Crochet Facts – 30 Amazing Things – I Bet You Never Knew!

Do you love crochet? Want some crochet facts? Enjoy!

I reviewed, fact checked and updated this post on Apr 7, 2023.

Facts About Crochet

Fact 1

During the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1850) people in Ireland learnt to crochet intricate pieces and lace work. This was often their only source of income and helped them to get through this devastating time. This type of lace crochet was referred to as Irish crochet.^[1]

Fact 2

The first printed crochet patterns were from 1824 in the Dutch Magazine Penélopé and were typically luxury patterns for purses of silk thread. ^[2]

Fact 3

Crochet Hooks particularly their handles looked different to our modern hooks. Often made from materials such as bone, wire and brass.^[3]

Fact 4

The name crochet is derived from the Old French term croche, and the germanic version croc, both meaning ‘small hook’.^[3]

Fact 5

Crochet turned up in Europe in the early 1800s and was given a tremendous boost by Mlle. Riego de la Branchardiere. Best known for her ability to take old-style needle and bobbin lace designs and turning them into crochet patterns.^[2]

Fact 6 – Surprising Health Benefits

Crochet provides many health benefits such as helping with stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia.^[4]

Fact 7

Crochet can reduce the risk of Alzeheimer’s by 30%-50%^[5]

Fact 8 – Different Ways To Hold A Hook

The way you hold a crochet hook has a name.^[6]

• Pencil Grip or Pencil Hold
• Knife Grip or Knife Hold
• Pinky Fly Hold
• Chopstick Hold

Fact 9

The Granny Square is one of the longest crochet patterns in print. The Weldon Company in London published the first known granny-square pattern in 1897.^[7]

Fact 10

After experiencing breast cancer and a mastectomy Barbara Demorest found many prostheses were hot and uncomfortable. She’d heard about knitted knockers and asked her friend to make a pair. Realizing a need she founded a charity “Knitted Knockers.”

Thousands of volunteers across the world create handmade breast prostheses. They offer a free pattern for crocheted boobs.^[8]

Fact 11

Crochet was popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Hippies wore all sorts of crocheted garments.^[2]

Fact 12

As of April 2020, charity organization Knots of Love have distributed over 486,900 beanies and blankets. The beanies are for patients who go bald due to chemotherapy and the blankets are for premature babies.^[9]

Fact 13

Crochet As Art has gained in popularity. Artists create incredible ideas and “out there” exhibitions all featuring crochet. Artist Nathan Vincent exhibited a Crocheted Locker Room![10]

Fact 14

Yarn Bombing is a form of street art where yarn in any form covers  an object in the public environment using the knit, crochet, latch hook, cross stitch, amigurumi or simple wrapping. It’s sweet, temporary yarn graffiti!^[11] Here’s an example of a lovely one I encountered. An activity the whole family could get involved with.

Fact 16

Crochet hooks aren’t just used for crochet. Braids are created using a crochet hook and there are hooks and caps for people wanting to have dyed streaks of hair.^[12]

Fact 17

The largest ever crochet blanket measures about 120,000 square feet. The Guinness World Record for largest crochet blanket is held by Subashri Natarajan, of India. 1,000 people helped combine hundreds of 40×40″ sections. Much of the piece was donated to charities.^[13]

Fact 18 –

A wooden carved modern crochet hook can cost over $100 USD.^[14]

Fact 19

Famous people also crochet.^[15] Some famous crocheters you might know: Bette Davis, Aretha Franklin, U.S. President James Buchanan, and George Washington Carver.

Fact 20

Crochet doilies were one of the most common items people made throughout the first century of the craft.^[16]

Fact 21

In the crochet world, basic stitches have different names depending on whether you’re reading a UK or US crochet pattern. [22]

Fact 22

The world’s longest crochet chain was 80.78 miles (130 km). It was created by Anne Vanier-Drüssel (France) in Jun-Nov 2008.^[18]

Fact 23 – Crochet Uses More Yarn Than Knitting

Crochet projects use more yarn than knitting for some projects.

Fact 24

The largest crochet hook is 2.77 m (9ft 1″) with a diameter of 11cm (4.3″). By Clare and Broa Sams (UK) in Colchester, UK. As measured on 11 December 2017.^[17]

Fact 25

The 2017 Marina Bay Festival exhibited 3 enormous crocheted sea urchin art installations. They were all handmade and spectacular.^[19]

Fact 26

The fastest crocheter is Lisa Gentry of the USA, who crocheted 5,113 crochet stitches in 30 minutes.^[20]

Fact 27

Unlike mass-produced modern knitwear, produced on machines, crochet remains a hand-craft and cannot be replicated by machines.^[21]

Fact 28

Crochet is a regular on the catwalk from famous fashion designers.

Fact 29 – Crochet Stitches

Crochet stitches have abbreviations, a language in themselves. There are a huge amount of stunning stitch designs. Single Crochet and Double Crochet are the basic ones.

Fact 30

It’s believed the earliest crochet used one’s finger instead of a hook.^[1]

Fact 31

Crochet became part of the wartime effort in Britain and the US. Women on the home front contributed by making items for the troops. [21]

Fact 32

Tunisian Crochet is a unique stitch that creates beautiful stitch designs. The fact that it uses a double ended or hook with a flexible cable makes it fun to do.

Fact 33: The Different Types Of Crochet

Here is a list of the more common ones.

