What is crochet
What is crochet
Crochet, Crochet, Crochet
The term crochet (or croché) comes from French, and is what we also call crochet in Spain.
Crochet is a technique for knitting with any type of yarn using a specific needle that ends in a hook.
In the process, you pass one ring of thread over another, working with only one of the rings at a time. But, above all, it is a way to create your own projects, knit your own projects and have fun!
Origin of crochet
This practice spread throughout Europe in the 16th century. The first written document that mentioned crochet dates back to 1812, written by Elizabeth Grant, The Memoirs of a Highland Lady. A few years later, in 1824, the first patterns were published in a magazine (the German magazine Pénelopé). But it was not until the middle of the century that it began to be called Crotchet.
However, it is very likely that crochet existed a long time ago, although we have no evidence of this.
What can we crochet?
The typical uses of crochet have traditionally been to weave blankets, rugs, carpets, scarves and other accessories. However, modern crochet has opened the doors to inspiration and by mixing creativity and needle we can practically make almost anything with crochet.
Thanks to the internet and digital age, the ability to globally share ideas, techniques, tricks, tips, patterns… allows many people to acquire knowledge and a lot of inspiration. The combination of all this leads to the generation of many new ideas and creativity.
Crocheters around the world are working as a team, even if we are not aware of it.
On the other hand, crochet has typically been made using cotton, wool or synthetic thread. Obviously, these materials are still the most commonly used, but we also see work woven with rope, plastic and many other materials that allow for the creation of work with completely different textures and appearances.
The rag
The appearance of trapillo was a great contribution to the world of crochet. Trapillo had been around for a long time, of course, but it was typically used in agriculture for completely different purposes.
Trapillo is a recycled textile material. It is obtained from textile surpluses from the clothing industry, using these leftover fabrics to make balls of trapillo, cutting the fabrics into strips of approximately 3 cm wide and rolling them into a ball, so that the material can then be woven.
Knitting with trapillo for me was like discovering America. I love it! Trapillo is generally associated with XL crochet because it allows you to create large pieces in much less time than if you tried to do it with traditional yarn, since the thread is much thicker, and the stitch is much larger. In addition, this also means that the work is harder and firmer, allowing you to make, for example, baskets with firm walls, fluffy rugs, bags with a consistent body, etc.