Because that’s really what crochet is, you know? Knots. Lots and lots of knots.
In fact, this is a wrap I made of hundreds of knots:
It’s made in the crosshair stitch from Malabrigo yarn. Five skeins of Malabrigo, beautiful beautiful Malabrigo, that the yarn fairy gave me for the 25th night of Hanukkah. This is the before picture:
Isn’t it loverly?!
I love me some Malabrigo, but even more than that? I love crocheting. I give all sorts of reason why I don’t knit, but the real reason is because I love crocheting so much that, were I to take up another yarn-using hobby (even weaving), I’d always feel like I was wasting yarn that could be used for crocheting. And why, you might ask, do I love crocheting so much? I mean, it’s what grandma does, right?
I love the feel of the different yarns between my fingers, and how sometimes I struggle with the stitches and other times it’s like the pattern works itself. And oh! The variety of crochet… there isn’t just crochet. There is filet crochet and lace crochet and Irish crochet and Venetian crochet and tapestry crochet and Afghan/Tunisian crochet and then amigurumi (which has its own techniques)… The variety is amazing, truly. It is a goal of mine to master Venetian crochet, but right now I’m still too intimidated. And don’t even get me started on Irish crochet patterns. Especially the patterns from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Oh my. Its bittersweet; crochet patterns have really dumbed down in the last 100 years. It is no longer the intense art that it once was, but thankfully there are some great designers coming into their own, and many crocheters (like me!) taking inspiration – and patterns! – from the past.
Which brings me to the most important reason I love crocheting so much:
Have I ever told you that I am at least the 5th generation of crocheter in my family? It’s true. 5 generations of my maternal line have crocheted, and maybe even more. I’m proud of that. I’m proud that I have an activity that ties me to my maternal line, that grounds me in the past and reminds me of who I am and what stock I’m from. Crocheting is, for me, part of what it means to be a woman, and what it means to be a woman of my maternal line.
And that, my friend, is a beeeeyooooteeeful thing. Better even than Malabrigo.
I knitted. I hated it. I crochet. I love it. It’s so easy, and relaxing, and you don’t have to worry about counting stitches or twisting yarn (I’m left-handed, so I twisted my knitted stitch and my stuff always ended up a gazillion sizes too big). I love the variety of crochet styles & patterns too. My Mum is funny; she prefers knitting to crocheting (for the same reasons I prefer crocheting to knitting, if that makes any sense) but does neither regularly. My grandmother was a knitter, but I’m sure she crocheted too. And I bet you anything all my great grans did both. They WERE farm folk from the (British) Isles, after all! Your crocheting is a work of art, Shanz; beautiful!
Beautiful! Well done you! I started knitting a few months ago and I love it – maybe crocheting, will be the next step
Absolutely gorgeous.
Absolutely gorgeous yarn and omg that wrap is to die for!
I am incredibly impressed with the beauty of that blue wrap.
I crochet but I’m not very good at pattern reading. I have only been doing one project over and over and that is prayer shawls for other people…but it makes me happy.
That’s funny – I was crocheting the other day and my little one said “Are you knotting?” I was like “No…uh…yeah, I guess that would be a good description, but it’s called crocheting.”
I like to crochet (and am at least the 3rd generation), but I also like kintting. I guess I’m just easy!
HA! That’s so cute.
I may learn to knit one day. I’m not opposed to the idea, but then, I have too much fun crocheting to be eager to add/change.
I love my crochet as well. I’ve had knitter friends try to teach me to knit, but I wasn’t able to grasp it or didn’t want to grasp it. I’m still working up the nerve to try more than just basic patterns. I’ve got a couple of vests I want to make, but I’m scared. The older patterns from the early 1900’s terrify me.
Tell me about it! It amazes me, the skill that my grandmother and great grandmother had. Those patterns are art, seriously. I wish my local yarn store had lessons, but that just goes back to the original problem: We’ve (ALMOST) lost the art that was prevalent in the 1900s and earlier, and so there are no teachers!