IST 605: Crocheting

This short column from a New York newspaper demonstrates that even decades age people were wearing their homemade crocheted objects as fashion statements. This article explains how to crochet a belt. When you feel up to it, you can attempt the belt. However, you can simply read the article to learn a bit more about crocheting's history. One of the notable features about this article is that the entire page of the newspaper is preserved, allowing you to see what the news article looked like when it was published in 1936. When you click on the link, be sure to zoom in on the center page that is highlighted.

This article discusses the origins and beginnings of the craft of crocheting. It describes how the modern definition of crocheting began to take form in the 1800s, but that the craft of crocheting may have origins dating back to the 1700s. It relies on historical texts in order to trace the terminology surrounding the craft of crocheting. The text explores a connection between crocheting and the older craft of "shepherd's knitting." It also examines descriptions of needles in historical texts to help uncover the development and beginnings of crocheting. This article is a bit technical and challenging, but the information you will gain is worth the effort!

This article from the Museum of London describes some of Queen Victoria's interests, including crocheting. It shows images of actual items that Queen Victoria may have crafted, including a crocheted blanket. The article is short, and reading it in its entirety will expand your knowledge of the history of crocheting. Specifically, in addition to providing information about Queen Victoria, it may give you insight into how crocheting and needlework were viewed and used in Victorian Times.

This database archives New York Newspapers. Some of the newspapers go as far back as 1725. You can use the advanced search options, which allow you to filer by date and/or specific newspaper. One of the features of this site is that it preserves the newspapers as a whole, including their layouts, the images, etc., rather than just preserving the text of the articles. Try searching for "crocheting" or related terms! It may be interesting to see how different aspects of crocheting and its use changed over time. This database only includes papers from New York, rather than from all over the U.S., which is important to remember before making generalizations about people's views across the U.S. at a specific time in history.