.
If you haven't already discovered TL Yarncrafts yet, I 100% recommend checking out her stuff. She has so many wonderful patterns and provides step-by-step guides for a lot of her products. I made a blue version of the blanket and gifted it to a friend for her baby boy and she loved it. I'm actually already making a second one for another friend's baby girl due in May.
Another blanket I made for my husband's cousin was the gingham baby blanket. This one was a little more challenging for me since for this pattern you carry the colors over, but at the end it turned out so very cute.
Well I think that is all for today! I hope you learned something new and got some inspiration to try crochet if you haven't tried it before. If you have crocheted before, what is your favorite project you've ever made?
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above may be affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.
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