• Tunisian Crochet – One of the most well known and popular subset types of crochet. It uses a long crochet hook called a Tunisian crochet hook. It’s like knitting. You have lots of working loops at a time instead of one. You also work your loops on and off the hook. It produces a result like knitted fabric but is still unique.
• Amigurumi Crochet – Created in Japan, this is an art form of creating stuffed creatures or toys using crocheted or knitted fabric. The word comes from two Japanese words. Ami meaning crochet or knitting, and nuigurumi meaning stuffed doll or toy.
• Micro Crochet – Developed in modern times, it’s true of the name when they say micro! Tiny, intricate designs, often of lace, it uses fine crochet thread, and the hooks used are the thinnest available. It’s delicate, time-consuming, and requires a steady hand and lots of patience, but the results are stunning.
• Finger Crochet – The crocheted form of finger knitting. You crochet, but instead of using a hook, you use your fingers. It boils down to a hand-weaving method, but the weaving is done in the style of stitches from crochet. It’s fun, but not suited to complicated projects or ones needing tight tension.
• Tapestry Crochet – An umbrella term for almost crochet technique of colorwork. Aka intarsia crochet. There are many ways and styles of doing colorwork, and each produces a different look. However, other colorwork methods don’t fall into this category. Tapestry crochet evolved in Northern Europe.
• Aran Crochet – Aran in crochet means a method of crocheting and yarn weight. The technique is Celtic and comprises interwoven cables. Aka cabled or ribbed crochet. The resulting project is bulky, so it’s perfect for winter garments and blankets.
• Symbol crochet – Any method of crochet. Instead of a written pattern, it’s presented in a chart using symbols. It’s used for intricate designs, or so you don’t have to understand a certain language to use it. Knowing how to read these is a useful skill.
• Broomstick Crochet – Developed a while ago and popular during it’s time. It’s gained popularity in modern times after having lapsed for decades. It’s a method of lace-making called broomstick lace or jiffy lace. It uses a normal crochet hook, but you hold the stitches on a broom handle.
• Cro-hook Crochet – Using a unique hook called a cro hook, it has a hook on both ends, creating double-sided crochet. Work the stitches with either end, and there’s no right or wrong side to the crocheted piece. It creates a result like knitting and Tunisian crochet. 

Conclusion

The history and the present of crochet are fascinating.Do you know any facts worth mentioning? I’d love to hear your thoughts, let me know in the comments below. Looking for some stats on this hobby? See here.

References

1. Marks, Ruthie. “Crochet History.” Crochet Guild of America. 2009. Accessed: 27 April 2020.
2. “A History of Crochet Patterns” James Hardy, 2014-08-29, <https://historycooperative.org/a-history-of-crochet-patterns/> Accessed: 1 May 2020
3. “Mid-Nineteenth-Century British Crochet Hooks” Nancy Nehring, 2017-10-18, <https://pieceworkmagazine.com/mid-nineteenth-century-british-crochet-hooks/>, Accessed: 29 April 2020
4. “Research: Creativity and Calm are Leading Benefits of Crochet”, Kathryn Vercillo, Last updated 2018-10-01, <https://blogs.psychcentral.com/crafting/2018/10/benefits-of-crochet/>, Accessed: 30 April 2020
5. “7 Surprising Health Benefits of Crocheting”. AllFreeCrochet.com., 2017-01-20, <https://www.allfreecrochet.com/Tips-for-Crochet/Crochet-Health-Benefits>, Accessed: 29 April 2020
6. “Know Your Craft: Know Your Hands” Julia M. Chambers 2017-04-08. <https://www.interweave.com/article/crochet/crochet-holds-variation/>, Accessed: 28 April 2020
7. Florence Weinstein, Victorian Crochet By Weldon and Company, Dover Publications, 1974.
8. “How We Got Involved” <https://www.knittedknockers.org/how-to-get-involved/> Accessed: 1 May 2020
9. Knots of Love <https://www.knotsoflove.org/>Accessed 1 May 2020
10. “Stitch and bitch: Olek, the queen of sarky crochet – in pictures”. Jan 2015 The Guardian, <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/jan/14/stitch-bitch-olek-queen-of-comedy-crochet-in-pictures>, Acessed: 1 May 2020
11. London Kaye <https://www.londonkaye.com/portfolio> Accessed: 1 May 2020
12. “5 Crochet Braids Tips for Beginners” <https://www.naturalhairrules.com/crochet-braids-beginners/> Accessed: 29 April 2020
13. ‘Indian women make largest crochet blanket ever then donate it to charity” Rachel Swatman, 02 February 2016, <https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2016/2/indian-women-make-largest-crochet-blanket-ever-then-donate-it-to-charity-415230>, Accessed 30 April 2020
14. Furls Crochet Thuya Burl Crochet Hook <https://furlscrochet.com/collections/crochet/products/limited-edition-thuya-burl-crochet-hook> Accessed: 1 May 2020
15. Famous Crocheters: Past & Present, <https://crochetwithdee.webs.com/famouscrocheters.htm>, Accessed: 30 April 2020
16. Everything you want to know about Crochet Doilies, <https://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/2018/03/everything-you-want-to-know-about-crochet-doilies/>, Accessed: 1 May 2020
17. Largest Crochet Hook <https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-crochet-hook>, Accessed 3 May 2020
18. World’s Longest Crochet Chain <https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-crochet-chain>, Accessed 3 May 2020
19. ‘Artists Crochet Giant Sea Urchin Installations That Interact with Their Surroundings’, Kelly Richman-Abdou, June 6, 2017, <https://mymodernmet.com/sea-urchin-choi-shine-architects/>, Accessed 3 May 2020
20. Faster Crocheter <https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-crocheter/>, Accessed 3 May 2020
21. “A Brief History Of Crochet’ Wool and The Gang, <https://www.woolandthegang.com/blog/2015/05/a-brief-history-of-crochet> Accessed 3 May 2020
22. ‘Get the Lowdown on American vs. British Crochet Terms’, Ashley Little, March 25, 2019, <https://www.craftsy.com/post/british-vs-american-crochet-terms/>, Accessed 3 May 2020

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